A lot of thought and creativity go into planning a wedding with a lot of attention given to the ceremony and reception. If you'll be taking a break from festivities between those two events for wedding photos, hosting a cocktail hour in between is a wonderful way to keep guests busy.
You don't want to risk anyone getting bored waiting for you to finish taking photos. Put a little creative thought into how you will keep everyone entertained until you can join them for the wedding reception. In today's blog, WhereBridesGo.com has some great ideas to get you started.
Create Photo Ops
While you're having pictures taken, create opportunities for your guests to take a few photos of their own. Photo booths can be rented that will both take and print out pictures of guests using fun props and silly poses.
You can do something similar by creating a staged backdrop for guests to take pictures in front of on their own. Don't forget to come up with a clever wedding hashtag so you can find all of those great pictures later online.
Another terrific idea is to hire a second shooter for the wedding that will take professional portraits of the guests during cocktail hour. After all, they're dressed up and looking their best! A professional photo commemorating this special day makes a wonderful wedding favor.
Let Them Play Games
For an outdoor cocktail hour or one that will take place indoors where there is a lot of space, you could set out lawn games for guests to play. Games that involve groups of people are best for getting more guests up and playing.
If space is limited, you could put tabletop games out for everyone to enjoy instead. You could even have someone calling bingo and offer fun prizes to the winners.
Interactive Guest Books
You'll find lots of wedding guest book alternatives when you browse WhereBridesGo.com. Many of them require guests to write more than just their names, giving everyone something to do while they enjoy appetizers and drinks during cocktail hour. For example, our Wedding Wishes Cards allow guests to fill in special memories they have with you and offer predictions and well wishes for your new life as husband and wife.
You could also use one of the decorative containers from our online wedding store to collect a "marriage bucket list." Have guests write ideas on blank pieces of paper for fun things for the two of you to accomplish during your married life.
Interactive Drink Stations
Since it is called "cocktail hour," guests will expect something to drink. Make this a part of the fun by offering tasting stations for wine, beer, whiskey, tequila, or whatever your favorite spirit may be.
You could also let guests mix their own concoctions by setting out a variety of drink add-ins or having different containers of beverages that taste delicious when mixed together. This idea works well for non-alcoholic drinks too, such as lemonades or teas.
Don't Forget the Little Ones
If you are inviting children or even teenagers to your wedding, they sometimes need different activities to keep them entertained than adults enjoy. (Although grownups that are "kids at heart" often enjoy some of these activities too!) Have a few games available that are geared toward the age levels that you have invited. You might even want to set up a special area specifically for the younger guests away from the adult activities, like crafts, a movie, or even a gaming console.
Even if you aren't leaving time for a cocktail hour on the wedding day, these activities can still be incorporated nicely into the reception entertainment. These fun wedding cocktail hour ideas are just a few of the many possibilities that your guests will truly enjoy and remember fondly.
You will find even more inspiration for a beautifully memorable wedding day when you browse our online wedding store. With just a little help from WhereBridesGo.com, you can create the wedding of your dreams!
~ The WhereBridesGo.com Team
Post by Deanna Powell, Certified Bridal Consultant