So FH and I decided to go with an extended cocktail-hour reception at the Nassau Art Museum. The menu they planned for us is a cocktail hour with passed hor'd and then moving tot he reception area for 3-4 stations (risotto bar, skirt steak and potatoes bar, and pad thai station) and finishing with a dessert station. I am freaking out now about a couple things.
1) everything i read about cocktail receptions is saying that timing wise you should not do it during 'dinner time'. We are supposed to start at 5pm and its a Sunday so we can't really start later (and dont want earlier). Do you think the food above is enough to serve in the evening?? Should i be concerned about the timing?
2) does it make sense to have the cocktail hour at all if we are just doing stations in the main reception??
3) do you think i should cut down the time? is a 5 hour cocktail reception too long?? (one hour passed, 4 hours stations and dancing)
Please respond in full or in part and TIA for the help. I am LOSING IT.
futureMrsJSL
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
To be honest, I know people who'd rather just skip dinner, enjoy the cocktails and get straight to dancing. I guess it all depends on what you and your FH feel most comfortable with. Sometimes a cocktail hour can make you so full that there is no actual need for dinner and I do not think the time of your CH is to late. Good luck.
jme78
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
I think that the food you listed above is enough to serve for a dinner time wedding!
A cocktail reception on LI is different than around the country.
I don't think 5 hours is too long - as long as everyone is having a great time dancing! They wont be eating all 5 hours :)
soontoobemrsk
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
I think that should be enough food. Maybe shorten it by an hour. But deffinitely make sure to taste EVERYTHING because since there wont be any sit down dinner food, the stations and passed must be amazing. Some people wont eat a lot at the cocktail hour thinking that there is a sit down dinner to follow...that is unless the food is amazing...then people eat so much at the cocktail hour that they arent even hungry for dinner.
MeaganAndJoeC
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
I have been at a wedding wth the cocktail hour reception and I think cocktail hr is so imp. Its most peoples favorite part of a wedding. The wedding I was at didnt have cocktail hr, so all the guests ran in and wanted food and the dj was playing dacing music bc it was the beginning of the reception. It was very hard to coordinate the dj with the food situation so just make sure that you have that settled. I can see how tming is hard with this and it was hard for my friend too.
BunnyBears
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
I think it will be lovely. Some thoughts and questions:
How many types of food is being passed around during the 'cocktail' hour (before the trays) and how many actual trays at the reception (you mention 'bars' and 'stations.' )
Is it open bar?
I think the food should be enough. when you do invites for a cocktail hour wedding - are you supposed to state it in the invite in anyway? I would try to do that so people know what to expect.
I had a 5 hour reception and was worried about the extra hour but everyone convinced me to keep it. However, people started leaving an hour early and everyone was gone with a half hour left. It made me feel kinda sad. I think on a sunday people may be even more likely to leave early unless the monday is a holiday but I still think you should keep it and rely on that last hour as extra time to say goodbye because if it ends at 11 that means people start leaving at 10 but if it ends at 12 people start leaving at 11, you know?
When is dessert?
are you doing traditional things like throwing the bo-k, cake cutting ceremony, toasts? that breaks things up. Also since its in the museum i am guessing your guests can enjoy the art as well!?
eren718
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
thanks for the thoughts! this is really helpful and im starting to calm down!! the initial cocktail hour will have 8 different passed hor'd then we will move to the tent for the stations I initially described (risotto bar, etc)
We are planning to have a full bar. I figure if im light on the food I should have the full bar - it is an extended cocktail hour, lol. We plan to have a couple of signature ones too.
We will def put ' cocktail and dessert reception to follow' on the invites to signal no sit down meal.
Im thinking if we do a 5 hour event (starting at 6) then dessert will be around 9?
Guests will be able to tour the museum, which I love, and part of the reason we like the extended cocktail hour (besides the price!) people can take their food and wander. As i write this I'm thinking you're right - we need the 5 hours. Although no bo-k toss...def cake cutting and limited toasts
'can't wait to tell everyone how it works out!
SummerBride10
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
I think you have enough that people will be fine even around dinner time. Most people fill up during CH anyway! I think your wedding is going to be very creative, different, and VERY enjoyable. I'm sure everyone will love it.
Espo22
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
just make sure they stay on top of the passed hors dourves.
Ive been to a cocktail reception and depending on where its done, it was nothing like a cocktail hour at regular weddings. I think alot of ppl think of cocktail hour at regular RH's and think of LOTS of food and how its more than enough, so i expected the same. But we got there and there were no stations for CH, it wasnt even like a regular ch, it was only passed hors dourves, problem was that I didnt get any of those, i only saw 2 waiters passing them around and by the time they got to me it was all gone. I was with a big group of ppl and none of us had any of it either. We were starving, and most ppl didnt eat and were drinking non stop which doesnt help lol. FInally after about 3 hours, they set up a table with a few stations. Again the line got huge and i waited, and most of the food was gone by the time i got up there. There were about 3 things left but very little of it and ppl were behind me so i didnt take any really. Right after the wedding we went straight to get food since we were starving, i also hadnt eaten anything all day since i was running around and went straight to the wedding, so the first time i really ate that day was around midnight.
I dont know what happened to the waiters and why they didnt come out more so i would just make sure someone is staying on top of them with that.
Will it be at a regular RH? if so then you probably dont have to worry. The place i went to was a unique type space and all that so they handle catering stuff differently i guess.
hyphenbride
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
I think you'll be fine with as much as you have planned. Out our wedding, the out of towners thought the cocktail hour was it...they had not idea that there was a meal after that!
Jenn04
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
I would personally make it alittle later and make sure your invitation says 'cocktail reception' so people know! Otherwise this sounds like a very nice idea! GOOD FOR YOU FOR BEING DIFFERENT and stepping outside the box!
Dee0522
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Re: Losing it...advice on cocktail reception?
In my experience, people eat WAY more at CH than at dinner so I think this is a great idea. Most people enjoy the dancing and mingling during a reception so much that they actually don't look forward to the 'sitting down' part. I think it sounds like a fun time!
