random ques: cocktail hour

[janinegirly]

is the bride and groom usually at the cocktail hour mingling (in their wedding attire)? or do they show up towards the end and head towards reception for intros.

for me it doesn''t matter b/c i have so much time b/ween ceremony and reception that i''ll be at the cocktail hour for sure, but i know in more traditional set ups..bride and groom take photos during cocktail hour.

 

[NYCsparkle]

i went to my cocktail hour and had a great time mingling with everybody. i didn''t have to do it during the reception, which allowed me to enjoy the night more....my friends all "hid" during cocktail hour (so they could make a grand entrance), then spent half the night saying hello and talking to people---they all said they wished they enjoyed themselves during the reception more. i took pics between the church and cocktail hour. i would def. recommend going to your cocktail hour.

 

[Pandora II]

Janine, can I ask what your timings are.

I''m planning a ceremony at 3.00 which should be over by 3.00pm and then starting the reception meal at 6.00pm. I''m wondering if 2.5 hours is too long?

Better mention - my venue does have extensive gardens and ruins so they won''t be cooped up in a small room - I will also serve canapes (I was thinking of doing mini sandwiches and mini scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream - sort of afternoon tea) and they may be some kind of music.

 

[FireGoddess]

We took pictures during our cocktail hour, and headed in after we were finished, which worked out to be when cocktail hour was over!

 

[KimberlyH]

We took pictures before the ceremony, I didn''t want to miss a minute of the day I''d spent months planning. I''m so glad we arranged it that way. Cocktail hour lasted 1.5 hours which translated to feeling like about 5 seconds. It was a blast to get to hang out and mingle.

 

[monarch64]

Hee hee, I felt like cocktail hour ended up lasting all day and all night for us! We had a Sunday ceremony/reception same site, and our ceremony led directly into the receiving line right next to the bar, so from that point on we had open bar (even through the meal) and beyond. Afterwards the bridal party and Dh and I went back to our hotel nearby, had more cocktails at the Drake lounge and then went out to clubs in the burbs that night. Yes, most of our friends took off work that Monday! But to answer your question, pics were being taken nonstop, the p hotog would just come and grab us, click a few times for whatever pics and we''d be done until a few minutes later. I do remember wishing she wasn''t pulling us away quite so often, but after we got 598 proof pics back I was glad she did. They all turned out fabulously. There wasn''t one pic of those that I didn''t want to order, and it was so hard to decide what pics we wanted that it took us almost 4 months after the wedding to set up our album and other photos that were to be framed.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 3/17/2007 1:07:46 AM
Author: monarch64
Hee hee, I felt like cocktail hour ended up lasting all day and all night for us! We had a Sunday ceremony/reception same site, and our ceremony led directly into the receiving line right next to the bar, so from that point on we had open bar (even through the meal) and beyond. Afterwards the bridal party and Dh and I went back to our hotel nearby, had more cocktails at the Drake lounge and then went out to clubs in the burbs that night. Yes, most of our friends took off work that Monday! But to answer your question, pics were being taken nonstop, the p hotog would just come and grab us, click a few times for whatever pics and we''d be done until a few minutes later. I do remember wishing she wasn''t pulling us away quite so often, but after we got 598 proof pics back I was glad she did. They all turned out fabulously. There wasn''t one pic of those that I didn''t want to order, and it was so hard to decide what pics we wanted that it took us almost 4 months after the wedding to set up our album and other photos that were to be framed.

Monnie: You got to spend your wedding night at Coq d'' Or, I am so jealous! DH is going to Chicago for business this week and I asked him where he was going to eat, he said he''d just eat there as it''s convenient and I was like "oh, sad! Coq d'' Or without me?!"

Sorry for the hijack, janinegirly!

 

[biblobaggins23]

a cocktail hour can be before or after the ceremony. i went to an outdoor wedding and the guests drank wine while the rain passed....i've also been at weddings where there was a cocktail hour before hand and there was no rain. i'm not sure about cocktail hours before hand if you get married in a church since churches don't allow that. most cocktail hours have drinks and appetizers to let guests mingle while the bride and groom are taking pictures. they usually start once the first few guests get at the reception site and continue until the bride and groom make their entrance and the bridal party is presented. in my experience, most bride and grooms do not participate in the cocktail hour because they are taking pictures and are eating dinner during the cocktail hour because during dinner they usually mingle with guests if you have a buffet style wedding. most bride and grooms like to eat during this cocktail hour so they can get food in their stomach since they won't have time to eat otherwise during the reception unless its a sit down dinner. cocktail hours are generally a common practice nowadays.

 

[San Diego Bride]

we went to our cocktail hour (minus about 10 minutes while we took a few family photos). the cocktail "hour" lasted about an hour and 15 minutes and we were there for the majority of it. it was a great time to mingle with all of our guests. we knew the wedding day would go by really quickly and we didn''t want to miss any of it. plus there was no way i was going to pick all of the delicious hors d''ouerves and not eat them!

we did all of our bride and groom pictures after the reception was over. we still got amazing pictures, but we weren''t rushed at all and we thoroughly enjoyed our guests. we finished the pictures- which were very fun and romantic on the beach- and then walked right up to our wedding suite and celebrated. it worked out perfectly.

 

[janinegirly]

thanks all!

pandora: my "gap" is even bigger than yours. Yours isn''t much of a gap at all and is actually ideal! My ceremony is at 12pm, since it''s a mass. We will take pics after (since we have the time), and after guests can join us for lunch, or mingle around town (everything is walking distance, hotel/reception, church, shops), or go back to their rooms/check in. Guests of ceremony will probably just be family, wedding party and a few OOT guests anyway.
Cocktail Hour is at 5pm and then dinner. I imagine a lot of my friends from the City will just come in for cocktail/reception. I think we will def be at cocktail hour and we may leave out intros at reception, since everyone''s mingling anyway and my FI isn''t crazy about intros..

 

[diamondfan]

depends on timing and such. if the bride and groom need picture time, then they might do it then, and come in at the end...or get photos done earlier so they have more time to mingle...