Cool Things to Add to Your Wedding Reception Drinks

Customizing your wedding is all the rave nowadays. One super creative idea to jazz up your reception is to add signs or stirrers to your cocktails for your guests. You can even put escort cards into the champagne glasses! Here are some of our favorites:

Cocktail Hour Napkin Ideas

 There are so many fun, cute ways to personalize your wedding and make it as memorable as possible. Customizing your own cocktail hour napkins, for example, is one of them. Take a look at some of these great ideas!

Cocktail Hour Linen Ideas

Having trouble trying to pick your linens for your cocktail tables? We don’t blame you. Today there are so many beautiful options and décor ideas to choose from, which is why we’ve narrowed down some of our top picks. Take a look!

Cocktail Hour Centerpieces

Decor for your cocktail hour will set the ambiance for the rest of the evening. Most brides forget to decorate the cocktail hour. We think it needs just as much attention as the rest of your events. There are plenty of options such as candles, flowers and also non floral that can hold the middle of the table. Here are some of our simple suggestions...

Doubling Up on Cocktail Hour – How to Avoid the Lines

Cocktail hour is a wonderful way for your guests to get a taste of many different delectable foods, but the last thing they want to do is wait in line for a long time and miss out on other stations! To avoid this, we always recommend doubling up on your food stations. The threshold for each food station is about 200 people -  meaning that 200 people can go through each station during a typical cocktail hour. If you have more than 200 guests, you should definitely double up on your stations. For instance, if you would like to feature 8 unique food stations, you should actually have 16 stations set up (2 of each). You’ll also want to make sure that your guests receive speedy drink service at the bar. Having one bartender for every 75 guests is ideal, but you can push this number up to 100 guests if need be. With these 2 tricks, you will ensure that your guests get all of the food and drinks they want at cocktail hour without worry!

Cocktail Hour Timing

Cocktail Hour is one of the most important parts of your reception. By this time guests are generally pretty hungry and ready to get the party started. Even though the standard timing for cocktails is just 1hour, we always like to suggests our clients to do 1.5 hours of cocktails.

Here are the 5 main reasons:
1. Most guests tend to run a little late, therefore if cocktails are 1hr they are missing out on most of it.

2. Cocktail hour is where guests tend to eat and drink the most, so give them time to enjoy and mingle.

3. Extending the cocktail hour allows for the Bride and Groom to make a small appearance, even if just for 30min at the tail end.

4. If you are hosting your ceremony and reception in the same space, flipping the room might take a while, so giving your decorator and venue an extra 30min to set up can be a huge help.

5. If you are already paying per person, you want to make sure all guests are there to enjoy it. This way everyone has fun and you are not wasting your money.

Indian & American Cocktail Hour Food Stations

In our last blog post, we let you in on some of our favorite appetizers to serve during your cocktail hour. In addition to those delicious butler passed appetizers, also consider offering appetizer stations for your guests to enjoy. A live action station will definitely spice up your cocktail hour, and brides are tending to go more and more exotic with their food choices. Here are some of our favorite Indian, American, and International food stations:

Indian:

Chaat Station

Pani Poori

Papdi Chaat

Pau Bhaji

Poori Chole

Khasta Kachori

Samosa Chaat

Vada Pao

Kathi Roll (Veg and Non-Veg)

South Indian Dosa Station with Uttaphan, Idli, and Sambhar

Kashmiri Aloo Tikki with Channa

Gujarati Station with Toor ringan, Tindora, Dal and Poori

Fried Vegetable Station with Haryali tikki, Mirchi pakora, and Vegetable pakora

Biryani Station

Punjabi Station with Sarson ka saag and Kadi pakoda

Kebab Station

Ragda Patice

Mugli Paneer Tikki

American/International:

Crostini Station

Macaroni and Cheese Station

Wok ‘N’ Roll Station

Slider Station (Chicken or grilled cheese sliders)

Pasta Station

Fresh Garden Crudites and Bistro

Margarita Bar

Dim Sum Station

Risotto Station

Mexican Station with Quesadillas and Tacos

Mediterranean Station with Falafal and Hummus

Sushi Bar

Chinese Station with Spring rolls, Vegetable Manchurian, and Hakka noodles

Carving Station with lamb, roast beef, and pork tenderloin

Smashed Potato Martini Bar

Soup Station

Grill Station with grilled shrimp and chicken skewers

Cajun Station

Paella Bar

Cheese Station

Appetizers to Serve at Cocktail Hour

The best part of any cocktail hour is being able to try a wide assortment of delicious food.  The majority of couples these days are opting for more interesting cocktail hour menus, mixing a combination of Indian with American appetizers. To make things easier for you, we have compiled a list of delicious Indian and American appetizers to serve at your cocktail hour. Here are some of our favorite mouth-watering options:

Indian:

1.     Samosa Gujia

2.     Chicken Badami Kebab

3.     Bhel Puri in Martini Glasses

4.     Tandoori Mushroom

5.     Dry Paneer Tikka

6.     Sev Batata Puri

7.     Chilli Pakoda

8.     Papdi Chat in cup

9.     Surti Patice

10. Potato Kati Roll

11. Vegetable Kebab

12. Samosa with Chole

13. Achari Aloo Tikki

14. Paneer Kaliya

15. Alu Bonda

16. Spinach Pakora

17. Vegetable Shaslik

18. Bengali Peyajee

19. Gobi Pakora

20. Onion Kulcha

American/Other:

1.     Vegetable Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce

2.     Jalapeno Poppers with Cheddar Cheese

3.     Spanakopita

4.     Thai Chicken Sate

5.     Baby lamb Chops

6.     Spooned Atlantic Lobster with Caviar

7.     Goat Cheese and Fig on Sourdough Crostini

8.     Coconut Breaded Prawn with Spiced Papaya Dip

9.     Mini Vegetable Empanadas with Dipping Sauce

10. Pork & Beef Dumplings with Soy Sauce

11. Fried Macaroni & Cheese Balls

12. Mini Crab Cakes

13. Mini Chicken Cordon Bleu Balls

14. Fiesta Chicken Salad in Mini Filo Cups

15. Melon and Proscuitto Skewers

16. Smoked Salmon Canape

17. Shrimp Cocktail Shooter

18. Seared Blackened Ahi Tuna

19. Caprese Skewers

20. Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps