5 Most Popular Trends for Your Colorado Wedding Cocktail Hour

Your wedding cocktail hour isn’t just a filler—it’s a vital part of your big day that ensures your guests stay entertained, the mood remains festive, and transitions between events feel seamless. With the right combination of drinks, bites, entertainment, and personalized touches, you can create a cocktail hour that not only compliments your reception but enhances it. Here are our picks for top 5 Most Popular Trends for Your Colorado Wedding Cocktail Hour.

Your entire Wedding experience should have details that truly make your love story shine! A deliberately unique to you cocktail hour is sure to be etched in your guests hearts and memories as they reminisce about your wedding day for years to come.

  1. Signature Cocktails

Wedding Venue Near Denver Colorado Bar cocktail inspiration, menu ideas and creative ideas
  • Have fun! Think of unique flavors that emulate your favorite flavors, colors, seasons…. you get the idea!

  • Some of our favorite signature drinks have been named after favorite pets, places our couples have visited and even the classic ‘his’ and ‘hers’ flavors have been fantastic

2. Gourmet Appetizers

Wedding venue near Denver Colorado cocktail hour menu options, meatballs on a stick

Cocktail hour isn’t a success without tasty bites for your wedding guests to enjoy. Make sure if you provide alcohol, you are also providing food to slow down consumption. 

  • Whether your cocktail hour is pre-ceremony or post-ceremony having some amazing snacks for your guests to enjoy can really add an upscale element to your wedding day. Its always a great addition to your day especially when your guests are indulging in your perfect signature cocktails.

  • Some of our favorite gourmet options include local favorites like passed apps grilled deer skewers and smoked trout!

3. Live Entertainment

Steamboat Spring Colorado wedding venue cocktail hour entertainment photo booth

A photo booth is always a hit with wedding guests. This couple used the van they traveled around the country in for their custom photo booth. 

  • This can go beyond your DJ, or Band…. Think portrait artist, painters, photo booth, jewelry making, or yard games.

  • We can not tell you enough how much we, our couples and their guests, LOVE having a photo booth!

4. Interactive Stations

  • Opt for the ever-popular charcuterie board, or taco bar. How about letting your guests create their own signature drink at the bar (making sure the bartender mixes!)? Gather around the fire and watch the nostalgia build, along with a smores bar with a mix of unique ingredient options!

  • Our s’mores bar is one of our most popular items at La Joya Dulce, day or night, rain/snow or shine, its always one of our top crowd pleasers.

5. Give it a Theme

  • Incorporate colors and textures into your decorations that flow with the theme of your wedding. Think about what you want your guests to feel as they walk into your cocktail hour, is it a classy luxurious atmosphere, a cool speak easy, or rustic charm feel you are going for? Its all about YOU!

Some final thoughts…

Your wedding should be a reflection on who you are as a couple. Your cocktail hour is the perfect way to highlight some of what brings you joy or brought you together. Maybe your first date was margaritas and tacos, so you have signature margs and a taco bar. Perhaps you still laugh after getting your portrait painted at the park one spring. Whatever special memories you have that played a part in bringing you to your wedding day can be displayed and shared with those you love most on your most perfect day! So take a stroll down memory lane and pick out a few to incorporate into your unforgettable cocktail hour.

about la joya dulce

At la joya dulce, we are proud in being an independently owned and operated, local wedding venue. When you choose la joya dulce in Steamboat Springs, you're not just booking a venue—you're working directly with the owners, who are dedicated to making your day perfect. You are not just a transaction to us - you become a member of our ranch family. We’re committed to creating memories and intentional moments for you and your family. We believe in supporting our community, which is why we collaborate with other independently-owned venues and businesses.

Steamboat Spring Colorado ranch wedding venue with stunning views of the Yampa Valley

Kathie & Wayne welcome you to La Joya Dulce in beautiful Steamboat Springs Colorado. Caitlin Steuben Photography

We also believe in being the “real deal.” Our photos that are shared by our wonderful photographers are the real deal - there is no AI involved in their creation. Come take a look for yourself - the reality is often better than the photos!

Steamboat Springs Colorado Wedding Venue ceremony with luxury floral arch, mountain views and the bride & groom kissing

You can help support amazing locally owned wedding venues across the country by writing a Google review, following their social media accounts and referring locally owned wedding venues whenever you have the opportunity. Please consider a locally owned venue, you can find locally owned wedding venues featured on this wedding venue map.

The Hidden Gem of Gruene, Mistletoe Bough|Bed & Breakfast, SC Southern Charm Events, Rein Fire Ranch, The Inn at Harbor Shores, The Vineyard at St. Charles, Somos Family Weddings & Events, Amelia Grove, Sage View Ranch, 22 Acres Farm.com/weddings, Cold Spring Farm, Rough & Ready Vineyards, Estate at River Run, Irish Hills Wedding Barn, Rough & Ready Vineyards, The Ballroom at Parklane

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