Cocktail style Reception- tips and ideas

Any experience with this? Thank you!

We're doing the same but our wedding isn't until the end of May, so no input on whether it works or not yet.. haha We have a small wedding too, so as we chat with everyone who is coming, we mention the setup and everyone has been cool about it. Obviously we have no seating arrangements or anything, so we expect people to simply come and grab food and drinks and wander and mingle and go. The restaurant has done it before and said it worked fine.

My FBIL had cocktail style but they didn't tell anyone. They had everyone sitting at the tables. And v everyone had gotten they're appetizers and was wondering when dinner was being served. I asked the wait staff who said this is it no dinner. We spec and got sandwiches at Sheetz on the way back to the hotel. PS wedding was a 5 and reception was at 630

Can you put something on your wedding website explaining it? I personally try not to fill up on appetizers and if I didn't know there wasn't any more food coming, I would end up hungry!

I am doing the same thing but my wedding isn't until October. I have been to several with heavy hors d'oeuvres and it was fine- honestly at the weddings I've been to I have better luck with those weddings than the plated/sit down dinners as far as better food. Plus you can offer more of a variety! My invitations on the reception cards will include that it will be a heavy hors d'oeuvres reception so that way people know ahead of time that it will not be a sit down dinner, you definitely want your guests to know otherwise you'll have your guests confused like @K8D describes above.

I do think you need to say Cocktail Reception or Cocktail Style Reception so your guests know what to expect. Cocktail receptions around here always have plenty of food, and I would never expect to leave hungry but I might be confused if I didn't know ahead of time and there were no escort cards or dinner table set up. I may also want to bring a different type of purse if I knew the reception was cocktail style so I it would be easier to hold for most of the night.

Edit: Will there be a coat check? I would definitely use it if there were, but might not at a dinner reception. Also, you can let people know by word of mouth that you will have tons of food.

The thing is you are not having a full meal, you're having a cocktail reception. Nothing wrong with that, it sounds like you will have plenty of food, but if you say "dinner to follow" or something like that, guests will expect a more formal meal. We had a cocktail reception for our rehearsal, and it worked fine. We had stationed apps and a seats for everyone, and everyone got what they wanted, when they wanted, and servers filled drink orders. We had enough food to replace a meal but still stated it was a cocktail reception (I can't remember the exact wording) so people understood the formality/setting.

I was at a company Christmas party that did what you're describing. They said something to the effect of, "A full food station dinner will be served". I don't remember the phrasing, but it was called "food stations".

You could call it a "strolling dinner". I attended a wedding like this and they spread it by word of mouth.

But I would strongly advise that you have enough seating for everyone--not for "about" everyone. I know you don't want people to park at a table all night, but some of your guests might prefer that. If you have lively music, a layout that encourages mingling, and introduce fun people to one another, that will accomplish what you're after.

I just answered this in another thread.

1. put it on the invites. If people don't know that there is no formal dinner, they'll be confused.

2. have seating but at all kinds of different tables and sofas, if possible. no formal seating, no place cards.

3. mix up the events; do your intros and first dance as soon as you get to the reception, not an hour in; that's usually the signal that dinner will be served next. Which it won't.

4. start with passed hors, then gradually open up stations and move to heavier passed hors'.

I really like this idea, but you do have to avoid all the cues that move a regular style dinner along. And talk to your caterer. They've probably done this before.

I wouldn't call it a strolling dinner unless there will be "dinner" type foods. I know you said heavy apps and stations, will they be carving stations? Potato stations? Salad bar? Can you clarify a bit? If there will be dinner foods then I definitely think you should put "Strolling dinner" on your invitations. This is the ONLY way that my venue does dinner and they call it a strolling dinner and they recommend letting people know that as its not as common as a sit down, family style, or buffet.

Thanks for all these suggestions!

I've never heard of the term "strolling dinner" and I like that idea! My mom is adamantly against "cocktail reception" for whatever reasons and is very fearful of people not thinking there will be a full meal. I am definitely going to tell her to let her friends know what the style will be.

We are having it at a restaurant so are working directly with the chef to customize the menu. A pasta station is something we've discussed, and something similar to a carving station that incorporates meat in a way where people won't need a knife. We've also discussed a raw bar and other passed hors d'oeuvres.