Cocktail Hour, Anyone?

I came across a blog posting detailing one man's adventures at different weddings. Today's post on Writing From the Hip discussed how the author and his wife attended three "really nice weddings" in the past year and they all had a "common black eye." At this point, this is where he tells all wedding planners to listen up--he's come up with a brilliant idea.

The "common black eye" for these weddings was that the guests had nothing to do, eat or drink in the time after the ceremony, but before the dinner started, when the wedding party was out taking their photos. This is how Mr. Nichols explained that time:

That time when all the R.S.V.P. guests sit in front of mounds of mouth-watering food politely waiting for the wedding party. That time when they wait. When they wait. When they wait. And watch fussy food caterers touch up their presentation. And faint. And squirm at a creaky table among strangers. There’s just so much you can say about the pretty centerpiece, huh? And rassle with hungry, squirming little kids. And wait. And try to discreetly change Pampers in a crowd of 200 hungry people. And faint. And twist in bent folding chairs.

Now, as a professional wedding planner, I must ask--isn't this what the cocktail hour is for? And, who, in the new millenium, doesn't have a cocktail hour?? Any planner worth her weight knows you have to have something to entertain the guests during that time. And, one-and-a-half hours for post-ceremony photos?? I know that may be hyperbolic writing, but in reality, cocktail hours should only be what we call "cocktail-45s," as in only 45 minutes. No one should be waiting on a photographer that long. As a professional wedding planner, I know that as soon as guests hit the reception venue, they want something in their hands, and preferably something to eat and to drink. That leads me to more questions: did these weddings even have a wedding planner? If so, was she or he a professional? Did the planner really know what she was doing or did she decide to hang her shingle after planning her cousin's wedding "perfectly?"

Mr. Nichols, this is not new news to the professional wedding planner. We already know there should be some food, drink and entertainment during that time between the end of the ceremony and the start of dinner. I am so sorry you had to starve. This would never happen at a K Sherrie+Company planned wedding (the starving, that is). But I am also glad you brought up the subject. It just further underscores the need for professionals like me. That last thing we want is for guests to leave talking about the really nice wedding that sported that really large "black eye."

Photo Credit: Jennifer Driscoll Photography