How long should cocktail hour be?

60-75 minutes is the sweet spot. 90 is too long without a plan.

What actually drives the length: how many photos you have to take post-ceremony. If you did a first look and pre-ceremony portraits, cocktail hour can be 60 min and you can join your guests for the back half. If you're doing all family formals + couple portraits AFTER the ceremony, you need 75-90 min just for photos.

What keeps a 90-min cocktail hour from feeling long:

• Real food, not just hors d'oeuvres. Substantial passed apps every 5-7 minutes.
• Open bar (obviously) but also a signature cocktail or two for novelty.
• Music — same DJ or a separate playlist, not silence.
• A focal moment around minute 45 — yard games, a string player change, a champagne tower. Something for the photos and conversation.

If you have to do 90: tell your guests "cocktail hour at 5:00, dinner served at 6:30." Set the expectation up front. Boredom comes from "when does this end" not from the actual time.