Cocktail Hour
The social window, often after a ceremony, with drinks and light bites before the main meal.
Cocktail hour is the transitional period, typically about an hour, where guests enjoy drinks and passed or stationed appetizers while mingling. At weddings it usually fills the gap between the ceremony and the reception meal.
It sets the social tone and buys time for photos and room flips behind the scenes. Plan enough bar capacity with professional bartenders and a few bites per guest so no one is left waiting.