Cocktail Party before wedding for best friends?

My fiancée and I (same sex couple) are not having bridesmaids but still want to get photos with our close friends and family before our 250 person wedding.

I’ve found a courtyard bar around the corner from our ceremony that’ll do a 2 hour cocktail party for 70 people: it’d be best female friends only plus our parents. Our ceremony is at 7 pm, so this cocktail party would be 4:30 - 6:30 pm and the idea is we’d get extra time with our best friends and some candid photos.

However, would love to hear from past couples if this is a risky idea? Will we feel like it’s just another thing to manage on the wedding day? Will people drink too much before the wedding? Is it rude to not invite their husbands even though this would be framed as a photo op for would be bridesmaids?

It sounds really fun to use in theory but would love thoughts on what to consider!