There are any number of reasons to throw a cocktail party before your wedding: as a bridal shower, as a bachelorette party, as a relaxing follow-up to the rehearsal dinner. By then everything's likely fallen into place. You've got the date booked, the dress has arrived, the wedding invitations are long past sent and the RSVPs are in your hands, so now it's time to chill! All you have to do is figure out what kind of cocktail party you want to throw.

1. The wine tasting. An elegant pre-ceremony affair for those who favor wine and cheese, you can supplement the tasting with a few mixers to follow up the Riesling and Pinot Grigio as you choose the best wines for your wedding. Get them there with these Wine and Cheese Tasting Invitations - we love the straightforwardness of them, they're great if your wedding invitations were similarly bedecked with a chapel or bride.

2. The bachelorette party. Cocktails & High Heels Invitations set the mood for a girls' night out of fun, fun, fun! If you've gone with polka-dot wedding invitations you can echo them with these charmingly bordered invites featuring your favorite cocktails.

3. The bridal shower. Take it outside for a summery tropical-themed fete involving pina coladas and pin the tail on the groom. You couldn't get away with whimsy like these Tropical Drinks Mini Flats on your wedding invitations, so go all out with the spirit of tiny umbrellas and coconut rum!

4. The post-rehearsal dinner cocktail celebration. The wedding is tomorrow and everything's in place for the perfect ceremony, so invite a few people over and relax! These Mod Drinks invitations get the idea across with a bright, color-blocked spirit we can't resist, and your guests won't be able to either - if they didn't turn down your wedding invitations, they definitely won't turn down these!