The wedding cocktail hour is generally a time for guests to convene after the ceremony for a while so that the wedding party can take photos and the reception area can be set up. The cocktail hour should be fun, inviting, and relaxing for your guests. The cocktail hour is truly the main part of the wedding day for your guests.
Though a traditional cocktail hour usually consists of drinks (of course) and light snacks, along with a little background music to keep everyone entertained, there are all sorts of ways to spice things up and really make it your own for your wedding day.
Try one of these unique ideas for your wedding cocktail hour:
Mini cocktails
Instead of a couple of full-sized drinks, offer your wedding guests a wide array of miniature cocktails. Fill shot or shooter glasses with several choices of cocktails for all sorts of tastes. Some options are chocolatey, fruity, sharp, etc – and offer a different snack to go with each.
I recommend serving a Rattlesnake (a layered shot of Baileys Irish Cream, dark creme de cacao, and Kahlua), a Cosmopolitan, and a classic gin or vodka and tonic. These miniature cocktails will be a smash hit and allow guests to enjoy a nice variety of drinks without going totally crazy.
Karaoke wedding cocktail hour
Let your wedding guests sing! If your wedding is fairly casual and you want to really make the cocktail hour stand out, set up a karaoke machine and let your guests go to town! It can be a fun icebreaker if not many of your guests know each other, and will definitely be a memory-maker.
Make the food amazing
Who says the food at the cocktail hour has to just be cheese and crackers? There’s not anything wrong with that, but make it your own! Serve something a little special, like sushi or tapas. If you do want to do the classic cheese and crackers, add a little flair to it. Some options are baked Brie with a pomegranate chutney on top, mozzarella slices wrapped in prosciutto, pear, and blue cheese tartines, or Boursin with fig jam on slices of baguette all make for a lot of variety and a lot of deliciousness!
Set the tone
The wedding ceremony does not necessarily incorporate the overall theme, so the cocktail hour is the time to introduce it. Find ways through decor, food, drink, and music to begin pulling your wedding theme into the foreground. For instance, for a tropical-themed wedding, serve Mai Tais and fresh, exotic fruit at the cocktail hour. A wedding themed to something like “Pride and Prejudice” could serve champagne and play Regency-era music in the background. Be subtle(ish) and have fun!
