Creative Ideas to Enhance Your Cocktail Hour
Photo: Anna Zajac Weddings
As Non-traditional Chicago Wedding Planners, we have designed many unique weddings. Many of our clients have desired out-of-the-box ways to make their wedding different, and memorable. A simple way to elevate your event, is by having some sort of “fierce” moment during your cocktail hour. Cocktail hours are the perfect time to get a bit creative, as guests wait between ceremony and reception. You truly can be as tame or wild as you please, but below are a few ways you can enhance your cocktail hour.
Live Entertainment
An easy way to elevate your cocktail hour is to have live entertainment for your guests. There is nothing wrong with having a DJ during your cocktail hour, but sometimes having live entertainment gives your wedding a little extra “wow factor”. We have had weddings with musicians, or roaming performers. You can truly have whatever you want during your cocktail hour. If you want a Scottish bag pipe player, if you want roaming puppets, or if you want Storm Troopers—we will make it happen! Here are a few examples of live entertainment from past events we’ve planned:
A Live Jazz Band
A String Quartet
A Mariachi Band
A Harpist
Drag Queens
A Roaming Magician
Costumed Characters (e.g. roaming Storm Troopers)
Moving Statues
Stilt Walkers
Go Go Dancers
Actors Portraying Characters (e.g. A headmaster helping sort guests into their “school houses”)
Interactive Elements
Maybe you aren’t one for live performances, but still want to keep guests entertained. You can get your guests a bit active by incorporating some interactive elements into to your cocktail hour! An easy way is to think of a creative way to show guests their seating arrangements. We had some clients order a custom planet installation where guests could find their name hanging from a glowing planet. Not only was it eye catching, as guests were transported into a neon galaxy, but it became a bit of a scavenger hunt to find your name. Maybe instead you want a mini interactive quest for your guests. For example, we had some clients order some custom fortune cookies. Each cookie had a different “task” each guest must do. It was a fun way to get guests to mingle, and keep them entertained! Other ideas:
Interactive way for guests to find their seating arrangement (such as hanging planets)
Terrarium Station
Interactive Guest Book (craft, audio, video)
A Tarot Card Reader for Guests
A Live Artist Drawing Each Guest as a Guest Favor
Photo-booth
A Cuban Cigar Roller
Fortune Cookies with Tasks Instead of Fortunes.
Games
If you are a playful couple, then don’t be afraid to make your wedding playful too! You can have games at your wedding. These can be yard games, board games, a scavenger hunt, or a matching game with escort card photos— If you give your guests more options than “drink, eat, and chat,” then they will appreciate the variety!
Giant Jenga
Corn-Hole (guests have designed custom pieces)
Group Trivia or Bingo
Have a Table with Board Games for Guests to Play Whenever
Have a Game Master Lead Dungeons and Dragons, or another RPG Game
Have Matching Escort Cards Then Have Guests Mingle With The Matching Person
Ring Toss Where Guests Can Win Prizes
Rent Carnival Games Like Down the Clown
Rent Arcade Games
Unique Serving styles
Maybe the only way you want to make your reception memorable is through the serving dishes! That’s OK! You can have some pretty fierce ways of serving food and beverage. Maybe you want to serve alcohol playfully, through a Segway keg or wine bike! Maybe you want your event to be more industrial and modern, and have a sleek martini station, or Old Fashioned bar with smoke bubbles. Maybe you want live aerialists pouring champagne from the ceiling. Or maybe you want a ferris wheel serving hors d’oeuvres. If you can dream it, chances are we can find a vendor team to make it possible!
A Wine Bike
A Martini Bar
Aerialists or Contortionists Serving Drinks
A Performer Hanging Around The Snack Table and Pass Out Snacks
Photo: Golden Hours Weddings
DO YOU HAVE A BOLD VISION FOR YOUR WEDDING?
Fierce Productions is a Chicago based event planning company specializing in curating unique, bold, non-traditional weddings and events. Our talented team of professionals can handle all of your event needs including planning and coordination, design and styling, vendor and talent management, fundraising, marketing support and beyond - get in touch to learn more!