Don't wanna miss 1 hr cocktail hour for pictures.

We're doing a first look and then doing almost all photos before the ceremony. Then we'll have a couple large extended family pics for right after the ceremony. Then we plan on joining cocktail hour.

We're doing a first look so we can do pictures together and with our family before the ceremony that way we can enjoy some of cocktail hour. But yes if you don't do a first look then couples tend to miss cocktail hour as that's the only time you'll be able to do them

We did the same as above. We got all but a few photos done before our ceremony so we only missed the first 10 minutes of cocktail hour.

We took photos durring the cocktail hour. For us, it was a much needed quiet moment between the ceremony and the reception.

We are doing a first look and all of our photos before the ceremony. We wanted to be able to enjoy our time with our guests at cocktail hour, but it will probably make for a long day!

We didn't miss it all. We went to the beginning of it, I would say we missed about the last 20 minutes or so.

View Quoted Comment Oh really even without first look? I was thinking of attending the first 20 to 30 min but maybe it would be hard to pull family away from drinks, food and music 😁😁

For pictures

View Quoted Comment Is your cocktail hour before your ceremony? That's the only way the first look could interfere. I did my first look before the ceremony and cocktail hour after.

I just found out from my day of coordinator that she suggestions the two of us have a private dinner (about 20 mins) during our cocktail “half hour” and I love that idea! That way I can actually enjoy all this wonderful food I’m paying for and not get interrupted while I’m eating! Then, when she moves everyone in from the cocktails, they’ll introduce us and we can do dance, cake cutting etc and then while everyone else is eating we can go table to table and talk to everyone. This is our plan. So, yes, we will miss the cocktails but I think it is all worth it.

A lot of couples do miss cocktail hour to do pictures. Alot of times I have seen (and been) the bride and groom send members of their wedding party to get drinks for the bride and groom.

View Quoted Comment If possible, make sure you tell close family members to be around cocktail hour for pictures. And it helps if everything is at the same venue

The 2 things people often do to avoid missing the cocktail are either a first look where many of the photos are taken pre ceremony or they have bit of a gap between the ceremony and reception (this may upset some of your guests though). If photos are not super important to you then maybe u can get them done fairly quickly and the make the end of it. Good luck!

We used the 1 hour for signing of our marriage license and fixing my bustle. I wish I wouldn’t have and I wish I would have spent more time socializing during the cocktail hour. A lot of people leave after dinner/dessert and we missed a bunch of people.

Some do prioritize post-ceremony pictures over their guests. A lot of couples are veering towards a first look and getting all pictures with bridesmaids and groomsmen done before the ceremony so that they eliminate any gap between that and the reception beyond any driving time.

We're doing a first look and lots of pictures before the ceremony, but we're still probably going to miss our cocktail hour... my FW has a big family, so we'll be doing a ton of family portraits at that time. Then we're observing a tradition called yichud, wherein we spend time (I think traditionally eight minutes but like I'm not setting a timer lol) alone as a couple. Those are our priorities, but I completely understand couples who prioritize going to their cocktail hour to socialize with their guests. There's no right or wrong!

We did the pictures first thing in the morning, before the ceremony. It was one of the best decisions.

We had a whole hour with just the two of us (plus a couple of bridal party pictures at the end), we looked our absolute best when hair/makeup had just been done, it felt really special and a wonderful calm start to the day. The pictures came out great as we were relaxed and happy + looking fresh!

It also meant our guests didn't need to wait around at all between the ceremony and reception and we spent the whole time with them.