Decisions On Appetizers And Cocktail Hours
In order to have even more time to socialize or to give the
married couple some time for pictures or quiet, the trend of
cocktail hours has re-emerged. Of course, these aren't the only
reasons that you may want to contemplate a little fun before the
actual start of the reception.
For the wedding party
After the rush of pictures and the excitement of the ceremony, a
lot of the wedding party can become disheveled and unkempt. By
giving them a little time to get freshened up, all of the
reception pictures can be just as lovely as the ceremony ones.
Of course, if the wedding party has to transport themselves to
the reception hall, a cocktail hour can give them enough time to
get there and get organized as well. They can put away anything
that they brought with them to the hotel or to the ceremony,
plus change into anything that they may have brought with
them--more comfortable shoes, for example.
A cocktail hour is a great new way to have a receiving line. The
wedding party can meet and greet the guests as they arrive at
the reception hall, even show them to their seats if they'd
like. This way, the only thing that anyone is waiting on is the
bride and groom.
For out of town guests
If you just couldn't schedule the wedding and the reception back
to back, then you may be in luck with having a cocktail hour.
When your guests are from out of town, they don't necessarily
want to go back to their hotels before heading over for the
reception, so they can have the option of going for light
appetizers and cocktails.
This also gives them the opportunity to mingle with everyone in
a less intense setting. There won't be all the dancing and cake
cutting, so it can be a lot calmer. Plus if the wedding was
earlier, the guests are probably hungry, so you'll be feeding
them as well. And drinks can help to liven up any bunch of
people.
A cocktail hour is a great way to warm everyone up and get
acquainted before the arrival of the couple and the start of the
reception. And since you're feeding everyone a little something
to begin with, you may also be able to have a less complicated
dinner menu--if you're on a budget.
So if you're deciding on whether or not to have a cocktail hour,
why not just do it? It's an inexpensive way to keep your guests
from having grumbling stomachs.