Post dinner room flip... Awesome or Annoying???

Knottie27498345

My venue is a great balance of indoor/outdoor at a very nice hotel... but the indoor reception area is a little small... What are your opinions on moving from indoor to outdoor back to indoor? Venue/Coordinator will help with room flip and DJ will have music set ups in both locations.

1. 5:00 Ceremony under gazebo in gardens
2. 5:30 Cocktail hour on patio in gardens
3.  6:30 Dinner inside (romantic lighting)
4. 7:50/8 First dances outside under gazebo along with cake cutting (outdoor lighting better for pics, right?) Cocktail tables will be set up around patio and gazebo. Allows guests to wonder gardens and fire pit when not dancing. 
5. Since outdoor music must be off at 9pm, DJ announces the party will continue inside 
6. While outdoor dancing was happening some/most of the reception tables are moved to reveal the dance floor and indoor lighting is changed to "ultra lounge", cocktail tables are added along with couches and changes for the lounge feel. 
7. 9PM Guests join us back inside for club like dance party! (2 more hours)

Is that too much moving around? Hour or so of dancing/ceremonial events outside, 2 hours of party dancing inside. It would really help me feel like we got the most bang for our buck though!

Guests can check their materials or use the provided coat racks. I feel like this prevents people from feeling stuck at their assigned table all night and get moving. Should also be a fun surprise for guests. 

MyNameIsNot

Knottie27498345 said:

My venue is a great balance of indoor/outdoor at a very nice hotel... but the indoor reception area is a little small... What are your opinions on moving from indoor to outdoor back to indoor? Venue/Coordinator will help with room flip and DJ will have music set ups in both locations.

1. 5:00 Ceremony under gazebo in gardens
2. 5:30 Cocktail hour on patio in gardens
3.  6:30 Dinner inside (romantic lighting)
4. 7:50/8 First dances outside under gazebo along with cake cutting (outdoor lighting better for pics, right?) Cocktail tables will be set up around patio and gazebo. Allows guests to wonder gardens and fire pit when not dancing. 
5. Since outdoor music must be off at 9pm, DJ announces the party will continue inside 
6. While outdoor dancing was happening some/most of the reception tables are moved to reveal the dance floor and indoor lighting is changed to "ultra lounge", cocktail tables are added along with couches and changes for the lounge feel. 
7. 9PM Guests join us back inside for club like dance party! (2 more hours)

Is that too much moving around? Hour or so of dancing/ceremonial events outside, 2 hours of party dancing inside. It would really help me feel like we got the most bang for our buck though!

Guests can check their materials or use the provided coat racks. I feel like this prevents people from feeling stuck at their assigned table all night and get moving. Should also be a fun surprise for guests. 

I'm not a fan. First, all that moving around is disruptive to guests and is going to ruin the flow of the reception. If I were a guest and I were moved around that much, I'd think it was a planning flaw on your part. 

Secondly, I know you mention a coat check, but guests need a place to put their things and have a "home" even though most guests don't stay at their tables all night. You're going to be hard pressed to find a woman who would agree to check her purse, and what about cameras, phones, drinks etc. People want to have those things around, but they want to be able to set them down while they talk or dance. If you take away the tables, people are going to be uncomfortable. 

Honestly, as a guest, I'd think that the main part of the reception was over and leave after a move. 

Edited: Words

lovegood90

Sounds like too much moving around. Also, guests should have a "home base" at all times, so while it's fine to have some events outside, you shouldn't move the seats to accommodate a dance floor. There needs to be a chair for every butt (ideally the same chair the whole time) for the entire event.

southernbelle0915

When I go to a wedding, I dump my stuff at a seat and it's my home base for the night. If I came back to my seat and all my shit was moved/gone or if someone was like "make sure you find a new place to put all your stuff" I'd be super annoyed. If I saw staff packing up tables, I'd also think I'd missed the announcement that the party was over and I'd probably leave.

Just leave the dinner stuff set up inside and have the dance floor outside. Just have the last dance at 9pm.

The other option would be to rent a tent and seat everyone outside. The drawback here is that if it's cold or super hot, you'd need to rent tent sides and heaters/AC (expensive). If it rained the day before, you'd also probably want to rent a floor so things aren't muddy.

It sounds like you rented a venue based on vision and it can't accommodate your guest list. Can you cut your list?

Maggie0829

If you don't rearrange your room would you not have a dance floor?

levioosa

I'm also not a fan.  I like dancing, but I also like coming back to my table to sit and have a drink and watch the dancing happen.  I would be really irritated if I came back to discover the table and seats were gone, and my stuff had been moved.  

mlg78

Don't do this. For those who don't dance much like me I still want a table to hang out at. I'd be so annoyed if someone moved my shit.

MandyMost

1. 5:00 Ceremony under gazebo in gardens
2. 5:30 Cocktail hour on patio in gardens
3.  6:30 Dinner inside (romantic lighting)
4. 7:50/8 First dances outside under gazebo along with cake cutting (outdoor lighting better for pics, right?) Cocktail tables will be set up around patio and gazebo. Allows guests to wonder gardens and fire pit when not dancing. 
5. Since outdoor music must be off at 9pm, DJ announces the party will continue inside 
6. While outdoor dancing was happening some/most of the reception tables are moved to reveal the dance floor and indoor lighting is changed to "ultra lounge", cocktail tables are added along with couches and changes for the lounge feel. 
7. 9PM Guests join us back inside for club like dance party! (2 more hours)

People are going to expect that wherever the first dance happens is the dance floor. 

Once I'm seated for dinner, I don't want to be required to get up. If people crowd around for a first dance or cake cutting, that's optional. I can't imagine being told to get up and go back outside and watch a dance. 

I think you have a few options here:

1. Move up your timeline so you can do all the dancing outside, while you keep the table set up inside, and people can stay inside, or go out and dance, then come back inside to sit at the tables.
2. Have dinner outside, and all of the dancing inside
3. Cut your guest list so you can have both dinner AND dancing inside

Whatever you do, you need to stop thinking about the best lighting for your photos and the ambiance, and start thinking about your guests. They don't give a shit if the dinner has romantic lighting, or you get outdoor lighting for cake cutting and a first dance. 

donethat

It will be fun for some of your family and friends (After party-ish!) ... and will be the signal to call it a night for lots of people.  

PrettyGirlLost

Knottie27498345 said:

My venue is a great balance of indoor/outdoor at a very nice hotel... but the indoor reception area is a little small... What are your opinions on moving from indoor to outdoor back to indoor? Venue/Coordinator will help with room flip and DJ will have music set ups in both locations.

1. 5:00 Ceremony under gazebo in gardens
2. 5:30 Cocktail hour on patio in gardens
3.  6:30 Dinner inside (romantic lighting)
4. 7:50/8 First dances outside under gazebo along with cake cutting (outdoor lighting better for pics, right?) Cocktail tables will be set up around patio and gazebo. Allows guests to wonder gardens and fire pit when not dancing.   Your cake cutting and 1st dance will take up 10mins tops.  What are your guests supposed to do for 50mins until the actual dance floor inside is ready?  Wander the gardens?  Not much to see at 8pm at night in a garden- flowers start to close as the sun goes down ><  And no one is going to want to stand around or wander around aimlessly for an hour. 

Your guests will watch the spotlight stuff and then try to go back in to sit down. . . and then it will be super awkward because they can't go back to their seats and tables because they are now gone.  Plus, you may have guests who don't care to get up and walk out to see spotlight stuff to begin with because they are happily chatting and eating. . . how awkward is that going to be for them when the staff tells them they need to GTFO because they are fli8pping the room?
5. Since outdoor music must be off at 9pm, DJ announces the party will continue inside 
6. While outdoor dancing was happening some/most of the reception tables are moved to reveal the dance floor and indoor lighting is changed to "ultra lounge", cocktail tables are added along with couches and changes for the lounge feel. 
7. 9PM Guests join us back inside for club like dance party! (2 more hours)

Is that too much moving around? Hour or so of dancing/ceremonial events outside, 2 hours of party dancing inside. It would really help me feel like we got the most bang for our buck though!

Guests can check their materials or use the provided coat racks. I feel like this prevents people from feeling stuck at their assigned table all night and get moving. Should also be a fun surprise for guests. 

Yeah, I think that's too much involuntary movement.  if your guests want to go in between the outside to the inside on their own, it's one thing.  But you are forcing this on them and honestly the majority of your guests wouldn't choose to do that much back and forth on their own.  They are going to want to stay inside and mingle around their own tables.

They are going to be annoyed, not surprised when they are told to pick up all of their shit and move because you are removing their tables for dancing.  I'd expect many people to just start leaving at that point.

Jen4948

As a guest, I would not appreciate being told to get up and move so my table can be taken away. I may just prefer to sit. And for people with mobility issues, it's really inconsiderate.