"Cocktail hour" without food

I think most would advise not to serve alcohol without food. As for guests being bored, they should be able to mingle with other guests to fill that 45 minutes of waiting time. But I think they will definitely wonder why they have shown up to a party so long before the hosts make an appearance.

I agree with the above - it isn't a good idea to serve alcohol without food, even though 1 hour isn't all that long. I went to a recent wedding where the ceremony ended and cocktail hour started immediately. I'd say it was at least 2 hours, maybe longer before any food was available, and what was, the older relatives immediately crowded around, and the younger people were too polite to push their way in. In the meantime, the waitstaff were barely letting people finish a glass before they'd top you up, so by the time dinner came people were pretty merry. I'd personally want my guests to be a little less rambunctious, haha.

The thing to be conscious of is that people skip lunch in the rush of getting to a wedding ceremony on time, and so they haven't really eaten enough before they come.

Asking people to arrive 45 minutes before you is not polite. You can still make an entrance without making them wait that long. Think of it this way, would you ask people to arrive 45 minutes before your ceremony? In my opinion, just like the ceremony; if you say arrive by 4pm most people will arrive by 3:45. And, just like the ceremony someone may be late and they would just slide in inconspicuously. Just like they would for the ceremony. I would tell them to arrive at MOST 20 minutes before. I really don't think people will mingle around because its an unusual circumstance. I think most people will go to their table and wait, thinking you will arrive any minute and they don't want to be standing around when it happens. Otherwise, I would cut somewhere else and host them with food and drinks.

This is what I was about to suggest! I went to a wedding where the cocktail hour between the ceremony and the reception involved the kegs being turned on but no dinner yet. What they actually did was have little bowls and trays of things like Chex Mix and cheese cubes and grapes (low maintenance charcuterie, if you will) and then also put out the desserts that were not the wedding cake itself. They had a DIY photobooth set up, and the DJ was playing music. We didn't even notice that they were gone for an hour.

I personally wouldn't really find it rude to be invited to a reception where the bride and groom were not present yet, as long as there were snacks, drinks, and something to do however low key. We actually went to a wedding with a very similar set up to yours two years ago. They had a ceremony at the courthouse with their parents and siblings, then came to the reception venue for their first dance, dinner, and to see everyone. While they were gone we just mingled, drank, and ate snacks! I think we were there for 30-45 minutes before we got to see them.

Definitely don't have drinks without food. My suggestion would be to start the reception 30 minutes after the ceremony. Have the bar open, but also have bread rolls and a salad at each guest's seat. Guests can come in, sign the guest book, grab a drink and find their seat and snack if they want to. This also gives you and your bridal party time for pictures without guests waiting around for longer than what is truly necessary.

I don't see how this is any different from the people who make you wait around forever while they take pictures between the ceremony and reception. As long as the bar is open and you have some nuts or something out it should be fine.

For sure! Just veggie trays, crackers and cheese, charcuterie would work.