extending cocktail hour

I hate to disagree with everyone. But, I don't think cocktail hour should be more than one hour.
I also don't think you should miss the cocktail hour to be taking pictures. Take your pics after the ceremony if you're getting married at a church and be done with it by the time your cocktail starts.
Enjoy everything!! Most good phtographers do not take pics (unless it's photojournalistic) during cocktail anymore. check with your photgrapher before you make this decision.

If you're getting married on site (like me) I'm taking pictures before the ceremony. (I know some people think it's bad luck), but I'm not supersticious.

We are getting married at Lands End. The invite time is 11:30, and there ceremony will start a few minutes before 12:00. Cocktail hour starts at 12:30.

We don't want to see eachother beforehand. (I don't think it's bad luck if you do, we just want that first moment that we see eachother to be when I walk down the aisle...)

We will take all the pictures we can take without seeing eachother before the ceremony (each of us alone, each of us with our respective families and each of us with our attendants, etc.), but we still have to take our couple shots, which are the most important, and a few big group pics. I want more photojournalistic shots than posed shots, so I don't want to take a million posed portraits, but I also don't wantt o rush through my only chance to get the perfect picture, because my fiance wants to try the pacific rim station at the cocktail hour.

Also, weather permitting, the CH will be out on the deck, which imo is the most beautiful part of Lands End, and we'd like to be guaranteed to spend part of our day out there.

Thanks for all your insights!

for you i would say definelty extend - people will want to be outside if it is nice and will give you a chance to go

But as to food- you should request what you want to the bridal attendant and have it in the bridal suite because it is really hard to eat at your cocktail hour with everyone coming to talk to you - that seems to be what is said in most reviews