Is cocktail hour necessary?

Cocktail hour exists to give guests something to do while the couple is taking photos. If you don't need that time, it is perfectly fine to skip cocktail hour and go right into the reception.

If you aren't doing pictures after the ceremony then it's ok to skip cocktail hour! If you are, I would keep it. Like Hannah said, it gives your guest something to do! The best thing to do is ask your photographer is it possible to get in most of your pictures prior to the ceremony so you don't have to have a cocktail hour! They'd be your best source! Hope this helps.

The only other thing to think about, and maybe you have it just wasn’t mentioned in the original post, is family pictures. If you plan to do those before the ceremony as well with bridal party pictures then cocktail hour isn’t necessary. But our cocktail hour will be for family pictures (parents, siblings, grandparents).

I’m not going cocktail hour either. I’ve been to weddings where they have/haven’t and time goes by quick in both cases where you don’t really even miss it. It’s a nice touch but not needed

We’re doing “cocktail hour” only to have time to have photos taken while guests are being occupied.
We made our wedding BYOB to cut alcohol costs, and food selection is homemade charcuterie boards (fruit and veggie) and a chocolate fountain that my aunt already owned.

Cocktail hours are absolutely not necessary but I will say as a guest I do love the cocktail hour. It s nice to walk around mingle a bit and take in all the little details the couple put together. But do what works best for your party.

We are doing a first look to also get a lot of our photos with us and the bridal party out of the way beforehand, however, my fiance has a large family so we will still be having a "cocktail 1/2 hour" so that we have time to also take pictures with our families after the wedding. And also it will give us a minute to take a breath after the excitement and spend a few moments together by ourselves to enjoy the experience together. Receptions will keep you very busy greeting and seeing guests so you really wont get a lot of time to spend together privately. It will give us a nice chance to take in the moment after all the excitement of the ceremony.

It's not unless the venue needs time to set up or you need to take photos. As a guest though I do really enjoy the cocktail hour. I think it needs to go straight into the reception if you're not having a cocktail party. One time I went to a wedding where the reception was 2 or 3 hours after the ceremony. I hated that.

Cocktail hour seems necessary. It gives your guests something to do and can mingle and socialize with people while the wedding party is off doing pictures. It gives the venue staff time to move stuff around if need be if your ceremony was in the same place.

I'm in a similar situation--wedding at 6, slightly smaller guest list, doing a first look. We're having a half hour cocktail hour; the venue has a space for my fiance and I to relax for a few minutes right after the ceremony, just the two of us. And then we'll want some additional pictures in the ceremony space, because our first look is being done in a different location.

I'm feeling the same way about this as well our ceremony starts at 5pm so we also want to take pics with our wedding party but it will be separate. Because we aren't doing first looks but just wanted to give a little cocktail hour for other photos with immediate family but not too long and go straight into reception. Because want to save so this what we give something to snack and drinks so you won't break the bank. It doesn't have to be a large spread because, you dont want your guest to be to full then they won't eat the dinner. And then have your master of ceremony get everyone to go to there tables.

Even though my FH and I are doing a first look and having pictures done prior to the ceremony, we are still having a cocktail hour so the vendors can repurpose chairs/flowers/decor from the ceremony to the reception. Depends on where you want to save money, I suppose! I am choosing to save money by having a lot of my ceremony decor repurposed to the reception.

For me it's totally ok.. I always eat something before weddings because I don't like the idea of ​​rushing into food and then feeling full and heavy. I don't eat too much at receptions, so cocktail and dinner is too much for me But I think this is a meet your crowd situation, a lot of people go to weddings just to eat like they're starving, it's a shame but it's true

What does your photographer suggest as a backup plan if things run late (& they most likely will), and you can't complete all of your photos before the ceremony? It might be good to give yourself a 30-min. buffer after the ceremony to be safe. Even if you get all of your photos done before the wedding, that 30 minutes can be time for you and your FS to use the restroom and spend a few minutes of quiet time together. Ask your caterer about providing simple fruit and cheese trays for those 30 minutes, so folks aren't drinking on empty stomachs. That could still save you money.