After the ceremony and before the reception, your guests will be mingling, drinking, and enjoying cocktail hour, while you and your new spouse are likely off taking photos with your wedding party. Often overlooked, the music for your cocktail hour is important for setting the tone for the remainder of your celebration. With this in mind, we put together a Spotify playlist of the 20 best cocktail hour songs to consider.

We’ve also given you all our tips on how much music you need, what type of music you should choose, and why your cocktail hour is a perfect place for your FêteFone!

Every celebration is different, but cocktail hours usually last around 45-minutes to one hour. No matter how long your cocktail hour lasts, we recommend having enough music to cover the duration plus about 25% more—just in case your photos or surprise outfit change for your reception takes a bit longer than expected.

Our playlist of the 20 of the best cocktail hour songs is a full 1 hour 12 minutes long. Add a couple of niche favorites to our list, and you have your own cocktail hour playlist!

The vibe of your cocktail hour is completely up to you! We’ve put together a list of some of the most popular cocktail hour songs, but you may want to focus on one genre, artist, or mood. Typically, cocktail hours are calmer than receptions and are meant more for mingling and drinking than dancing and singing along.

Here’s our list of the 20 of the best cocktail hour songs:

Your cocktail hour is the perfect starting place for a FêteFone audio guest book! Having an audio guestbook is a unique way to capture precious memories—all while keeping guests entertained. Since the wedding party is elsewhere, guests will have more downtime and are often looking for something to do during your cocktail hour. Plus, cocktail hours are typically quieter than receptions, meaning your FêteFone can be in a prominent place and guests won’t have to should to leave their love after the tone.

Your FêteFone can also act as a beautiful piece of decor! With 20+ styles to choose from, you are sure to find the perfect fit for your celebration. For the most messages, consider incorporating your FêteFone into an escort card display, seating chart, gift table or other location where your guests are sure to stop during your cocktail hour!

Then, after cocktail hour is over, you can just move your FêteFone to your reception and continue capturing more messages as the night goes on!