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Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment

Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment. Mingle and enjoy! Cocktail reception ideas entertainment? Backyard cocktail wedding reception? Cocktail hour wedding ideas? What to do during cocktail reception weddings? What activities can we plan during the cocktail wedding party? How to throw the perfect wedding cocktail party? In this guide, we are sharing cocktail wedding reception ideas and entertainment!

  1. Grazing Tables
  2. Bouncy Castle
  3. Champagne Bar
  4. Donut Tower
  5. Polaroid / Instax Area
  6. Ice Cream Cart
  7. Fun Live Music
  8. Food Truck
  9. DJ / Dance Party
  10. Projector Screen

Decided on a cocktail party-style wedding? Or maybe looking for entertainment options for your cocktail event? We got great ideas for you!

Typical ideas include magicians, performers, comedians, and the like; however, if your event or wedding is a cocktail style the whole way through (meaning there is no sit-down dinner), guests might miss these types of entertainment.

Having areas and stations where people can freely roam around as they please will not make them feel like they will “miss out” on anything.

Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment

1. Grazing Tables

Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment - grazing table
Your guests will have a great time enjoying a grazing table. This one is from a Toronto local, Olive & Fig. During these times, you can also opt for their individual grazing trays and boxes. Basically, the same food but in individual trays to avoid close contact.

2. Bouncy Castle

Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment - bouncy castle
If you have a lot of backyard or open space, a bouncy castle will be such a great option for fun! Get that child in you, and your guests come out and play! It also works as a photo station! This gorgeous bouncy castle from Inflate Forty-eight is one of our faves!

3. Champagne Bar (one of our fave cocktail party wedding entertainment!)

Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment - champagne station
Who will not fall in love with this beautiful and bright champagne bar from Among Other Things. PRO TIP: Keep this as a “welcome” part of your cocktail party so you won’t have to keep refilling it. Hire a bartender to help you manage a “bar” station.

4. Donut Tower

Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment - donut tower
We love this donut tower as seen in and captured by Shane Webber. We know that a donut wall is a popular choice, but you might not have a wall up just for donuts if you are doing a cocktail event. You want to have a more open space and “stations” set up. Like this donut tower, you can put it up on a cocktail table where guests can easily pick it up!

FOOD STATION IDEAS: EASY DIY DESSERT STATION

5. Polaroid / Instax Area

Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment - polaroid - instax
You, your partner, and your guests can use Instax to enjoy themselves and use it as a keepsake for your guest book! How about this idea as double-duty fun! This set-up we found from Noiva Ansiosa.

6. Ice Cream Cart

Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment - ice cream station
What better way to cool down than with a yummy ice cream treat? How about a gelato cart for your summer wedding? We love this one from Brook Avenue. PRO TIP: Consider serving in cups instead of cones to avoid any “sticky” situation.

7. Fun Live Music (this is a super fun cocktail party wedding entertainment!)

Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment - fun live music
This is probably one of our fave Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment- Fun Live Music. We love this photo from Cause We Can Events. Definitely, the vibe that you want to have at a cocktail. People can sing along and dance freely right where they are, or even come up to the “stage” and really enjoy themselves. Having a band that can also “emcee” and gets the crowd going and engaged is the key!

HOW TO ENTERTAIN YOUR WEDDING GUESTS

8. Food Truck

How can your guests not enjoy a food truck? Even when you have passed appetizers throughout the event, having a fun comfort food truck on-site right around dinner time will help fill up your guests. Also, it’s just such a super fun experience! This one is from our fave local one, The Food Dudes.

9. DJ / Dance Party

Having a live band is great for light dancing, but if you want a full-blown dance party, having a DJ and a designated dance area/floor will help facilitate the “dancing part” of the night. This will also give your elderly guests a free pass to leave for the night if they choose to. DJs can also add great effects like confetti, lightings, etc., which will elevate the night’s dancing part!

10. Projector Screen

Create great montages and play videos that includes your guests – on a loop! They will feel more like they belong and, at the same time, special that they are remembered and “mentioned” on your special day.

Remember, cocktails are a more lounge-y and “walk-around” type of vibe. If they are somehow far from the stage or sitting down amongst others standing, they will miss whatever “performance” is happening.

If you do have some activities planned, having a timeline prepared and clearly printed out for guests to see will help them prepare and situate themselves better. Working with an emcee and DJ to make appropriate announcements will also help with the flow and the “engagement level” of your guests.

It will also be great to add timeframes for each station you’ve set up, such as the food truck; it will most likely be a 1-2 hour only. Set up the timeline as mentioned earlier so that your guests can watch out and not miss anything happening.

There you are! Cocktail Party Wedding Entertainment!

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THE AUTHORS: creatives, researchers & event consultants

With over a decade of experience in the wedding and event industry, our wedding services have been featured in notable blogs and publications in Canada and the United States. Our team's goal is to share inspirations and guides to help you plan your wedding and event in style while having fun and pocketing some savings along the way! Inspiring you to celebrate life and love!

xo, Maria & the WPR team : Good vibes always bb! ~xo~

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