Unique Ideas For Your Cocktail Hour
A worry many brides have is keeping their guests entertained and having a great time, all night long. Without a first look before the ceremony, it could mean taking the majority of your family/wedding party/couple photos after the ceremony, leaving your guests to wait. However, there are a variety of ways you can help them pass the time. Check out our detailed list of unique ideas for your cocktail hour!
Acoustic Singer
Music is always a key element to a wedding day, one that you don’t notice is missing until… its silent. We love the idea of having a single, acoustic singer playing tunes on his guitar or piano, solely for your guests. The mellow tunes can help set the vibe and keep guests entertained, before we amp up for the reception. Ask your wedding planner for recommendations and look for times to see them in person OR if they have a youtube channel so you can hear their style.
Creative Food Stations
One thing we all love to do at weddings – Eat! Finding a creative way to display your cocktail hour food will also keep guests busy. A few fun examples? Hanging Pretzels, strung up with line between two posts on a table; a donut wall; a dessert table with everything from rice krispes to cake balls to oreos and pretzels; an ice cream bar where guests can build their own; or creatively tailored appetizers, passed around on trays. All will give guests something to look at, talk about, help pass the time, and curb their hunger!
Photo by Rae Leytham Photography
Photo by Paul Johnson Photography
Interactive Guest Book Table
If you’re wanting a new way to have a record of who all showed up, think outside the box and give them something to be entertained by during your cocktail hour. Set up a fun back drop, give them a polaroid or two and let them snap a photo for your guest book. If you’re already doing that with your photo booth, display your seating chart and let them find their name. Another fun idea would be to have a place card or a program detailing out fun facts about you as a couple, or individually, so your guests can read up and get to know you better. Make the flip side a “mad-lib” style paragraph and let them fill in the blanks. All these are unique ideas for your cocktail hour that will help your guests pass the time!
Photo by Paul Johnson Photography
Photo Booth
Instead of having your photo booth arrive later in the evening, have them there for an hour or two post ceremony so your guests can dress in props and take photos with their BFFs. It’s a great way for you to see what was happening while you were away taking photos. Go a little extra with your props and find signs customized to your friends and family, or give them a board and let them spell their own sayings. This is a win win all around, as your guests will love to have the entertainment and the photos, and so will you 🙂
Yard Games
If your cocktail hour is outside, take the opportunity to have some yard games made/customized with your name and date for your guests to enjoy. Think extra large Jenga, Connect Four or Cornhole – Your guests will be entertained playing each other for the entire time you’re gone. Bonus: You’ll get to keep the games for any gatherings or parties you host in the future!
Photo by Paul Johnson Photography
Live Painter
One of the unique ideas for your cocktail hour that has been trending the last year or two is having a live painter at your reception, to paint a portrait of your day. The way it works is that they will paint the background first, and add in actual portraits of your guests throughout the night. Guests will love to watch their technique and will want to check back to see progress. And you’ll get to keep it as a keepsake of your special day!
Photo by Rae Leytham Photography
With this list of unique ideas for your cocktail hour, we hope we gave you something for everyone. If you have any other fun ideas you’ve seen or done at your own wedding, please comment below – We’d love to know!
