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Seating Arrangements

clwesterclwester
in Wedding Reception Forum
I;m wondering how many tables and chairs I need to plan on having at my reception.  We are planning a very small wedding with only family and close friends, and then having a much larger reception afterwards.  We throw a lot of gatherings and parties, so we know that the majority of the people invited will not all be eating at the same time.  We have designed our reception so that people can eat at their leisure so that we won't encounter a huge line waiting for food.  My question is this.....is it ok to only plan for around 75-80% of people actually being seated at one time?  We are having an outdoor reception so we'll have tables and chairs set up under a tent.  I'm just worried that if I set up tables and chairs for 250 people that I'll end up having several empty tables for most of the night and will also end up wasting more money of extra centerpieces!  Help!

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Re: Seating Arrangements

  • MairePoppyMairePoppy mod
    Moderator Knottie Warrior 5000 Comments 500 Love Its
    You will need one seat per person. Your guests will need a place to park their belongings, whether or not they sitting.
                       
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  • Simply FatedSimply Fated member
    5000 Comments Fifth Anniversary 500 Love Its First Answer
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_seating-arrangements-4?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:4c6fcca8-5599-4290-8d6d-b27280fb08b5Post:44206ab9-6cc7-4ec2-8e29-2b26b5756fbf">Re: Seating Arrangements</a>:
    [QUOTE]You will need one seat per person. Your guests will need a place to park their belongings, whether or not they sitting.
    Posted by MairePoppy[/QUOTE]
    This.

    Even if people aren't actually sitting, they'll want a place to keep their drinks, their bags, their... what ever.

    I'd even take it  a step further and get some extra chairs in case people take over more than one chair. Or a chair breaks or some other reason.
    image
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  • Gabrielle76Gabrielle76
    1000 Comments
    I have never been to an event where someone said "this would have been better with fewer chairs" However people will get miffed if they want to sit down and don't have a place to.
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  • cebrady89cebrady89 member
    100 Comments
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_seating-arrangements-4?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:4c6fcca8-5599-4290-8d6d-b27280fb08b5Post:e9e91a9b-7ce0-46b0-8053-93d030b1b773">Re: Seating Arrangements</a>:
    [QUOTE]I am in the camp that every butt needs a seat.  If you don't have enough seats, you risk people planting at a table and not moving for fear of someone taking their chair. Even if I'm up dancing or just moving around, I like having a seat as my "home base" for my purse/camera and cardigan if it's on the chilly side.
    Posted by ILoveMilkDuds[/QUOTE]

    <div>Totally agree! People will want to be able to set their purse down to get a drink, or guys might want to leave their suit jackets on the back of a chair. Things could get confusing if those aren't "their" chairs for the night, ya know?</div>
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  • kmmssgkmmssg mod
    Moderator Knottie Warrior 5000 Comments 500 Love Its
    Agreed.  People aren't just going to immediately pop out of their seats when they are done eating.  Once they figure out there is a shortage of seating, they are more likely to plant themselves so they don't lose theirs.  A seat for every butt.  Just because I'm not eating doesn't mean I don't want to share a glass of wine or whatever and catch up with a friend at the reception.
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