Cocktail hour...how does it go?

Normally (at least weddings I've been to and what we are doing at mine) they have passed appetizers and have stationed ones. Opened bar and certain drinks will be passed as well. Ours is right after the ceremony and will last an hour. We will have high top tables set up as well as music playing. Since FH and I and not doing a first look we will not be there for most of it. We will stop by and say hello but we will be busy taking pictures with our family and wedding party. After the hour is over they will be directed into the reception area and that's where the wedding party, families, and us will all be announced. I'm not sure if this is how all weddings are but everyone I've been to is set up this way and that's how our venue does it so I would assume that it's pretty standard.

^ Yep, we will also have music playing and open bar at this time. We hope to make it to some of it and will just mingle with guests and will have formal introductions right before dinner.

We'll have 6-8 butlered hors d'oeuvres (I forget the # right now) and also 2 stations. There will be an open bar and our DJ will play music during cocktail hour. We are doing a first look and bridal party pictures before the ceremony so I'm hoping FH and I can mingle for part of cocktail hour. Our ceremony is at our venue so the guests will go from the ceremony room to the cocktail room and then be shown to the reception room after the hour is done.

Ok, so the cocktail hour is in a different room from the reception. I didn't know that either.

Typically it is in a different room from the reception. In our case, everything (ceremony, cocktail hour and reception) are all in the same space. Ask your venue what they typically do for a cocktail hour.

Ours will be one hour with 8-9 apps. Some will be passed and some will be stationary displays. We are doing a first look and formal photos ahead of time, but plan to take a few photos and then join cocktail hour.

Our cocktail hour is at the reception venue and our venue is one big room (it's a bar). We will have three passed apps, and a cheese/veggie/fruit display. The DJ will be playing music and then bar will be open. We are doing a first look and pictures before the wedding so we hopefully will get to mingle. This will start at 5, we will leave the room around 5:45, and then be introduced as MR. & MRS. FH. Then on to the reception festivities. I think cocktail hour is for the weird time between the ceremony and dinner time. It's a time filler. You don't have to have one, but I bet most of the weddings you've been to have had one, you just didn't know you were in one. Lol it's normally the down time when the bridal party and all family take pictures after the ceremony.

Also, cocktail hour doesn't have to be an hour. Ours was 45 minutes. Depending on if you take pictures beforehand you and your FH might be able to be a part of it. It doesn't end when you arrive; it has a planned time because the caterer and DJ need to know when things are changing.

We had passed and stationary apps, an open bar, and water and lemonade. The DJ played instrumental versions of Frank Sinatra-style songs. We arrived midway through and were able to mingle a little with our guests before dinner.

Our cocktail hour will be simple compared to PPs. Three passed appetizers (grilled chicken & veggie skewers, meatballs, bruschetta) and open bar. It will take place on the patio outside the dining room. We plan to arrive and be announced at the end of cocktail hour and shortly thereafter will lead our guests into dinner.

Ours has 6 passed hors d'oeuvres (still to be selected from the list) and open bar (liquor, beer, soft drinks, juice, water). DJ will be playing background music.

We're doing a tea ceremony before it starts so we can mingle with the guests during cocktail hour.

Our venues generally do an hour to an hour and a half with butlered hors and usually stations (carving, pasta, cheese). Background music. The couple usually joins midway and then is formally announced into the reception room.

Our cocktail hour will be in the same room as our reception,and also outside if the weather is mild.

we will have passed and stationed hor dourves and an open bar.

often, cocktail hour music is softer than reception music. Some people have a string quartet or a pianist, others just have the DJ play music but in my experience, at least, its usually some jazz or acoustic music as opposed to dance music for the reception

Generally, the purpose of a cocktail hour is to give the guests something to do/eat/drink while the bride and groom take pictures along with the bridal party. We will have 3-4 passed appetizers and an extensive antipasto spread along with the beer/wine/signature cocktail set up for about an hour while an acoustic guitarist plays in the background. Most weddings I've been to (as well as the plan for mine), the bride and groom don't make an appearance at the cocktail hour. Once the reception starts, that is when the bride and groom rejoin the party via announcement.

If you are doing a first look and are not planning more than 10-15 minutes of photos after the ceremony, there is no need for a separate cocktail hour.

We're doing a First Look and pictures before the ceremony. Our ceremony and reception are at the same venue... or cocktail hour is in a separate room adjacent to the reception room... there will be 4 passed hors... i like that we get to mingle with our guests before going into the reception (or relax in our dressing room away from everyone else if we decide)... light music will play...

We are doing fruit and veggie trays along with meatballs, and then having spiked and regular punch. Not having a whole lot of appetizers because we are serving a 6 course dinner. We are doing a first look but then taking family pictures after the ceremony (thus the need for a cocktail hour). Whatever time we have left after taking pictures, we are going to mingle with guests.

If the weather's good, we'll set up high-tops on the verandah outside the reception/bar area. Guests can use it to enjoy the sunset, or be inside for drinks and warmth. The DJ will be going with background music (maybe some big band mixed in with older standards), and there will be open bar and passed hors d'oeuvres (waitstaff will circulate with them).

We are doing a first look so we will have time to attend the cocktail hour and talk to the guests. We have a separate room for cocktail hour (next to reception room). There will be a bar, table set up with fruit, cheese, veggies, and a pasta station. There are also 8 butlered apps and a signature drink. The DJ will be there for the hour playing some background music. We will probably have more pictures during the end of the cocktail hour before we get introduced into the main room.

For our cocktail hour the ceremony is going to be in the main garden (this is a functioning restaurant garden, so think food rather than flowers, but still pretty), and then immediately following we're going to walk to the cocktail hour which is in the field next to the garden. I want to spend my time at the wedding enjoying the wedding, not taking pictures, so we'll be going over with guests.

We're doing lawn games for the cocktail hour (croquet, bowling, cornhole, ring toss, etc.). We have less than 80 people coming, so it won't be too hard to say hi to people.

For food, we're doing 2 passed apps as well as a large antipasto station that will have cheese boards, bread, cured meats, fruit and roasted veggies. Since it's early October, our signature cocktail will be a spiked cider (there will be non alcoholic available as well). During the cocktail hour we have wine, beer, and the signature cocktail available and then it opens to a full bar for the dinner and rest of the night. On the way to the drinks there's going to be a popcorn bar so you can grab some popcorn while waiting.

For seating there will be a mixture of seated tables, cocktail tables near the games, and picnic blankets and trays for the more adventurous (don't worry, there will be enough seating for everyone if people choose to sit, but since the ceremony is so short I expect most people to wander). The reception is inside the restaurant in their sunroom (there's a private entrance that you can access from the garden, so everything is very close by).

We had passed hors doerves, a station and an open bar with some passed drinks (wine,beer, champagne) during ours. We had a blues duo playing for entertainment, more like background music since people were talking

Ours started after the ceremony, while we were taking pictures. There was music playing. We were eating dinner immediately after, so we just did light stuff. Dips, chips, crackers, cheese, sausages, peanuts. We had the full bar open as well. By the time we got done with pictures, the food was ready and the cocktail hour food was gone anyway. We just went straight into dinner.

Ours is outside in the venue courtyard (unless it rains, then it's in the back section of the venue) with a few cocktail table setups, 3 passed hors d'oeuvres, and a cheese and fruit station, a full bar. Our DJ is providing music on a separate little set of speakers, but not loud. We are paying $700 for this outdoor setup, so I actually want to get the full hour and attend the last 15 minutes.