The Ultimate Cocktail Hour Playlist
What is a Cocktail Hour?
You’ve just exchanged vows in a beautiful ceremony. Now, it’s time for your guests to mingle and unwind. The cocktail hour bridges the gap between your ceremony and reception. This mixer offers a perfect blend of drinks, company, and music. Lasting about an hour, it provides the ideal opportunity for the wedding party to slip away and snap a few photos while the guests enjoy the food and music. Your music selection sets the event’s tone, whether performed live by a band or trio or curated on a premade playlist. Explore our list of perfect cocktail hour songs!
Crafting Your Cocktail Hour Playlist
The music during cocktail hour should be subtle and not too attention-grabbing. We’ve created three playlists to match your wedding’s vibe. First, we will share our top songs handpicked by our jazz trio. Next, view a list of contemporary love songs that are great for a premade playlist. Finally, we’ll list enchanting tunes perfect for string quartets or harpists. Let’s craft your dream wedding soundtrack!
What is a Cocktail Hour?
You’ve just exchanged vows in a beautiful ceremony. Now, it’s time for your guests to mingle and unwind. The cocktail hour bridges the gap between your ceremony and reception. This mixer offers a perfect blend of drinks, company, and music. Lasting about an hour, it provides the ideal opportunity for the wedding party to slip away and snap a few photos while the guests enjoy the food and music. Your music selection sets the event’s tone, whether performed live by a band or trio or curated on a premade playlist. Explore our list of perfect cocktail hour songs!
Crafting Your Cocktail Hour Playlist
The music during cocktail hour should be subtle and not too attention-grabbing. We’ve created three playlists to match your wedding’s vibe. First, we will share our top songs handpicked by our jazz trio. Next, view a list of contemporary love songs that are great for a premade playlist. Finally, we’ll list enchanting tunes perfect for string quartets or harpists. Let’s craft your dream wedding soundtrack!
Our Favorite Jazz Cocktail Hour Songs
- Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra
- Unforgettable – Louie Armstrong
- Georgia on My Mind – Stevie Wonder
- In The Mood – Glenn Miller
- Mister Magic – Grover Washing, Jr.
- Always and Forever – Heatwave
- Forever In Love – Kenny G
- New York, New York – Frank Sinatra
- Ain’t That a Kick in The Head – Dean Martin
- The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra
- Everything – Michael Buble
- What a Wonderful World – Luie Armstrong
- How Sweet It Is – James Taylor
- Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
- Satin Dall – Duke Ellington
- Falling in Love With You – Elvis Presley
- For Once in My Life – Stevie Wonder
- At Last – Atta James
- Because You Love Me – Celine Dian
- I’ll Always Love You – Whitney Houston
Contemporary Cocktail Hour Songs
- “Lost in Japan” – Shawn Mendes
- “Adore You” – Harry Styles
- “Fallin’ All in You” – Shawn Mendes
- “I Like Me Better” – Lauv
- “Let’s Stay Together” – Al Green
- “Say You Won’t Let Go” – James Arthur
- “Better Together” – Jack Johnson
- “Stay” – Zedd & Alessia Cara
- “Best Part” – H.E.R. ft. Daniel Caesar
- “Shallow” – Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
- “Saving All My Love for You” – Whitney Houston
- “Dancing in the Moonlight” – King Harvest
- “If I Ain’t Got You” – Alicia Keys
- “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” – Stevie Wonder
- “Perfect” – Ed Sheeran
- “Make You Feel My Love” – Adele
- “Love Someone” – Lukas Graham
- “My Girl” – The Temptations
- “Just the Way You Are” – Bruno Mars
- “A Thousand Years” – Christina Perri
- “Watermelon Sugar” – Harry Styles
- “Lost Stars” – Adam Levine
- “Make It With You” – Ben&Ben
- “Unchained Melody” – The Righteous Brothers
- “Thinking Out Loud” – Ed Sheeran
- “Someone You Loved” – Lewis Capaldi
- “L-O-V-E” – Nat King Cole
- “Isn’t She Lovely” – Stevie Wonder
- “I Believe in You and Me” – Whitney Houston
- “Lovely Day” – Bill Withers
- “I’m Yours” – Jason Mraz
- “Amazed” by Lonestar
- “Cheek to Cheek” – Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald
Instrumental Cocktail Hour Songs
- “Canon in D” – Johann Pachelbel
- “Air” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 – Johann Sebastian Bach
“Simple Gifts” – Joseph Brackett
“Cantabile” – Niccolò Paganini
- “Ave Maria” – Franz Schubert
- “Salut d’Amour” – Edward Elgar
- “Gabriel’s Oboe” – Ennio Morricone
- “Clair de Lune” – Claude Debussy
- “Serenade” – Franz Schubert
- “Intermezzo” from Cavalleria Rusticana – Pietro Mascagni
- “Waltz of the Flowers” from The Nutcracker – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- “Gymnopédie No. 1” – Erik Satie
- “Adagio for Strings” – Samuel Barber
- “O mio babbino caro” – Giacomo Puccini
- “Ave Verum Corpus” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- “Oblivion” – Astor Piazzolla
- “Romance” from Eine kleine Nachtmusik – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- “Meditation” from Thaïs – Jules Massenet
- “Largo” from Xerxes – George Frideric Handel
- “Nocturne” – Alexander Borodin
- “Sicilienne” – Gabriel Fauré
- “Liebestraum No. 3” – Franz Liszt
- “Arioso” from Cantata BWV 156 – Johann Sebastian Bach
- “Lascia ch’io pianga” from Rinaldo – George Frideric Handel
- “Adagio for Strings” – Tomaso Albinoni
- “Barcarolle” from The Tales of Hoffmann – Jacques Offenbach
- “Gnossienne No. 1” – Erik Satie
- “Fantasia on a Theme – Thomas Tallis” by Ralph Vaughan Williams
- “Andante Festivo” – Jean Sibelius
- “Nimrod” from Enigma Variations – Edward Elgar
Conclusion
As you plan for your big day, remember that the little things matter. Planning the music for your cocktail hour allows you to set the tone for the rest of your event. You are probably wondering how many songs you should choose. While it depends on the length of the songs, about 15 songs is usually enough. To play it safe, planning for a few extra songs is not a bad idea. If you have any great suggestions to add, comment your ideas below!
