7 Tasty Pre-Ceremony Drink and Snack Ideas

Wedding ceremonies typically last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour or longer. And, let’s face it, your guests might get a little hungry or thirsty in that amount of time, especially if they’ve traveled a long way to reach your wedding venue. Which is why it’s a very thoughtful idea to serve a cold drink and perhaps even a snack to guests once they arrive at the ceremony.

Chilled water is always appreciated, but if you have a little more cushion in your catering budget, you might consider serving glasses of celebratory champagne or sparkling wine. There should also be a non-alcohol option available—perhaps lemonade, iced tea, or flavored water. And if you think your guests might be peckish, supplement the drinks with a light snack—something like popcorn or pretzels will do the trick. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite pre-ceremony snack ideas below.

Popcorn

The program at this ceremony was printed on a kraft lunch bag and filled with popcorn for the "petal toss" at the end. It happens to also be perfect for during-the-ceremony snacking. Just try not to eat it all before the couple says their "I dos."

Welcome Beverage Bar

Guests were greeted at this ceremony with a beverage bar featuring beer, rosé, rosemary lemonade, and water before finding their seats. Perfect refreshing options for an outdoor ceremony.

Lemonade and Agua Fresca

Especially on a warm day, it’s a good idea to serve guests chilled drinks as they arrive to the ceremony. You could set up a self-serve drink station with large jugs filled with lemonade and agua fresca (this one was melon flavored).

Trail Mix

Once they arrived at this ceremony, guests could help themselves to paper cones filled with trail mix, which they could snack on as they waited for the ceremony to begin. The paper cones were made by the bride from vintage cookbooks an the trail mix included dark-chocolate chunks, salty pretzel twists, diced dried apricot, roasted almonds, dried tart cherries, chocolate covered raisins, yogurt chips, toasted coconut flakes, and salted pistachios.

Popcorn and Drinks

This couple loves going to the movies, so they handed out different types of popcorn, along with a specialty cocktail, as a pre-ceremony snack. It's an idea that's both creative and personal.

Glasses of Champagne

Kick off the wedding on a celebratory note by offering guests a glass of champagne as they arrive to the ceremony. You could have servers at the ready with trays of champagne-filled glasses, or have a shelf lined with filled champagne flutes so guests can help themselves.

Salty Snacks

Before guests arrived at this ceremony, pre-ceremony snacks like Old Bay-seasoned potato chips, spiced nuts, and dilled oyster crackers were set out on a table with paper bags and scoops so guests could help themselves.