Wedding Cocktail Hour Alternatives (crystal bridal jewelry)

It is customary to have some sort of light refreshments between a wedding ceremony and the reception. It is a nice chance for guests to mingle and chat, as well as a good time for the bride and groom to have their portraits taken in their fabulous attire and crystal bridal jewelry. Not every family is into drinking, however, and not every venue permits alcohol. These are some ideas for wedding cocktail hour alternatives.

A mocktail hour is the perfect substitute for a cocktail hour when alcohol is not on the menu. Make it just as festive as the traditional cocktail hour by creating several signature non-alcoholic mocktails to serve to guests. It can be especially fun to create drinks in your wedding colors, because they will look very pretty all lined up to serve. Keep the atmosphere elegant with fancy passed appetizers, a monogram ice sculpture, and grand floral decorations. If the bride plans to change from her wedding gown into a party dress with lots of sparkly crystal bridal jewelry, she can do so during the mocktail hour before the newlyweds make their grand entrance to the reception.

In some cases, more simple refreshments are called for. When having a non-alcoholic cocktail reception in a church fellowship hall, for instance, simple finger foods and punch are perfect. If this is a brief stop before heading off to a traditional seated dinner reception, stick to light appetizers, soft drinks, and sparkling water. On the other hand, if the hour after the ceremony will be the full sum of the reception, offer punch served in a beautiful crystal bowl. Make it pretty with an ice ring filled with edible flowers. Naturally, every wedding needs a cake, so be sure to have a special one to serve your guests. A selection of coffee, tea, and soft drinks will round out the menu.

For health nuts, a great cocktail hour alternative would be a bar with fresh squeezed juices and custom blends. Orange juice, lemonade, limeade, tangerine juice, and other fresh drinks will form the base of the menu. If your friends are also very health-conscious, you could even have bartenders on hand to make custom health drinks with shots of wheat grass and other natural additions. Just be sure that the space is decorated to feel more like a tropical bar than the snack bar at the gym. For the food pairings, healthy little bites made with organic veggies, local cheese, and whole grains will be the perfect complement.

A mini barbeque would be another fantastic cocktail hour alternative. Spread out classic red and white check tablecloths and treat your guests to mini pulled pork sandwiches, shot glasses with red cabbage coleslaw, and tiny ramekins of homemade mac-n-cheese. Fresh squeezed lemonade, cherry limeade, and non-alcoholic beers will round out your barbeque apps perfectly. This would be a really fantastic idea for an informal summer wedding reception in the country.

With so many great alternatives, there is no need to feel like you have to have a traditional alcoholic cocktail hour or skip that part of the reception altogether. When you have innovative drinks and delicious appetizers on the menu, your pre-reception mix-and-mingle hour will be so much fun that no one will even miss the cocktails.

Author Bio: Bridget Mora writes for Silverland Jewelry about how to plan a unique and memorable wedding. Visit us at http://silverlandjewelry.com/ for the most exquisite selection of crystal bridal jewelry. All jewelry orders over $99 receive free shipping.

Category: Marriage
Keywords: crystal bridal jewelry, cocktail hour alternatives, wedding receptions