Wedding Tip: How to Enjoy Your Cocktail Hour

So you want to enjoy cocktail hour? Here’s how:

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✨Start your coverage earlier and allow plenty of wiggle room in your timeline. You don’t want to be rushed before your ceremony.

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✨Do a first look.

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✨Plan to do all your wedding party & even immediate family photos prior to your ceremony.

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✨Keep the extended family list short or skip it and get more casual photos during cocktail hour. It’s often unrealistic to invite all your extended family prior to the ceremony so this is one of the shots that might have to happen during the beginning of cocktail hour if you’re interested in them.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Not into a first look? Here's a few more options:

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✨If your ceremony & reception are in two different places consider adding a break into your wedding day schedule to allow for photos without missing out on the fun. Give guests a list of favorite local places to stop by for a drink before the party.

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✨Extend your cocktail hour. Who says cocktail hour only has to be an hour? You make the rules. Extend your cocktail hour so that you can enjoy more of it.

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✨When not doing a first look, plan to at least do your bridesmaids & groomsmen photos separately prior to the ceremony so all you have to do is put it together after.

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✨Inform family that you want included in photos ahead of time so that they know where/when they are wanted for portraits.

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Questions? We're happy to walk through day of schedule with you so that you can maximize time with each other & your guests. Also - if you haven't already, hire a planner! Between the two of us, I promise we can come up with a creative solution to make your dream day (and photos) come to life.