{"id":56615,"date":"2019-07-08T09:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T13:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/?p=56615"},"modified":"2025-12-11T06:23:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T11:23:58","slug":"7-fun-activities-to-keep-your-cocktail-hour-from-being-boring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/7-fun-activities-to-keep-your-cocktail-hour-from-being-boring","title":{"rendered":"7 Fun Activities to Keep Your Cocktail Hour from Being Boring"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We have all been to a wedding with a boring cocktail hour\u2026 or worse, no cocktail hour at all. Generally, there will be sometime in between the ceremony and the reception. This allows for family photos and for your guests to mingle before dinner. While some people think that cocktail hour takes care of itself, you really should take some time to think about how your guests will entertain themselves while you\u2019re busy doing other things. Here are some fun ways to spruce up your cocktail hour!<\/p> <hr \/> <p><b>1. Giant lawn games:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Who doesn\u2019t want to play giant Jenga? Giant lawn games are a great way to keep people entertained and it\u2019s something that they will remember that sets your wedding apart from the generic ones.<\/span><\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Henry-Paul-Photography.jpg\"class=\"link-image link-image_wide\" rel=\"gallery\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"full-size-image alignnone wp-image-58052 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgNjAwIiB3aWR0aD0iOTAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjYwMCIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMTklMkYwNSUyRkhlbnJ5LVBhdWwtUGhvdG9ncmFwaHkuanBnIiBkYXRhLXc9IjkwMCIgZGF0YS1oPSI2MDAiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==\" data-spai=\"1\" alt=\"cocktail hour\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\"  \/><\/a><span class=\"caption\">Photo Courtesy of <em>Henry Paul Photography<\/em><\/span><\/p> <p><strong>2.<\/strong> \u2018<b>Build your Own _______\u2019:<\/b> It\u2019s always a good idea to have food during cocktail hour. Give your guests an experience they won\u2019t forget by letting them build their own taco; or poutine, or cake, or popcorn\u2026 the possibilities are endless!<\/p> <p><b>3. Live music:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Nothing brings an event alive quite like the sound of acoustic music. Allow your guests to relax and chat while being serenaded by an acoustic guitar.<\/span><\/p> <p><b>4. Photo booth or backdrop:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Hire a photo booth to come during your cocktail hour and allow guest to dress up and have some fun! Photo booth not in the budget? Create a fun backdrop, grab some props and have guests take their own photos! <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Make sure they hashtag it with your signature wedding hashtag!)<\/span><\/i><\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/OakMyrrh-2.jpg\"class=\"link-image link-image_wide\" rel=\"gallery\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"full-size-image alignnone wp-image-58057 size-full\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgNjAwIiB3aWR0aD0iOTAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjYwMCIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMTklMkYwNSUyRk9ha015cnJoLTIuanBnIiBkYXRhLXc9IjkwMCIgZGF0YS1oPSI2MDAiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==\" data-spai=\"1\" alt=\"cocktail hour\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\"  \/><\/a><span class=\"caption\">Photo Courtesy of <a class=\"listing-mentionable listing-mentionable-disabled listing-mentionable-disabled\" href=\"#\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-listing=\"7227\">Oak & Myrrh Photography<\/a><\/span><\/p> <p><b>5. Ice cream truck or gourmet snow cones:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> For those hot summer weddings, let your guests cool down by hiring an ice cream truck to swing by and serve your guests a tasty treat. If you want to really get fancy, get snow cones flavoured with organic flavours like Lavender-lemon.<\/span><\/p> <p><b>6. Roast some mallows<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Show your guests S\u2019more love and let them roast their own marshmallows. You can do this if your venue has a fire pit, or, have your caterer set up fire stations for your guests to use.<\/span><\/p> <p><b>7. Have a picnic: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the best things about summer is having a picnic with your favourite people, and what better time to picnic than at a wedding?! Provide blankets and umbrellas and let your guests kick off their shoes and enjoy the nice weather!<\/span><\/p> <p><h3 class=\"related-posts-title toc_show\">You May Also Be Interested In<\/h3><ul class=\"display-posts-listing\"><li class=\"listing-item\"><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/wedding-captions-for-instagram\"><img alt=\"ultimate last minute wedding planning checklist, 1\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0MjUgNDI1IiB3aWR0aD0iNDI1IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjYlMkYwMiUyRkVTLUhlYWRlcnMtV2VkZGluZy1DYXB0aW9ucy1mb3ItSW5zdGFncmFtLWNvbXAtNDI1eDQyNS5qcGciIGRhdGEtdz0iNDI1IiBkYXRhLWg9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+\" data-spai=\"1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" srcset=\" \" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 768px) 642px, (min-width: 576px) 510px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" decoding=\"async\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/wedding-captions-for-instagram\">Wedding Captions for Instagram: 150+ Ideas Organized by Photo Type<\/a><\/li><li class=\"listing-item\"><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/how-to-choose-your-bridal-party\"><img alt=\"ultimate last minute wedding planning checklist, 2\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0MjUgNDI1IiB3aWR0aD0iNDI1IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjYlMkYwMSUyRkVTLUhlYWRlcnMtQnJpZGFsLVBhcnR5LTQyNXg0MjUucG5nIiBkYXRhLXc9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS1oPSI0MjUiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==\" data-spai=\"1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" srcset=\" \" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 768px) 642px, (min-width: 576px) 510px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" decoding=\"async\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/how-to-choose-your-bridal-party\">How to Choose Your Bridal Party: A Wedding Planning Guide<\/a><\/li><li class=\"listing-item\"><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/ultimate-last-minute-wedding-planning-checklist\"><img alt=\"ultimate last minute wedding planning checklist, 3\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0MjUgNDI1IiB3aWR0aD0iNDI1IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQyNSIgZGF0YS11PSJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5ldmVudHNvdXJjZS5jYSUyRmJsb2clMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjUlMkYxMSUyRkVTLUFydGljbGUtSGVhZGVycy13ZWRkaW5nLWNoZWNrbGlzdC00MjV4NDI1LnBuZyIgZGF0YS13PSI0MjUiIGRhdGEtaD0iNDI1IiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=\" data-spai=\"1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" srcset=\" \" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 768px) 642px, (min-width: 576px) 510px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" decoding=\"async\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/ultimate-last-minute-wedding-planning-checklist\">The Ultimate Last-Minute Wedding Planning Checklist<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p> <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can see, your cocktail hour doesn\u2019t have to be boring! It\u2019s another chance for you to show your guests some love and say \u2018Thanks\u2019 to them for sharing your special day.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We have all been to a wedding with a boring cocktail hour\u2026 or worse, no cocktail hour at all. Generally, there will be sometime in between the ceremony and the reception. This allows for family photos and for your guests to mingle before dinner. While some people think that cocktail hour takes care of itself, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":58059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-56615","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tips-tricks"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>7 Ways to Keep Your Cocktail Hour Fun For Your Guests<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While some people think cocktail hour takes care of itself, you really should think about how your guests will entertain themselves while you\u2019re busy!\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Ways to Keep Your Cocktail Hour Fun For Your Guests\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While some people think cocktail hour takes care of itself, you really should think about how your guests will entertain themselves while you\u2019re busy!\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.eventsource.ca\/blog\/7-fun-activities-to-keep-your-cocktail-hour-from-being-boring\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Toronto &amp; 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