COCKTAIL HOUR

The Cocktail Hour at a Wedding typically follows the Ceremony itself. While the Bride and Groom go off for pictures, the guests mingle in the reception room, finding their seats, and partaking in some hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

Some Questions To Consider:
1. Do you want to have a cocktail hour at your reception?
2. Do you want to be involved in the cocktail hour?
3. What type of music do you want to have for the cocktail hour?


1. Do you want to have a cocktail hour at your reception?
Why you might want to do this:
A. Some receptions have a cocktail hour, while some do not. Sometimes, the cocktail “hour” ends up being 1/2 or 3/4 of an hour. If you plan on having formal photographs taken after the ceremony, and if your guests will be arriving at the reception area well before you will, you may want to consider having a cocktail hour.
B. If there will not be a lot of formal events at the reception, you may want to include a cocktail hour simply because you have the time to do it.

Why you might not want to do this:
A. You are planning on having most of your formal photos taken before the ceremony, and you’ll be arriving at the reception site at about the same time as your guests.
B. If your reception is short to begin with (four hours or less), and you plan on doing some other formal events as part of the reception (e.g. first & parent dances, cake cutting, centerpiece giveaway, etc.) you may not have time for a cocktail hour. If this is the case and you still want to have a cocktail time, perhaps because you are going to have your formal photos taken after the ceremony, try to limit it to a half hour.

What most couples do:
It’s a split. About half do, and half don’t. Make your decision based on your circumstances. Just make sure that you allot enough time for the cocktail hour. Try to decide as accurately as possible how long it will take you to get to the reception site after your guests have arrived.


2. Do you want to be involved in the cocktail hour?
Why you might want to do this:
A. It will give you a chance to mingle with your guests and thank people for coming.
B. You may want to do this if your reception is a shorter one when there will be no time for a receiving line.
C. Also, you might want to do this if yours is a large wedding (over 250 people), where a receiving line will be impractical, or where it would be impossible for you to visit each table individually during the reception because of the amount of time that would require. (you don’t want to spend half of your reception thanking people for coming. Not only does it become tedious, but it doesn’t give you a chance to enjoy your own reception).

Why you might not want to do this:
A. Some couples choose not to join the cocktail hour because they believe it takes away from their formal introduction into the reception area that usually follows the cocktail hour. If you think this will be the case, it is probably best to have a receiving line at the ceremony site, or during the reception.

What most couples do:
Some couples join the cocktail hour, but traditionally, most do not. Of course, you may want to be untraditional and join in on the cocktail hour just for the fun of it. Or, you may want to join in half way through after your formal pictures are done. There is no right or wrong here.


3. What type of music do you want to have for the cocktail hour?
Some choices for cocktail hour music: 

a. Live Musician
b. Lite Instumental Jazz
c. Lite Classical
d. New Age
e. Irish/Celtic or other cultural

a. Live Musician
Why would I want a live musician?
A. It’s classy, and if you are going to have a DJ for later on in the evening, it provides a contrast of music types.

Why wouldn’t I want a live musician?
A. Expense. A Professional Wedding DJ can play similar, appropriate music and it will usually be less expensive.

What type of music can a live musician play?
A. Piano
B. Guitar
C. Harp
D. Saxophone
E. Violin
F. Flute

The above are the most popular choices. You can also hire a small band for your cocktail hour.

b. Lite Instrumental Jazz
What does this music consist of?
Typically, this is the Kenny G. type of jazz. Dave Koz,  Joe Sample, Gerald Albright, Rick Braun, and Spyrogyra are some other typical artists. 

c. Light Classical
What does this music consist of?
The term “classical” represents a wide range of music, from the Baroque era to modern classical music. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, etc.

d. New Age.
What does this music consist of?
Popular artists are George Winston, Yanni, Kitaro, and Enya.

e. Irish/Celtic or other cultural.
What does this music consist of?
This varies according to the type of cultural music you want played.

All of the above music ought to be played softly, and as background music only. It is played as people are coming in, finding their seats, and chatting a bit. It is best that this music not be overpowering.

What most couples do:
Most couples choose light jazz for the cocktail hour. Consider the atmosphere you want to create, and whether you have a theme for your wedding. You can do almost anything for cocktail hour, but, as mentioned before, the music is almost always played softly, as background music only.