Cocktail Receptions
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It’s a very traditional notion that your wedding needs to involve a sit down dinner for everyone that you’ve ever known… or anyone at all, frankly. One of the most enlightening things that I learned last year through reading wedding blogs around the globe, is that more and more people are planning cocktail receptions for tons and tons of guests. The idea of cutting your guestlist there is un-heard of, and cocktail receptions are considered the completely normal way to efficiently host your guests.
These receptions can be totally flexible. Most of them involve dancing- but they don't involve sit down dinners. It is a completely fun and totally acceptable way to have a great reception. However, if you are dealing with guests who aren’t accustomed to cocktail receptions, here are some tips on making it successful.
1) Don’t time your reception around a meal time. I.e. Don’t have a ceremony at noon, immediately followed by cocktails, because guests will be expecting lunch. Same for a 5 or 6PM start in the evening. Consider a 2PM or 3PM ceremony, with the reception starting at 3 or 4.
2) Your wedding reception doesn’t need to be 5 hours. 4 hours is more than enough for a cocktail reception. You don’t need the “cocktail hour” since your reception is a grand “cocktail” hour.
3) Try and have something happen every hour….perhaps the first hour is just mingling, then mark the 2nd hour with your dance and your parent dances and then mark the 3rd hour with toasts (or mix up the toasts and the dances each hour) and then mark the final hour with your cake.
Or consider serving different food each hour and put out little menu cards so guests would know what to expect.
4) Don’t be afraid to mix up the drinks. Have the first hour be just cocktails- maybe a signature drink and prosecco. Click here for some cocktail ideas.
This is great for a) making it feel more varied and b)saving a bit of money and (probably most importantly) c) stopping people from getting totally hammered.
5) Even if you are having only buffet items, consider a few things that are “heavier” like a risotto cup or mini-burgers, because people are drinking and while you aren’t serving a full meal, you don’t want people starving. Personally, I like to have a couple of HEAVY stations, like a paella, chilli or lasagne station.
6) Have some seating. Not everyone will want to dance, people like a place to sit with their little plate o’ food.
7) Having a cocktail reception opens up the options for where you choose for your venue. Without having the constraints of finding somewhere with large floor space and catering facilities you might consider a stylish city centre bar or exhibition space.
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