Did Someone Say Cocktail Hour?!

The Save The Date Podcast

So… what even is Cocktail Hour?? Let’s talk about it!!

Cocktail hour is what we call the time between your wedding ceremony and your reception. Generally, this is when you and your partner will go and get your portraits done, and your guests will enjoy a drink, a chat, and some appetisers - but there’s a little more to it than that!

For you and your partner:

Your wedding day is a super intense celebration, and if you’ve spent the whole morning getting ready, the day is just go-go-go with not much time for recovery! So… your cocktail hour is perfect to take a moment to relax and embrace the feeling of being newly married! You’ll likely still have a lot to do with your photographer and videographer, but we recommend organising your timeline to include at least 10-15 minutes of just *YOU* time.

Of course, there’s the option to join your cocktail hour, you just need to think about when you’re going to get your portraits taken and how you can still incorporate some time alone.

This is where the first look comes in! If you don’t mind seeing each other before the ceremony, there is the option to do a first look and take your portraits before the ceremony. This allows you to join cocktail hour, chat with your guests, and enjoy a drink and some food before the more structured reception begins!

For your guests:

If you are feeling worried about what your guests are going to do during cocktail hour, don’t fret! All you need to do is make sure your guests have something to do, something to eat and drink, and something to watch!

I promise it’s simple! Your guests are likely going to want to catch up with each other, so already there’s something for them to do. If you throw in some lawn games, leave your guest book out, and even have a photo booth set up, you're done! Make sure you have enough food and beverages, no one wants hangry guests at their wedding!

Something to watch is the trickier one during your cocktail hour, but it’s not as important as the last two points, the easiest way to do this is if you have a live band, your guests will naturally gravitate towards them, but if you don’t just make sure you have some music playing throughout!

We would love to hear from you! Email us your proposal stories, questions, horror stories and advice at [e-mail] we can’t wait to react to your stories on the podcast!

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See you next week!