Enjoying the reception

We did a first look so that 90% of our pictures were done before our ceremony began.

Do you plan to have a first look? Maybe take most of your wedding party photos before the ceremony so you only have a few more to take before you can join your cocktail hour. You may also ask someone from the staff if they would set aside a selection of each dish for you and your wedding party to snack on before your reception entrance.

Do a first look and get most, if not all, of your pictures done before the ceremony begins so you can attend your cocktail hour.

We are doing first looks and pictures with our kids ahead of time. We will take a few pics after then we will join the cocktail hour.

We did a first look and finished all pictures before the ceremony. We had a glass of champagne in back with our wedding party right after the ceremony ended and then headed to cocktail hour with everyone else!

If you can't or don't want to do a first look you could consider adding welcome drinks or an after party with your guests. If you're more worried about missing the awesome cocktail hour food most venue managers or DOCs will put a selection of the cocktail hour food aside for the couple

We aren’t doing a first look so we will probably gone most if not all of cocktail hour. Our venue provides a separate platter for the wedding party to enjoy the cocktail hour food. Maybe see if your venue can provide something like that.

My FSIL had her venue save the bridal party & bride/groom appetizers from their cocktail hour so we wouldn't miss out on the yummy food when we were taking pictures. It was perfect because we were all starving by the time we got to our tables after introductions!

My venue brought a selection of food and drinks to the private room we went to after the ceremony to take pics. That seems to be the norm for all the weddings I've been in. We also did a first look, and all of the individual pics before the ceremony, so after the ceremony we only did some more couple pics, and a few with our whole family all together. And we had to bustle the dress. We were probably there for about a half hour--the first 15 minutes with family and bridal party, and the remaining 15 min just with the photographer. Then we joined cocktail hour to socialize.

We then went straight into the reception. We didn't do announcements, because I vehemently find that ridiculous (1. we were just announces as husband and wife at the ceremony, 2. everyone knows who we are) but I've also seen weddings where the couple left at the very end of cocktail hour to get announced into the reception.

We plan to do Getting Ready photos with our separate wedding parties in separate suites, First Look photos (at the hotel) and Wedding Party photos (at the arboretum) before the wedding). The only photos we plan to take at the venue are the couple's sunset photos (before the ceremony) and the family photo (right after the ceremony but only will take 20mins).

First look so that we can join cocktail hour right after family photos (or maybe right after if we do family photos before)

We did a first look and went to cocktail hour.

We'll be doing a first look and then taking most of the family photos before the ceremony. We'll still have some pictures to take after the ceremony but our caterer offers to pack a basket for the wedding party and we should make it to part of cocktail hour