45 Upbeat Wedding Cocktail Hour Songs – Don’t Bore Guests!
Cocktail hour is a time when your wedding guests first arrive at your wedding reception. The “I Do’s” are done and now they are ready to get the party started. A music entertainer’s job is to know what style of music the bride and groom want for their cocktail hour songs (or happy hour songs.)
However, we will focus on only 3 music styles – Country, R&B, and Folk (or Folk-Rock) upbeat wedding cocktail hour songs.
As stated above, your wedding guests are feeling good and looking forward to tonight, or day, socializing and having a great time with friends and family during your reception. The cocktail hour sets the mood for the rest of your event.
How do you wish to set the mood? If you are having an uptown black-tie wedding, then jazz and big band music may be your choice.
We are going to focus on music that will set the mood with popular cocktail songs in the style of Country, R&B, and Folk.
Folk is a very broad style and we will include some Rock songs that are categorized as Folk Rock. We added a few indie songs in there too.
Listen to Cocktail Hour Songs
Upbeat Wedding Cocktail Hour Songs
Dancing In The Moonlight – Aexcit & HILLA
2020, Dancing In The Moonlight
Dance
Happy Anywhere – Blake Shelton feat. Gwen Stefani
2020, Happy Anywhere
Country
Smile – WizKid feat. H.E.R.
2020, Smile
R&B Reggae
One I Got – Charlie Wilson
2020, One I Got
R&B
Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat) – Jawsh 685 x Jason Derulo
2020, Savage Love
Dance
Dance with Me – Diplo, Thomas Rhett & Young Thug
2020, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil
Country/Dance
There Is Only One You – Us The Duo
2020, Up Until Now
Folk Pop
Doing to Me – Lou Sedo
2020, Doing to Me
Indie
I Got You – Michael Franti & Spearhead
2020, Work Hard and Be Nice
Folk
Down at the Lah De Dah – Jimmy Buffett
2020, Life On the Flip Side
Rock
In Your Eyes – The Weeknd
2020, After Hours
R&B
Best of You – Andy Grammer with Elle King
2020, Best of You
Pop
What a Man Gotta Do – Jonas Brothers
2020, What a Man Gotta Do
Pop
Just the Way – Parmalee & Blanco Brown
2019, Just the Way
Country Hip Hop
Adore You – Harry Styles
2019, Fine Line
Pop
Love You For A Long Time – Maggie Rogers
2019, Love You For A Long Time
Indie
Slow Down – Skip Marley & H.E.R.
2019, Slow Down
Reggae R&B
Ain’t Nothin Like The One I’ve Got – Calvin Richardson
2019, Gold Dust
R&B
10,000 Hours – Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber
2019, 10,000 Hours
Country Pop
When You Love Somebody – Robin Thicke
2019, When You Love Somebody
R&B
Fooled Around and Fell in Love – Miranda Lambert feat. Maren Morris, Elle King, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes & Caylee
2019, Fooled Around and Fell in Love
Country
You Changed Everything – This Wild Life
2019, You Changed Everything
Indie
Slow Dance – AJ Mitchell feat. Ava Max
2019, Slow Dance
Pop
These Are The Times – Martin Garrix feat. JRM
2019, These Are The Times
Dance
Put It All On Me – Ed Sheeran feat. Ella Mai
2019, No.6 Collaborations Project
Pop
Here With Me – Jada Facer
2019, Here With Me
Pop
Big, Big Plans – Chris Lane
2019, Big, Big Plans
Country
Higher Love – Kygo & Whitney Houston
2019, Higher Love
Dance
L O V E L O V E – Jeremy Lister
2019, Sign Language
Folk
Family – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
2019, Dragons
Rock
September – Spencer Kane
2019, Acoustic Sessions
Folk
U R the One – Howard Hewett
2019, U R the One
R&B
Ring on Every Finger – LOCASH
2016, The Fighters
Country
Love Me Now – John Legend
2016, Darkness and Light
R&B
Yeah Boy – Kelsea Ballerini
2016, The First Time
Country
Baby Be My Love Song – Easton Corbin
2015, About to Get Real
Country
Marry Me – Jason Derulo
2013, Tattoos
R&B
Ho Hey – The Lumineers
2012, The Lumineers
Folk
Just The Way You Are – Bruno Mars
2010, Doo-Wops & Hooligans
R&B
Stuck Like Glue – Sugarland
2010, The Incredible Machine
Country
Because Of You – Ne-Yo
2007, Because of You
R&B
Let’s Get Married – Jagged Edge feat. Reverend Run
2000, J.E. Heartbreak
R&B
Lovely Day – Bill Withers
1977, Menagerie
R&B
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – Marvin Gaye
1965, How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You
R&B
L-O-V-E – Nat King Cole
1964, L-O-V-E
R&B
Listen to our cocktail hour songs playlist on Spotify.
There you have it. Do you think a song should be added to the list? Be sure to comment it down below so we can do so!
If you like Country, R&B, and Indie, you may like these playlists too!
Wedding Songs For The Ultimate Party!
Great list Matthew! Although I am more than half a country away, here in Boston, many of these songs work for me too!
Awesome Dan. Glad you found us and like the songs.