An important part of a wedding reception is the cocktail hour—that time between the ceremony and the meal.  What you don’t want people to do during this time is stand around awkwardly waiting for the meal.  You want people to mill around and to get to know each other.  You want people to converse with people they know and people they don’t know.  You want them to have fun.  A successful cocktail hour can be an integral part of sparking fun that will continue until the reception is over.

On this blog, here are some suggestions from our team for getting your guests involved in the cocktail hour include:

1. Have different stations for guests to move to, on their own to try different food and or drink options.  These stations might pair wines and cheese, beers and hand foods, whiskeys and snacks.  Or, you can have a station in which people can choose either their favorite cocktail, or they can try something new that they wouldn’t have if left to their own devices.  Movement while trying new things can stimulate conversation not just with friends, but with others.

2.You can offer something special for your guests to try.  Perhaps you and your new spouse met when you tried a certain drink—so have that drink as the main option.  Or perhaps there is a liquor that you both like—you can have every mixed drink use that particular favorite.  The important thing is that you share the intimate meaning of your choices with your guests so they can share in the intimate sappiness on your special day!

3.Have movies and music running during the happy hour.  On two different walls have home movies or a slide show that have been edited together so that guests can see the funny things you each did in your youth.  Or maybe you just show videos of the times you’ve spent together since you met.  Almost anyone with a computer can edit movies so the cost of these videos doesn’t have to be exorbitant. 

4.Another option to keep your guests entertained is hire a caricature artists.  Who wouldn’t enjoy have a caricaturist capture them on this momentous occasion?  There’s nothing wrong with using disposable cameras to document the evening, but a caricature is somehow more fun and more intimate for guests and the wedding couple.

5.A videographer can also be used to allow guests to stop by and say a few words about the bride and the groom.  An edited version of the video will probably be ready by the time the happy couple is back from the honeymoon.

There are a lot of ways to keep your guests happy during the cocktail hour and beyond.  You want to ensure they have a good time and that your wedding will be remembered as a time of true fellowship and joy.  Chef’s Catering looks forward to helping you find just the right way to ensure your wedding day great for you and your guests. Contact Chef's Today!