Apps for cocktail hour??

I have been to over 12 weddings, and they all had food (and plenty of it except one) during cocktail hour. I look forward to the cocktail hour because I can have a bunch of different types of food, and as much of it as I want. Yes, I can eat A LOT and drink a lot in one hour as well as mingle. I can talk to a bunch of people while eating and drinking. Your post suggests the only wedding you've ever attended had no cocktail hour, so you're basing your experience off of that??

With getting ready, traveling, etc, to get to a wedding, I don't have time to eat. Therefore, by the time the ceremony is over, I am ready to stuff my face.

The only way you can skip cocktail hour (IMO), is to go from the ceremony straight to dinner, where a salad is sitting there waiting for guests to eat when they sit down. Then the main course is served very promptly. But I'm not a fan of that, for the record.

An hour isn't enough time to eat some food? Is that really the lame excuse you're going to use to avoid serving your guests something to eat during cocktail hour? Give me a break. Most people are more than capable of eating and drinking at the same time. You're just being cheap.

And just because that wedding was 60k doesn't mean it was well hosted. In fact, if they didn't bother to serve apps during cocktail hour, they had some seriously misplaced priorities.

Gymrat. No i stated the most extravagent wedding ive been too,i never noticed there was no apps.

I think it can work if you are careful. As long as the time is strictly limited to an hour and dinner is served as soon as the reception begins, everything should be fine. Most weddings have entrances, dances, speeches, etc before dinner starts, which really would be too long to wait for a snack. As long as you start dinner right away, people should be able to socialize for 1 hour without food

Emily yes just to eat an hour is plenty of time. But i dont talk with my mouth full of food,so either i would be mingling and drinking or standing and eating.

I wouldn't call that extravagant then.

And just because they had a $60k wedding doesn't mean shit. Clearly the bulk of that cost didn't go towards food, as it should have been.

So basically it seems that you're looking for justification to not serve food during cocktail hour because of this one wedding? Is it because you can't afford it? Because I really can't think of any other reason why you would deprive your guests of food.

Yes I think they are necessary.

I think it could maybe work if you keep it at 1 hr. max. Maybe only serve wine and beer until dinner is served? Deff. avoid hard liquor cocktails until after dinner is served.

Gymrat. Their dinner was very plentiful!

Sarah. It is only wine and beer

Courtney, can you afford to offer apps during cocktail hour?

No, she is saying it's not the money. It's that an hour isn't enough time to eat and she can't eat and talk to people at the same time. I'm dying laughing at how lame those excuses are for not feeding people!

It does not matter if their dinner was plentiful. Their wedding is not your wedding. It does not matter if you didnt notice the lack of apps. You are not everyone at your cocktail hour.

Why did you bother asking this?

Of course gymrat ,but to me its a waste. Id rather put that money towards more food options for dinner.

What's your dinner menu looking like?

Delfina. I bothered asking because i obviously am not the only one who can do without stuffing my face and mingling with people.

LOL I wish I had the energy to get out of bed to tell you what's being served during my cocktail hour. You'd be floored at the "waste".

But you are in the minority. Even ignoring your rudeness towards people who want to eat, did you just want affirmation that a small percentage of people wouldn't be annoyed so you can be sure of disappointing only 80% or so? Like, when I ask for opinions, it's because I genuinely care about how the majority of people feel about a thing.

You need food. It's pretty much universally expected.

And of course people have time to eat during the hour. I get roughly a 25-27 minute lunch every day, and manage to eat and socialize with my coworkers in that time. Saying that an hour isn't enough time is just a lame excuse to cheap out on hosting.

ETA: I strongly agree with Delfina. You are in the small minority that somehow wouldn't notice the absence of food. The vast majority would, and they probably won't be thrilled.

As a guest I can do without lots of things. But for my own wedding I certainly want everyone to have the time of their lives and not merely tolerate it.

But if you are fine with your guests talking behind your back about how cheap and inconsiderate you are as a host, have at it. We won't be the ones dying for a cube of cheese before dinner. What's the point in asking for advice if you plan to ignore it?