Should i have a cocktail hour at all?

That really just depends on the time. You don't have to have a cocktail hour, but if its 4pm its way to early for dinner. I would think anything before 5:30pm would be too early.

We aren't having a cocktail reception. Figure with the sit-down dinner and cocktails at the reception, no one is going to be hungry afterward. Also, like others we are having it at an all-inclusive resort, there will be a little time between the wedding and reception, but there are like 7 bars they can choose from if they want a drink between the wedding and reception...

I don't think cocktail hours are needed. You don't have to serve dinner right away at the reception, so people have time to get a drink, use the bathroom, mingle, etc, and that way you dont have to worry about setting up a whole other cocktail hour. I think cocktail hours are a newer thing anyway, I remember going to weddings when I was younger, and people just did the ceremony, then went into the reception. No bigs.

I think cocktail hour has value in that it's more casual and gives persons time to take pictures with you and each other. Don't forget your guests want to catch up with each other, too. Also, I second the above poster in that candid photos show a more laid back joy then maybe the more structured schedule of a sit-down dinner and dancing. However, if you and your partner personally find cocktail hour awkward, then by all means move your party along.

My FH and I are doing all of our photos and family photos ahead of the ceremony, then using cocktail hour to socialize with guests. We will have about 140 people so it will be much easier to be able to say hi to everyone in attendance if we have that additional time to socialize - we are also hoping that will cut down on people coming up to talk to us when we are all eating dinner. And similar to previous posters, we will be sneaking off for golden hour sunset photos during the last 15 minutes of cocktail hour and re-appearing for a grand entrance.

A cocktail hour is definitely not necessary, but it definitely can serve another purpose than picture time.

Hi there! I went to a wedding that did a first look & they did a cocktail hour and mingled and got their "hellos" out of the way and were on they dance floor all night!

If you've already done photos, you can still have a cocktail hour and just use that time to mingle with your guests. You also can do a cocktail break between the ceremony and dinner that isn't a full hour if it doesn't feel necessary (30-45 minutes could be plenty of time for guests to get a drink and stretch their legs if you have a smaller wedding). I do think it's nice to have a break between the structured parts of the wedding. Cocktail hour serves as the "intermission" for your guests between being seated for your ceremony and then being seated again for dinner, toasts, first dances, etc.

You should consider the timing of events as well. If skipping cocktail hour means starting dinner at 5pm, that's too early.

I would recommend using the cocktail hour to mingle with all of your guests, thank them for coming, etc. That way you can skip the receiving line (which I never have cared for) and you also don't end up going around table to table during dinner, which always takes longer than you would think (unless you literally just say "thanks for coming" and skip any more meaningful conversation).