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You can technically do anything you want! ;) Is your ceremony and reception at the same venue? Either way, you could have someone make an announcement to proceed to the dinner area and then do your grand entrance. You might want to make sure that your families aren't wanting family pictures (sometimes done before or after ceremony).
That's fine. A fair number of people don't have cocktail hours. Just make sure the caterer and venue know exactly what you intend to do.
thanks guys. we both will have very few famly members there - i have very few to begin with and my partner is from overseas so very few of his family will attend.
the ceremony and reception are at the same venue - there is a little bit of a walk between them so we will have a little time (I want a short ceremony - maybe 15 -20 min?)
we wanted to cocktail hour anyway and attend but it is so expensive! meals are 95pp and cocktails 45...our whole wedding will be 50 or under and i have a 17K budget to play with but that inlcudes our flights and hotel plus flights and hotel for two older family members, so it sounds like a lot more than it is!
i am terrified of pictures and the grand entrance thing makes me nervous too! never mind thinking about the first dance - gulp!
Of course you can skip it. The whole point of the cocktail hour, I think, is to buy some time for the wedding party to take pictures, or to keep guests busy if they get to the reception ahead of the newlyweds from a separate ceremony location. So if you don't even need it for any standard reason, you certainly don't need it just to have it. Skip it!
i guess i am concerned with us looking "cheap" - we aren't but i am spending a lot on each person's dinner and having full open bar for four hours.
i tried to cut other things but the cocktail hour food is where the big cost lies
we found that beer and wine instead of a full open bar made a big difference. we gave people the option of ordering hard liquor if they wanted to (we paid per drink) most didn't so we ended up saving by having beer and wine.
something to think about if you're worried about budget (as we all are)
i think cocktail hour is so you can sneak away for photos or if there's travel time between ceremony and reception. if it's the same location, it's really not needed.
Not everyone takes pictures after the ceremony. Some couples use the cocktail hour to mingle with their guests instead of having a receiving line or going around to all the tables so they can eat too while everyone else is.
thank ny bride - it would only be $200 difference if we did beer and wine only - isn't that so odd? maybe it's b/c of my small guest count or something...
i guess i mainly wanted the cocktail hour b/c the location where you can have it so is cool!
if you have a limited food and beverage list for the cocktail hour, would they be able to cut down on the pricing?
@texas - i know i can of course but I feel funny sometimes. everyone has such strong opinions about weddings and i don't really have strong opinions about what other people do - not my business. I guess someone made a comment about it and it made me upset.
@texas - i know i can of course but I feel funny sometimes. everyone has such strong opinions about weddings and i don't really have strong opinions about what other people do - not my business. I guess someone made a comment about it and it made me upset.
I think based on what you said - high costs, don't want a grand entrance, small wedding - that not having a cocktail hour seems better. Do what you want to do! :)
Honestly, who cares what other people think where weddings are involved? That's why the Wedding Industry is sooooo influential and has conditioned women to believe that a wedding has to run a certain way and contain certain elements or else it won't be valid and proper, even though all the basic essentials of bride, groom, minister, license, and witnesses have already been covered. Everything else really is fluff and up to the couple's discretion as to what to include and what not to, so long as their guests are not inconvenienced in any way. Do what works for you and ignore the naysayers.
ember - of course you are 100% right. i sometimes have trouble sticking to my guns!
we're having wolfgang puck catered food. it will be amazing and i doubt anyone will be too upset about no cocktail hour
Sure-- skip it! Do what makes you and your budget comfortable!
And don't be so stressed about things you "have" to have. At my wedding the other weekend, we were all gathering downstairs at the reception venue, about to start the "grand entrance" of the bridal party up the stairs, into the cocktail hour, when I realized I didn't want it. So, I just told the bridal party to head upstairs and merge into the crowd, and then had the band just announce me and my new husband. It felt so much more intimate and natural, and less like a football team charging onto the field, you know? We went straight into our first dance right away, since everyone was already gathered round for our entrance. That way, all the "stressful" stuff was out of the way right at the start, and we could relax.
We just got back from a little mini-moon in Vegas, and had a great time. I'm sure your wedding will be beautiful!
Most of the weddings I have been to, did not have a special cocktail hour. It was just a time in the reception room to sign the guest book, set your gift down, find your table, get a drink, and maybe eat a few apps. I think you could do something that is really simple and easy that doesn't have to cost a bunch.
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at our venue, the cocktail hour would cost nearly as much as dinner and its just not really in the budget. i'm not huge on having photos taken anyway (I'm wierd, I know) - can't we jsut go straight in to dinner?
it's a very small wedding so mingling is a non issue