Why is the cocktail hour such a key part of the wedding? The answer to that question lies in a summary of events leading up to the cocktail hour.
Let’s start with you and your fiancé.
You made it to the ceremony on time. Said your vows in front of family and friends. Now, you and your fiancé and bridal party are off to take photos to commemorate your special day.
In short, you’re breathing a bit easier.
What about your guests?
For some guests, getting to the wedding involved its challenges—perhaps travel, checking into their hotel, finding the wedding facility in a town where they may never have been. They made it, too, and saw you exchange vows and become a married couple.
The cocktail hour gives your guests a bit of a breather, too, as the wedding transitions to the reception. Yet the cocktail hour is more than simply providing sustenance for your friends and family.
How so?
Think of just about any wedding you’ve been to. At the ceremony, everybody focuses on the couple and what’s about to happen. Guests will see people they know. Typically, there’s a nod of the head and they mouth “hi” and that’s the limit of the interaction.
The cocktail hour is where people try to connect with the family and friends, particularly those people who have seen each other in a while. Coming out of a pandemic, it literally has been years since many people have seen each other.
In fact, it’s safe to say that many of the conversations had during the wedding cocktail hour carry over the function hall, through dinner and out onto the dance floor and beyond.
The DJ plays a large part an integral role in setting the mood and transitioning the crowd on the course of events throughout the evening.
As the emcee, the DJ announces directions to your guests during the course of the cocktail hour. It may not seem like a big deal to announce the bar is open, appetizers are being served and, most importantly that it’s time to head into the function hall to take their seats. Yet these simple instructions keep your event flowing.
Beyond navigating the night’s events, the DJ can set the tone of the evening by playing a mix that’s both welcoming and entertaining, without inhibiting conversation.
If it’s an older crowd, maybe it’s a mix from the Rat Pack era. Think Ain’t That a Kick in the Head by Dean Martin or The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra.
Maybe it’s an R&B/Motown theme with Respect by Aretha Franklin or How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) by Marvin Gaye.
If you have a country music crowd, how about Red Dirt Road by Brooks & Dunn or Making Memories of Us by Keith Urban.
Perhaps you want something more contemporary like Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran or Stay With Me by Sam Smith.
Of course, you can never go wrong with time classics like Misty by Johnny Mathis or At Last by Etta James.
The combination of the music, food and spirits creates a festive atmosphere leading up the grand entrance—when you and your partner enter the function hall. And that feel-good atmosphere can and usually will carry over to the reception, through the toasts and first dances and the rest of the evening.
It all starts with a wedding cocktail hour that’s relaxing and fun. With DJ Dave Gilman behind the wheel, your wedding doesn’t go from zero to sixty. It starts with a nice pace during the wedding cocktail hour and builds to a crescendo with after dinner dancing, followed by your farewell dance.
Want to get your party started right? Contact DJ Dave Gilman today by filling out our contact form.