Looking for
someone to cater your next wedding? How about someone with the
experience to handle your next corporate event? Ann Rivers of
Great Endings Catering and Bakery has the background and experience to help you. From
wedding planning to corporate catering to lunch to go you need look no further. Give Ann a call right now before she's all booked up!!!
214-390-3989
Ann's Catering Tip of The Week
While not every wedding reception will feature a cocktail hour, this tradition is an enjoyable one, and provides an opportunity for the wedding party to spend some time together. Whether it’s finishing up the wedding pictures or, as is tradition in some families, stopping by a local pub for a few drinks, the cocktail hour provides the wedding party some time between the wedding and the reception to blow off some steam.
The cocktail hour typically will include hors d’ oeuvres and drinks, at a minimum. The food at your wedding reception cocktail hour is often simple yet elegant. A popular choice is to have fruit and cheese trays at the cocktail hour. This allows your guests to have just a little something to get their palate ready for the main dinner service.
Your wedding reception cocktail hour can be more formal, in terms of food. Your wedding caterer may be able to offer you choices of a number of different appetizers, hors d'oeuvres and canapés, as well as hot and cold food trays. It's common to choose a seasoned or savory dish of some sort, such as marinated seafood appetizers. In addition it is usually traditional to offer some sort of sweet treat, too. Here again, fruit is one of the best choices for your wedding reception cocktail hour.
When it comes to alcohol, you‘ve got some choices for the cocktail hour as well. You may wish to limit alcoholic beverage service to wine and beer during the cocktail hour, or you may use the cocktail hour to offer specific elixirs to your guests. In some cases, you may not start alcohol service until after the cocktail hour in order to save some money on the cost of liquor. However, it is more common to end liquor service earlier in the evening, rather than deprive your guests during the cocktail hour.
It’s not uncommon to have a theme for your cocktail hour, as well. For example, you might make your cocktail hour the “martini and cigar” hour, and offer a variety of high end cigars and gin martini drinks during that time. The theme should be one that complements your wedding theme, as well.
Entertainment is also a popular option during the wedding reception cocktail hour. You might feature a single musician, such as a pianist, harpist or classical guitarist at the cocktail hour. This will be very different from the entertainment that comes later on in the evening, whether it’s a DJ or a band. The cocktail hour musical entertainment should be much more subdued than the entertainment that comes later on in the reception.
You can consider other forms of entertainment during the cocktail hour, as well. Some couples have chosen to have other types of performers. A magician who travels from table to table entertaining the children is one option. You might include a performance artist, or even a mime. Really, the type of entertainment you choose for your cocktail hour is limited only by your budget and your imagination.
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Great Endings Catering started off like many small businesses. Owner Ann Rivers, a young mother at the time, began by making her signature cake rolls in an oven at her home. It was the humble beginnings of what is now a thriving catering business serving corporate customers, weddings, special events of all kinds and even homemade lunches to go at her Great-to-Go Cafe.
Check out Great Endings and Great to Go today or come by and have lunch at Great to Go Cafe at 2433 Walnut Ridge Drive Dallas, TX 75229 . Ann can be reached by telephone at 214-390-3989. She will be glad to discuss any catering needs you have regardless of the type of function or your budget.
