Treat the end of dinner as a new arrival wave.
Cocktails after the wedding breakfast work best when the bar is ready before guests leave their tables. Confirm the end of dinner, speeches and any room change so the service starts when people are actually free to order.
Do not plan from the printed meal time alone. Speeches, photographs and a delayed course can shift the first busy period. The bar team needs one agreed contact for timing changes and a plan for getting ready without carrying equipment through guests or disrupting dinner service.
A practical example
If dinner and speeches finish together, a large proportion of the room may approach the bar at once. A clear menu and adequate staffing matter more at that moment than they do during a quiet half-hour later in the evening.
What to confirm for your wedding
- Expected finish of dinner and speeches
- Whether the bar changes rooms or resumes in place
- First-wave guest numbers and agreed service start
Continue with the related wedding planning guide. For the bar, team and cocktail supplies together, see our wedding cocktail packages.
Tell us about your wedding with the date, postcode, guest number and the times you want cocktails served.