Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

Cocktail Hour & leading into the receiption/dinner

So I have been discussing my ideas with my FI and he is indecisive.

I plan on having just a half hour cocktail hour before the reception begins. Once the reception begins & leads into dinner I plan on closing the bar and serving only wine & water through the dinner and until speeches/toasts are finished. Once everything is finished I will open the bar again.

I guess my question is - will this come off as rude?

I just don't want people lining up for the bar while people are talking and making speeches, I would somewhat like it if they pretended to pay attention. - I also hope this will keep some of the costs down.

thoughts?

Re: Cocktail Hour & leading into the receiption/dinner

  • This is perfectly fine. Most weddings I have been to either close the bar during dnner or serve just wine like you said.
  • We closed the bar during dinner.  We had an hour cocktail hour with a full open bar but once dinner service began we closed the bar.  I don't think anyone noticed because by then people had their drinks, plus water at the tables, and were busy hitting up the food stations.  We only closed the bar for an hour though.

  • That is fine.  Just make sure that you don't close it for too long.  We attended a wedding that closed the bar during dinner.  Unfortunately, the dinner was finished about half and hour before the bar reopened.  There was one heck of a lineup for drinks once it finally reopened.
  • I would also offer all non-alcoholic beverages and tableside wine (either on the tables, or poured by the servers). Just put a notice at the bar that it will be closed during dinner. Honestly, I don't think anyone went to the bar (it was in a room next door) during dinner, but it's not a bad idea to close it. Most people will get what they want to drink before they sit down anyway.
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  • I just don't get the point of only doing wine during the 1 hour during dinner; it can't possibly save that much money and the idea that people won't pay attention if the bar is open just seems a little silly; the people who don't want to pay attention still won't regardless of what is being served. 
  • Like PPs said, I'd serve some non-alcoholic beverages as well.  

    In our state it's illegal to have more than 3 hours of consecutive open bar service, so our venue always closes the alcohol part of the bar during dinner and just provides non-alcoholic beverages and table wine service.  After dinner, the bar will reopen.

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