Dessert Cocktail Hour vs Dessert Bar?

I would feel really confused by dessert during cocktail hour. Would this be in place of savory items or alongside them?

View Quoted Comment My caterer provides savory hor d'oeuvres so they would be served alongside the sweets.

I love sweets. Love them. My life is sweets. But I would rather have desserts after dinner during the reception.

View Quoted Comment If that’s the case, I would choose to serve them during the reception. I think most people will gravitate toward savory apps during cocktail hour and you won’t want to have wasted all this money on desserts that don’t even get eaten.

I would personally not want to fill up on sweats before dinner. But I also have no self control eith sweats haha. I would keep it after dinner.

Hi Andrea! I think that people typically like to have dessert at the end of the night. It may be a better option to wait and have the other dessert options at the end of the night that way guests who do not like cake can still enjoy the other desserts you are offering! Also, this way your guests will get to enjoy hor'd oeuvres during cocktail hour! What other types of desserts did you have in mind?

View Quoted Comment That was my initial thought. Dessert at the end of the night and variety for those that don't like cake would be better. I'm leaning heavily towards keeping the dessert bar for the reception. I think my sweet tooth is what was swaying me haha. We plan on having mini cheesecakes, mini donuts, 2" cookies, cookies n' cream brownie bites, chocolate covered bacon, and cinnamon buns at the dessert bar... of course I'll probably switch it up 20 different times before the actual deadline.

No, dessert at dessert time! If people fill up on sweets, they’re not going to be hungry for dinner, and it’s also a good way to get people feeling full and having sugar crashes and tummy aches and not feeling dance-y later. I LOVE sweets more than anyone, but I don’t think sweets before dinner is a good idea. Stick with your original vision!

Not everyone has a sweet tooth especially before dinner. I would just offer the desert bar after dinner and call it a day

I do agree, that is uncommon and unexpected. I prefer sweets after dinner, I feel sick if I eat a lot of sugar with no dinner in my stomach. I'd for sure do it after dinner!

My advice is to go with your vision because I would hate to be disappointed about a detail of my wedding. However, as a guest... I LOVE the idea of a dessert cocktail hour. That sounds like so much fun! If you wanted to do both, maybe you could have fancier desserts passed at cocktail hour and then things like cookies and candy, at the ceremony. Even provide little baggies so they can take treats with them if they wanted.

Although the idea is really out of the box, I personally feel full after eating sweets and when they're little you may end up overindulging in sweets and then come dinner your guests won't really enjoy their food. It might not happen with everyone but it may also happen. I'd go with the savory appetizers/snacks. I am having my reception in a Cuban restaurant and am having potato balls and mini empanadas for the cocktail hour that will be butler passed also considering that my cocktail hour is open bar I'd rather feed my guests food which will balance out alcohol intake whereas sweets seem to intoxicate you more. If you decide to do it with the sweets I'd also suggest something salty nearby to balance out.

View Quoted Comment That's a really good point! I wouldn't want to fill up on desserts before actually getting to eat food now that I think about it.

View Quoted Comment I agree with you. Too many sweets tend to sour my stomach when eaten before actual food. I fell I'm love with the idea for being so different. But after reading your comment and most others I have to agree that it's better to serve traditional savory hor d'oeuvres during cocktail hour and save the sweets for later. Thanks for the advice!

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I agree with this. I feel sick too when I eat something sweet on an empty stomach. A dessert bar after dinner would be much better!

Sweets and cocktails don’t mix, in my opinion. I know that guests drink all night long, but I would feel more comfy eating sweets after the dinner portion when I have food to soak up some of the alcohol. Sweets and drinks during cocktail hour just seems like a recipe for upset stomachs, even with passed apps. Find somethiing else to do during cocktail hour to make your wedding different! I know there’s something alluring about being different, but these things are the way they are for a reason!

I am a sweet lover, and even I would say no to the sweets before dinner.

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This sounds delicious! I'm sure that your guests will be really excited about having so many options!