Cocktail Hour Food

Menu planning is a very important piece to our clients and the whole wedding weekend here at Spencer Special Events.  And cocktail hour is honestly one of our favorite parts of the evening!  You are celebrating your nuptials, it is a fun transition from ceremony to reception, and a great way for guests to enjoy your setting while you finish up those pictures! We recommend during this hour have a little fun with your menu, drinks, and design!  When Amanda and Case were married 10 year ago their guests dined on heavy hors d'oeuvres and actions stations throughout the night because that cocktail hour feel was what they wanted for the entire evening! It was incredibly fun.  

We are so fortunate to work with many wonderful caterers in the Lowcountry, one of them being Celebrations Catering and Events.  Executive Chef Andy Borgmeier and his team come up with such innovative twists on classics and present them beautifully.  We spoke with Tracey Mancini, Wedding and Event Specialist for Celebration Catering and Events, for her suggestions and ideas for cocktail hors d'oeuvres this Spring. Here are three great points to consider for your cocktail hour food when planning your Lowcountry wedding menu!

(1) Feature Lowcountry Specialties.   When planning a wedding in the South Carolina Lowcountry, offer your guests a taste of our region.  For a passed hors d'oeuvre, Chef Andy does a unique spin on "shrimp and grits" with a barbecue shrimp on crispy cheese grits cake with andouille sausage served on a sea grass skewer.  Yum - now that's Lowcountry perfection! Celebrations loves using local ingredients to prepare a "shrimp and grits action station" with local shrimp, cheeses, okra, and tasso ham.

Freshly baked buttery cheese biscuits -- warm and flakey - are the perfect way to serve pork tenderloin.  Chef Andy also loves using local crab, shrimp, and ahai tuna.   He creates thick, meaty crab cakes carefully pan seared and not greasy.  Is your mouth watering yet?

(2) An option that pleases all guests.  Spencer Special Events recommends that you provide a few options that will be suitable to all of your guests.  While you might love a good spicy bite and exotic flavors, Grandma Edna might not.  Celebration Catering and Events in particular works to ensure your food is flavorful and interesting, while appealing to many people.   They also suggest providing a vegetarian option to serve.  Tracey recommended a veggie and black eyed pea cake with a cilantro lime creme fraiche. It's out of this world and even guests who are not vegetarians just LOVE this!

(3) Retro Food and classics.  This Spring, there has been a continued surge of requests for "retro" style food.  Chef Andy has been creating elevated sliders with delicious marinated pork and beef, real mini hot dogs, and hand cut french fries served in cool mini baskets.  These options have been popular not only for late night snacks, but during cocktail hour as well.  It seems guests just love small, beautifully presented comfort style food.

As always, Spencer Special Events is here to guide you through the entire planning process.  We absolutely adore working with Tracey and Chef Andy to come up with a menu that speaks to our couples!  We hope you have found today's foodie post useful and sparks some ideas for you to plan your Lowcountry wedding Bon Appétit! 

Photography credits: Landon Jacob Productions