The cocktail or the sangeet night is easily one of the most fun pre-wedding events at every Indian wedding. There are no customs or traditions restricting down the entertainment quotient of this night, which means even the bride and groom can let their hair down and have a blast with all their wedding guests. Hosting a successful cocktail is easy too - good food and music and you're sorted for the night! All you need to step up your game is a wedding venue with beautiful wedding decoration, a hit playlist full of dance songs. Ensure your wedding photographer and wedding videographer is ready to capture as the real magic unfolds.
A cocktail party reception is a type of reception where no formal meal is served and instead, guests indulge in a variety of hors d'oeuvres. You can create a party that includes only the meaningful-to-you traditions, and host a celebration that still feels like a wedding—minus the hefty price tag. Hors d'oeuvres are usually guests' favorite part of the evening, anyway!
Host a cocktail party anywhere—an art gallery, your favorite neighborhood bistro, or a historic house. Restaurants and hotels are particularly amenable because their in-house staff knows the drill, and you can eliminate the extra expense of an outside catering company—not to mention rentals. Flowers are an important touch, so consider hiring a florist or having a friend create arrangements, if you want to save some money on flowers. And even though you're throwing a roving reception, it's a good idea to provide seating. Cater to older folks with traditional table-and-chair groupings, and create pockets of intrigue for the youngsters with high-tops and tufted banquettes. Last, keep the lighting dim, if you're indoors—it flatters everyone and keeps the mood festive.
It's your wedding—feel free to go full-on traditional with the dress code, or mix it up in something more casual and flirty. Specify what guests should wear on your invitation ("cocktail attire" is foolproof), and if you're having a bridal party, consider putting your own festive spin on the bridesmaids' dresses. Instead of going for identical looks, scan the fashion glossies for a color you love, broadcast your choice, and let your bridesmaids choose their own individual styles in the selected shade. This will look terrific in photos while allowing their personalities to shine. (And they'll love you forever for letting them pick dresses they actually like.)
Make it clear on the invitation that a full meal will not be served. "Please join us for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres following the ceremony" does the job. Plan to have eight to 12 different amuse-bouches in rotation (count on each guest eating six per hour), and be mindful of diverse tastes and dietary restrictions when selecting appetizers. Bolster passed bites with a few stations—from a display of great cheeses to a raw bar of oysters, shrimp, and clams. As for the spirits, you can opt to provide either a full bar or champagne, wine, and a signature cocktail.
If you want a dance party, and piping in your own music from an iPod is out of the question (though there's nothing wrong with that), then book a DJ, as a 12-piece band would likely overwhelm the venue. Carve out a front-and-center spot for the dance floor, and open it up an hour into the festivities. If your party is more about conversation and write-home-about-it food, that's quite all right, but don't forgo music altogether. Hire a small ensemble to play live tunes in the background; whether it's a jazz trio with a frontman jamming on phonographs or costumed gals crooning French chansons from the '30s, music is key.
Choose the traditions that feel right for you. After all those passed hors d'oeuvres, a traditional tiered cake might be the perfect counterpoint. If so, be sure to give the cake the limelight, just as you would at a seated reception. After the well-documented cutting (slice, feed, smooch, snap), have servers carry out pieces of cake and flutes of bubbly. Consider passing additional desserts—mini crème brûlées, pannacotta parfaits, or brandied sugar candy. For the last call, serve boozy milkshake shots to energize the crowd for the after-party—whether it's planned or just an impromptu migration to the nearest bar.
