Weddings are indeed one of the biggest and special events of one’s life. It is a day that you will never forget and with something unique and distinctive, your wedding guests will remember it too for the years to come. Well, a big part of successful wedding planning is highly dedicated to the food and drinks that you will be fueling your wedding guests with on your wedding day. And the cocktail hour is indeed a great and wonderful time for you to get creative with your wedding menu! There is no doubt that your cocktail hour is one of the first moments where you will officially introduce your wedding guests to your wedding cuisine. If you consider yourself and your sweetheart to be foodies, then this is surely a pretty major impression that your wedding guests will have in their hearts and minds for the rest of their lives.
If you are a bride who is always up for something unique or out-of-the-box ideas and think that traditional offerings like pigs-in-a-blanket and veggie platters do not suit your idea of impressive cocktail hour fare, then we can assure you that you are likely on the hunt for creative snack ideas that look as fresh and delicious as they taste. With changing trends, we have seen many cocktail-hour bites including small-sized versions of the couple’s favorite foods, such as sliders, mini hot dogs, or even French fries. Well, it is always a good idea to offer some light snacks to all your loved ones, including fresh and yummy fruits, shrimp cocktails, or some greens wrapped in prosciutto!
You do not have to limit your cocktail hour appetizers to a sit-down dinner. It’s your wedding day, and you have the complete leverage to do what you have always envisioned. You can consider starting the celebration with a pre-ceremony cocktail hour with some fingerlicious small bites, or follow the ‘I do’s’ with a cocktail hour so that your wedding guests can stay active and all charged up while you and your wedding party pose for some fun-filled wedding photos before the reception meal!
If you are planning a summer wedding celebration with a simple and casual vibe and are looking ahead to serving appetizers, trust us hamburgers are always a great option! The real tiny hamburgers and pizzas and a mug of thirst-quenching beer would definitely surprise and impress all your wedding guests. You can also consider adding tartlets, pastry cups, tacos, and croquettes.
No matter which season you are planning to have your wedding ceremony you can choose to have whatever suits your personality. But If you are planning for a summer wedding then trust us, the options are endless that you can include in your cocktail hour menu. There are a wide variety of cool appetizers and drink ideas that are utterly fresh, creative, adventurous, for any taste, and perfect for a summer wedding cocktail hour celebration. Well, talking about a summer wedding, of course, fruits and vegetables are going to be on the top of your list as the atmosphere will be a bit hot and these are the preferable and best choices. And if you have a beach or a seaside summer wedding already planned on your mind, then adding fish, oysters, and other seafood will make the menu really mouth-watering. But before choosing anything, you must consider your wedding theme and your wedding guests’ taste buds, and if there are any vegans, don’t forget to include some yummy items like crudités, veggie tarts stuffed with seasonal picks and nut cheeses, polenta fries, buffalo cauliflower wings, and stuffed mushrooms on the menu list.
Before we go ahead and tell you about some of our favorite signature cocktail drinks that you can consider serving your wedding guests for your summer wedding cocktail hour, let’s have a look at some of the best vegan summer cocktail hour serves that you can add to your menu!
The Best Vegan Cocktail Hour Serves
If your wedding guests have some vegetarian guests, then we are pretty much sure that you will need some delicious and refreshing vegan appetizers that will make your carnivore (pun!!) wedding guests happy, too! You can ask your caterer to go for some edible cups filled with flavorsome vegetables or fruit salad with some exotic dressing or just balsamic. Watermelon, the fruit of the summer season will be an ideal choice to bring into your menu. Think of watermelon cups filled with fresh fruits and berries and sprinkled with balsamic. Well, grilled gourds with tasty cheese and cherry tomatoes are hearty delicacies, especially for vegans. Summer wedding menus are all about a fresh salad of veggies and fruits on skewers, or in stacks or in a pretty designed bowl as they will surely please all your wedding invitees! And lastly, something sweet is always required to keep the taste bud in a happy-go-lucky mood. So, for dessert mini pancakes, s’mores, and other sweet stuff will be a nice option for summer cocktail hour serves!
Vegetables
Indeed, vegetables and fruits are a perfect idea for a summer wedding cocktail hour serve. There are endless ideas to try out, and we are pretty much sure that every couple will definitely find something that they like. Well, cucumber slices with cream cheese, and tomatoes or olives, too yummy! Even cucumber rolls with fresh green veggie salads, spring rolls with fresh fruits and vegetables are mind-blowing options that you can think of adding on! You may also go for veggie stripes with different kinds of sauce in cups or even mushroom skewers with herbs will make a perfect recipe on your summer cocktail hour menu!
For more delectable options, you can consider adding savory crostini gracefully done with cheese, strawberries, and balsamic. Trust us, this felicitous and appetizing serve will definitely please all your wedding guests and leave them wanting for more! The best part of adding crostini, bruschetta, and canapé to your menus is that they are festive enough and get easily fit with any wedding style. Cups with dips and fresh green vegetables always work best for a classic vegetarian cocktail hour menu, whatever the season is!
Delicious Non-Vegan Summer Cocktail Hour Serves
With adding lots of extra effort, non-vegan summer cocktail hour delicacies can be done with the same base. Fresh veggies, fruits added with grilled shrimps, smoked salmon, smoked meat, or even bacon, and voilà, some really mouth-watering recipes are ready to be savored by your wedding guests! You can go for Caprese salad skewers with some tasty smoked meat as an addition, or you can also try various kinds of meat and meatballs with condiments, spring onions, and sesame seeds! You can even ask your caterers to bring in bacon-wrapped shrimps or asparagus, as this is a timeless classic that your wedding guests will love and ask for more! If you are up for some different tradition to your menu like something Italian, you can use a traditional snack of peaches or melons, prosciutto, and blackberries on the top!
Well, if you are planning a destination summer wedding on some exotic beach of Florida, then adding seafood to your cocktail hour menu will be a nice or we say a perfect idea. Think of serving scallops, grilled shrimps, cups with seafood of any kind you and your sweetheart love, or you can also consider offering caviar as a luxurious time to all your wedding guests! There are some other ways to incorporate seafood/fish into your summer beach cocktail hour menu’s list.
Seafood/Fish
There is no denying the fact that seafood and fish are the tastiest and also full of nutrition and a great fit for any kind of wedding, especially the seaside and beach weddings. Sushi topped with caviar or herbs is an extravagant choice, try adding some pipettes with soy sauce, and voilà, the tastiest and mouth-watering delicacy is ready! You can consider serving shrimps on skewers garnished with hers, drunk grapes, cheese, or some tropical fruits. Try fresh cucumber slices with cream cheese and salmon, or some spicy tuna in wonton cups (OMG, now we are feeling hungry!). Trust us, there are tons of ideas to add fresh seafood and fish to your summer wedding menu! And lastly, the most desired and scrumptious - fresh oysters. They are a classic and timeless solution as they don’t need much work. Some lemon slices and the work is done!
That was not all, there are more creative and inventive snack options out there, too. From gazpacho in a mug and full pizza pies with every topping under the sun to crunchy maple-glazed bacon bourbon shots and a bread station, there are so many ways to make your summer cocktail hour a wedding highlight!
Well, that was all about the food. A cocktail hour is incomplete without some classic and timeless signature drinks. We all know that summer weddings and cocktails always go hand in hand. As cocktails are a unique touch that will never fail to elevate your guests' experience during your cocktail hour. If you are also looking to highlight a signature cocktail for your summer wedding cocktail hour, we have curated a few of our favorite recipes that you will surely love.
Well, it is always a great idea to combine a bubbly Italian Prosecco with a fresh citrus sorbet as it makes a light and refreshing signature cocktail. These two fantastic cocktail ingredients are both simple to make and pleasing to the palate and are also perfect for an outdoor summer wedding cocktail hour!
Rose lemonade is a light and bubbly signature cocktail. It is best for cooling off your wedding guests between sessions on the dance floor. They can surely catch a breather with this flirty drink and then savor every moment of your wedding celebration. This refreshing cocktail contains a perfect blend of citrus and sweet and will be an ideal choice for you to serve during your cocktail hour!
If you and your summer wedding guests fancy a martini, then the elderflower martini will be the best choice for your cocktail hour signature drinks. Offering a whimsical combination of sweetness and sophistication, your wedding guests will have the best time of their lives with this incredible drink, as there goes a saying ‘life is grand with a martini in hand!’. And as a bonus, this drink is made with all clear liquids, so even after getting spilled (accidentally only), your cocktail hour will be stain-free, that is a guarantee!
There is no doubt that sangrias are always a great and idyllic option for signature cocktails, especially for summer weddings. The reason due to which this drink is favored is that it can be made in large quantities to cut down on bar wait times. It is always a marvelous idea to ditch out the red wine and bring in the white wine to avoid any accidental red spills on your big day!
Spiked apple cider and summer weddings, together make a fantastic combination. We can assure you that this seasonal cocktail will add a bit of spice without being overbearing. So, serve your wedding guests a spiked apple cider cocktail and spice up your cocktail hour! Well, to keep everyone fresh and the vibe refreshing, the addition of lime juice will be just enough citrus to give it an energetic kick!
It is true that for most of your wedding guests, the cocktail hour will be the best and most delicious part of the entire wedding day celebration. After all, those 60-plus minutes following the ceremony are surely a great chance for all your wedding guests to mix and mingle while sipping the signature cocktails and tasting a wide variety of delicious food. No one can ever deny the fact that the cocktail hour also sets the tone for the rest of the evening and also warms up all the wedding guests for the wedding reception and further celebration! The ambiance is usually more relaxed and laid-back, which means you will have an opportunity to get extremely creative with your cocktail-hour menu. So, choose your dishes and signature cocktails that will allow your graceful personality to come through the best way possible!
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