Cocktail hour appetizers question?

Yeah, you have to serve food. You can't have people drinking for an hour on an empty stomach, plus pretty much everyone will expect food.

We served 7 appetizers, a mix of stationary and plated. We had a fruit/cheese/cracker/meat display, a veggie tray, chips and dips, pulled pork sliders with coleslaw, chicken tenders, chicken salad crostini bites, and caprese skewers.

1. Yes we served food. You absolutely should. 2. We served cheese and crackers, veggies/fruit and dip, chicken tender bites, stuffed mushrooms, scalloped wrapped in bacon, and tomato and mozzarella skewers. We had a lunchtime reception with cocktail hour beginning at 11:30. Had we chosen an evening wedding, we probably would have offered a few more options.

Definitely food during cocktail hour. We had fruit/cheese/veggie tray along with 8 different appetizers. Our venue gave us appetizers to choose from.

Yes to the food. We're doing Asian food, for apps we are doing potstickers, dumplings, and chicken satay.

Yup...feed them....keep in mind that individual appetizers might be pricier than cheese/meat/fruit platters.....will folks be waiting in your reception area or another roomspace? I've seen where there were small platters on each table , people grabed a drink and found their table. I've also been to full cocktail buffets in another room that looked like a cruise ship display.....waaaayyy too much food! I will be having a prwwedding picnic with finger sandwiches, fruit and kettle chips along with beer, wine and a signature drink.

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Our venue is a barn area, so the ceremony will happen outside, then they can move inside to the reception area for cocktails and apps. My caterer will be doing it all, so we were trying to decide what exactly we wanted. I'll keep that in mind when I speak to them!

My April wedding will have a cocktail reception, no sitdown dinner. Wedding is at 11a, and brunch cocktail reception will start at 11:30ish. We plan to have passed hors douevers and signature mimosas, wine, coffee and tea. We're doing a small cake to cut, cupcakes for guests, and other small desserts. I also dont want guests twiddling their thumbs while we take pictures, so the bar will be open, DJ will be playing, and guests will have access to some stationary food tables during thst time.

I think its necesssry to have some light finger foods during a cocktail hour to bridge the gap.

Yes, you should serve apps during cocktail hour. You want your guests to have a little something in their stomachs to soak up the alcohol they're drinking that hour. Keep in mind that prior to arriving at your ceremony, they've been busy getting ready and driving to the venue and they likely haven't eaten in a few hours.

We served mini beef wellingtons, buffalo chicken crisps, spinach artichoke crisps, brie and raspberry phyllo cups, mini crab cakes, and lollipop lamb chops with a mint chutney as hot, passed apps and had a fruit skewer and yogurt dip display, a cheese display, and a shrimp display (we added the shrimp because we didn't have enough guests to meet our minimum, so the venue suggested we add an extra appetizer to help make up for it).

Definitely serve food. Doesn’t have to be a second meal, but enough to counteract a little of the alcohol. We had 6 different appetizers

Serving food is important! You don’t want your guests taking advantage of a bar and not having any food to balance. I understand the overall idea is silly to feed them twice, but your wedding day is many hours. The food is spread out through a long period of time.
We are doing BBQ for our wedding food at reception. For cocktail hour, we are still deciding. What we are thinking is, cheese and crackers for stationery app. For passed apps, smoked chicken wrapped in bacon, bruschetta, fresh shrimp cocktail,

Yes, serve food. The last thing you want is people standing around drinking for an hour without anything in their stomach. Plus it’s not like they’ll be eating immediately at the reception either. Hangry guests are not happy guests. It doesn’t need to fill them up like a meal but should soak up the alcohol

We’re doing 4-5 tray passed & then a cheese/cracker display. I’m also getting a fruit display but haven’t decided if it should come out for cocktail hour or during dessert. Haven’t decided exactly which apps yet since we haven’t hadn’t our tasting, but we’re hoping for Filipino egg rolls with chicken, bacon wrapped scallops, mini beef Wellington, assorted vegetarian quiches, and maybe caprese skewers.

You need to feed your guests specially if they are going to be drinking for an hour while you take pics.

Have to serve food, guests will be expecting it and will probably show up hungry and ready. If you are serving liquor you should be serving food, don't want your guests to be sloshy before the dancing starts!

Thank you all! I’ve shown my mom this and now she understands from yall’s explanations of WHY, Which she didn’t understand. Glad we’re all on #TeamFood!

Always feed when you’re giving booze. It doesn’t have to be super elaborate, something simple like cheese&crackers or veggies works. But some people will probably be hungry already after getting ready and travel and ceremony and will be ready for a little something, and with a long night ahead!



Im doing a handful of passed apps , but our selection was a little seafood heavy, so we’ll also have a chip and dip station.

Be aware though that appetizers don't have to be a meal. They are suppose to whet the appetite for the meal.

There are many threads here where there is so much food served as apps, that I am surprised that anyone finishes their entree. I guess it is not unexpected though when we look at the rising obesity rates.

I agree with you. Feed them! It is nice to them. But also, do you really want super drunk people so early in the evening?

View Quoted Comment Our cocktail hour will be from 4:30-5:30 with dinner served at 6-6:15. There’s no reason they will be “super drunk”. We’re only serving wine and beer and possibly a signature cocktail.

We are doing something very casual and we are definitely having a cocktail hour (it's smart time management) and are serving food. The only thing we've got figured for right now is boiled peanuts (our theme is Charleston, the city where we live) but I'll probably have something else as well. Just drinking for an hour in no bueno.

We are having crudite and a huge arrangement of meats, cheese, nuts, fruit.