Cocktail Style Receptions

Have plenty of food and a big variety of food. Think about food stations set up around the room. You'll still need tables and chairs for everyone. Be aware that because you will need such a large quantity of appetizers, you might not save any money over having a dinner.

What time are you planning for this reception? If it's a meal time, I'd expect an actual meal, not apps

If you're having a longer reception, I don't recommend doing this. Having just hors deouvres can actually sometimes be more expensive than a full meal. As a pp said if it's a meal time, I would serve a full meal.

Definitely make sure you have lots and lots of food and that you have chairs for everyone. It's miserable to be at a reception and not have a place to sit down.

Second the need for a chair for every person

Echoing pp's comments: Tons of food, substantial food. Expect it to be more expensive than a regular plates or buffet meal, they can often be due to the increased waitstaff.

I would also serve a larger variety of foods: a lot of apps seems to be less versatile than say, a sit down meal, so you're going to encounter more dishes that you will have some people unable/unwilling to eat, and some they rave about. So I would include both "fancier" foods and more "home style" foods so everyone has options to eat.

I went to one and before going I thought they were a great idea because I love appetizers. Afterward, a friend of mine commented that there was hardly any food. This was not true. The couple paid a fortune for a huge variety of high quality, heavy apps. They could have fed 20 extra people. The problem was that people who were up dancing and having a great time and not sitting /standing around missed the food. They would grab something as it went by, but at the end of the night realized they really didn't eat.

We're also planning a cocktail party style reception. Our venue is a big house on the bay with a big backyard leading to the beach that we will be staying in for the weekend, so parts of our plan are pretty low key anyway. Our wedding is scheduled for 2pm which gives our guests an opportunity to grab a late breakfast or lunch before the ceremony, but early enough that they can go to dinner a little later since we plan to have plenty of food available. I think the key is variety and timing. We plan to put out lighter hors d'oeurves first while we are taking pictures with our photographer, then having our caterer put out the heavier foods as the party atmosphere begins. I believe the music will be key to this as well so talk to your vendor about setting the tone. Good luck and congratulations.