Party bus

We didn't do a first look but, we didn't plan a 2.5 hour cocktail hour either. Here's a breakdown of what we did...

Before the ceremony: maybe 1 hour

Bride, alone

Bride and BM's

Bride and parents

Groom, alone

Groom and BM's

Groom and parents

Cocktail hour 30-45 minutes

Full bridal party and parents

Couple during daylight

During dinner: 15-20 minutes

couple at dusk and dark

We didn't do a first look but, we didn't plan a 2.5 hour cocktail hour either. Here's a breakdown of what we did...

Before the ceremony: maybe 1 hour

Bride, alone

Bride and BM's

Bride and parents

Groom, alone

Groom and BM's

Groom and parents

Cocktail hour 30-45 minutes

Full bridal party and parents

Couple during daylight

During dinner: 15-20 minutes

couple at dusk and dark

My FH was the best man in a wedding this past summer that did this exact thing! The bride and groom had their wedding in a hotel and hired a bus to take them and their WP to take photos downtown during cocktail hour. We were coming from out of state and my FH only knew the groom and his parents and kind of the bride, so I was nervous about possibly being left on my own much of the time not knowing anyone. The bride was SO sweet and really tried to include me and the rest of the WP's spouses/partners as much as possible. We were invited to join the party bus and had a blast. While they all went off to take photos, the other partners and I introduced ourselves and just talked together outside the bus while we waited. If you can swing it, I know firsthand all the spouses/partners will appreciate the invite

ETA: The whole process for us took less than an hour because the hotel where the ceremony/reception were located were 5+ minutes from where they wanted photos. The bride and groom did a first look and family photos prior to the ceremony, so they only needed WP photos and additional couple photos.