How long is too long for a cocktail hour?

I would say you can get away with an hour and a half it yoi keep the food And drinks coming.

An hour. After that, the DJ will announce that the Bridal Party will be making their entrance ... +15 minutes. The DJ will then ask the guests to take their seats ... +5 minutes. The entrance will occur, the bridal party will be seated, a toast/prayer will happen and then dinner will take place. A true cocktail hour from arrival to dinner seating is about 90+ minutes but it is the last 30 minutes that the vendors are waiting for guests and bridal party to find their places.

My venue's cocktail hour is actually 90 minutes, but they provide so much food and drink that no one will go hungry or thirsty. Depending on if we can get our pictures done more quickly, we may decide to cut the 90 minutes down to 60, which will help speed up the rest of our timeline for the evening.

I was at one where it was 3 hours. People got antsy and some actually left. The dining hall actually wasn't supposed to be open until the bride and groom made their grand entrance but there was miscommunication between staff and someone opened it. Bride's mom wasn't too happy but me and mom convinced her it was a good thing it was open because in the area where cocktail "hour" was being held there was NO seating at all and there were a ton of elderly people there. Yeah they can't be expected to go that long without sitting down. Bride's mom said the lack of seating and the amount of elderly was an oversight in planning. I can understand forgetting a small detail like that though...there's obviously a lot that goes into all this planning. Lol

I went to a well funded wedding last year. There were plenty of apps (hot and cold) that were passed the entire time, and the full open bar had two stations in operation with several bartenders (it was a huge wedding -- over 225 guests -- but you didn't have to wait for a drink). When it got to an hour and fifteen minutes, people were looking at their watches and beginning to politely discuss when they'd be summoned to the reception area (this was also a wedding with a 3.5 hour gap, so there is that to consider). So, I wouldn't go a minute over an hour and a half (maximum), and if you do go that long, have substantial apps and easy access to the bar. Personally, I think an hour is perfect.

I think an hour is more than plenty! Ours was about 45 minutes. Our ceremony started at 6:30. I estimate it lasted 15 minutes. Cocktails were immediately following. Dinner was served at 7:30. My husband and I didn't get any of the hors doeurves, but we heard they were gone pretty fast!

I'd say 90 minutes is already cutting it close to being too long. Anything longer and people will wonder where you are. And if you go that long, you definitely need more than fruit and veggies. In addition to fruit, veggies, and cheese, we had crab dip, bacon-wrapped scallops, and bruschetta.

Your caterer should be able to suggest how much food per person.

We're only doing an hour. Most of our pictures will be done before hand so we didn't need the time. Anything over an hour seems long to me. Make sure you have decent food passed around. If you do end up going with something lighter let people know ahead of time so they can have a snack before coming to the wedding.

Regarding the wedding I mentioned in my previous post, I always called the cocktail hour "Cocktail 3-hours." Lol Yeah it was pretty bad. The only food they had were cheese and crackers and fruit and a cash bar which a lot of people didn't partake in because they didn't bring a lot of cash with them. There was complimentary red and white wine and lemonade and tea and water. A lot of people were starving and a few guests went to the Taco Bell across the street. Lol Yeah I do think going to the fast food joint across the street is a bit tacky but given the fact that we were at the 2 hour mark and we weren't given a timeline, I was a bit tempted myself. Apps were almost gone and we were all starving...probably why they ran out. Lol

I'm glad to hear 1.5 hours isn't too uncommon or bad. We had 1.5 hours with 5 different tray passed hors doeurves and full open bar and music playing. We wanted a longer time for pics since we didn't do a first look and pictures are extremely important to us. I was a little afraid people would complain it was too long, and maybe it was and of course complaints don't really get back to the couple...but I was worried that would be too long for people. But hopefully people got enough food to keep them happy. I also had some of my scrapbooks set up for people to look through and favors to choose (they were a variety of 8x10 photos people could take home to display).

But hey, just ask HCTY and MMTB to see what they thought of the length since they were there, I don't mind if they're honest.

I would say an hour is perfect. 90 minutes or more is pushing it because people are expecting a cocktail "hour" instead of a cocktail two hours. Most cocktail rooms I have been to have limited seating. The hour gives enough time for people to mingle, get some food and drinks without getting antsy. If everything goes as planned for us, will be with our guests for the first or second half of the cocktail hour.

Our ceremony and reception are at same venue. We are planning for right about an hour (will start around 7 p.m) and are having 8 custom cocktails and substantial passed apps. I am planning on taking any photos we need prior to ceremony so we can enjoy that time immediately post wedding with our guests. I'd say anything more than 1.5 is a little much.

I did a thread recently asking this question, what @Centerpiece is pretty much what I plan on doing. 1.5 hours MAX so we can take pictures nearby.

Coctail hour consists of:

a variety of appetizer stations ( I think its about 10)

full open bar

photobooth

videobooth

at around the hour mark the reception area will be opened up, where people will find their seats, and then there will be passed apps + 2 more bars available. I am hoping not to go over an hour and 15 mins, I gave myself the extra 15 mins just in case.

Hi All,

Just wanted to bring this up again. We're planning 2 hours to have photos with all of our guests + cocktails + hors d'oeuvres (cheese, charcuterie, and veggie boards + hot items). We want to be able to mingle with our guests during this time and take our photos, so they won't be alone. Would you say this is too long? We'll have around 70 guests.

I think as long as the cocktail hour doesn't start too late (I personally wouldn't recommend starting dinner any later than 8pm), that's fine. Have plenty of food and drinks (sounds like you do), and start by 6pm at the absolute latest, and I think it's totally okay.