Logistics of cocktail reception? 🥂

An important factor will be a good DJ who will get people where you want them to be for the cake cutting and dancing. I would complete most if not all of the photos before the ceremony because, well, the reception is only cocktail apps, not dinner, so there's a bit less flexibility timewise. Have you considered both passed apps and stations? You could start with passed apps, make your entrance/first dance, open up food stations with a bit heavier fare, cake cutting, dancing.

I love cocktail parties, so a cocktail wedding would be a great time.

Will it be during meal time?? It's proper etiquette to offer a fill meal if the wedding takes place during a map time. Finger foods, appetizers could possibly be not enough as people begin getting ready early during the day, and may not have had time for lunch/dinner. Thus they're starving by reception time.

Time has not been set, but probably around 6 or 7. So during dinner time. There will be plenty of food. Stations, passed and stationary appetizers. Plenty of hearty appetizers too, like sliders or there was this glass thing with mashed potatoes and a short rib or something like that. There will be a wide variety and plenty of it. Guests will have a full meal.

Howany people are you expecting? Usually there are less seats than number of guests at a cocktail party/event (but more than 50%) to encourage mingling/movement.

I’m also having a cocktail reception - passed appetizers, cheese display, veggie display and a bunch of stations - pasta bar, carving station and a mashed potato bar (not finalized, but that’s what I’m thinking)

My plan is for the DJ to control the flow of the evening (along with my DOC). I’ll be doing pictures before the ceremony so that we join the party along with everyone else.

We are hosting ours in this style.

Will the cocktail reception be both on the patio and inside at the same time? I think the hardest part you will encounter would be gathering people into the same place for things like cake cutting, etc.

Are you going with a DJ or something like a Jazz Band on the patio? I think if you make the dancing/music setup in the focal area you will have an easier chance of getting people gathered for things like cake cutting.

I would definitely go with less seats though. Try for less seats than people but plenty of hightop tables. Our venue coordinator said the hightops will go a long way in getting people to mingle over sit; however, we want to make sure we have seats for the elderly guests and children.

Regarding seating, there should be a seat for everyone! Also access to tables for eating.

Not a lot of guests. Maybe 50. The ceremony will be on the sunken patio. Then there's a patio on the ground level which the building opens up onto. Inside there is a bar set up. I'm not sure what to have outside vs inside. Was thinking of having a hospitality hour (more like 30 minutes- water, punch, champagne) prior to the ceremony on the ground level patio. I like the idea of having the band outside along with some high top tables. And having most of the regular tables inside, along with the food. Nothing is set in stone, not even the caterer. Need to get pricing on the band. I want a more relaxed, party sort of atmosphere. This is a second marriage and I want it do be a little different.

Sounds like fun!

Menu options from one caterer

That is almost exactly how ours is set with a hospitality hour beforehand out on the patio for mingling, drinking, and pre-ceremony light bites.

Does the building have larger doors opening up to the patio? That sounds really cool! I am picturing French Patio Doors and if that is what it is then you should not have any major issues with flow especially with the size of your guest list.

I would keep the areas kind of separate like you said - rounds for sitting in one space and high tops in the other. Granted, I am a bit biased because it is the layout of my reception albeit in a different style venue but I think it would really work.

You'll still need seating for every person, and a seating chart, and enough food to be a meal, so I'm not sure if there is any meaningful difference between this and a wedding with a buffet dinner, other than what you call it.

Yes there will be a seat for every person. It's different from a buffet as there will be a larger variety of food, which are all appetizer sized.

It's basically a buffet of appetizer food, though.

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Please PLEASE do not have less seats than the number of people! That is nuts. How would you like to have to stand in high heels and try to hold your drink and eat your food? I would be SERIOUSLY put out, as I have health conditions and I cannot stand for hours on end.

This is a QUICK way to get people to leave early, in my opinion.

Having seats for everyone will encourage people to sit and stay in one spot instead of mingling. I've been to plenty of cocktail events where there wasn't 100% seating. Hell, my company party always has way more people than seats, but the are enough surfaces/high tops for people to stand and eat at.

You sit for bit and rest your feet and then you stand once they are rested. And cocktail receptions aren't supposed to last that long anyway - people begin to lose steam after 3 hours.

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Most people don't want to mingle at a wedding. Outside of the bride and groom, you usually only know your family or your select group of friends.

I'm doing this style of reception as well. No seating charts, finger foods and small plates continuously served during a three hour reception. I am spreading the seating around the venue, so there's seating outside, inside, and upstairs. There's also a lounge, so everyone would be able to sit at one time if they wanted, but not in just one room. There are some timelines online that helped me see how the evening could go as opposed to a more traditional reception.

No seating chart is basically an invitation for mass chaos. Racist Grandma gets stuck with your liberal friends, single people get stuck at tables of couples, etc.

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Some people cannot stand for any length of time at all. The seats will get "saved" by people putting their things on them and the folks that can't stand will be out of luck.

There must be enough seats to make all of your guests comfortable.