Party - Worried about Ambience

kannf1982

My boyfriend and i are getting married in CA privately in April.  He is from Iowa and I am from Ohio, and he has a very large family, so the most affordable way to include everyone, rather than have a wedding, was to do it the way we're doing it and then have a party/whatever you want to call it in each of our respective home towns in early summer.  He and his mom are planning the Iowa one and I am planning the Ohio one.

I live in a nice high rise building that LUCKILY has a very nice reception room that I can rent for $100 and that fits up to 99 people. The restaurant in the building can also host outsders' rehearsal dinners and small receptions there when they cater, so i know people who have come to my building for those types of events.

 It has a big screen/seating area, a bar, a pool table, and a large area for the buffet and seating.  Included in the price is the multimedia - I can hook things up to the big flat screen on the wall and also there is a speaker/audio system. 

I am having my Ohio family and several of our Ohio friends at our Ohio party, prob will end up with between 50 and 80 people with a few small children in the mix.  I am going to get food form a local BBQ place bc i LOVE BBQ - three meats, three sides, cornbread, salad, dessert.  I am going to buy soft drinks, water, beer and wine in bulk and do a (not terribly expensive) bottle of champagne at each table (tables seat 7 people) so we can do a toast. Will get the clear disposal wine glasses and the beer will be bottled (some cheaper light beer and some priceri craft beers - a mixture) and then I will probably rent (or buy if posible) white stoneware dinner plates and metal flatware.

I will be doing this as a Saturday early evening thing and we will have the room for probably 4 hours, though i can reserve it for longer.

Im still working on the decor, but it will be limited. its a nice place and I wont have a lot of money to spend!!

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone has any opinions about how to make sure it is a fun experience for everyone? I mean i always worry when i throw parties that everyone will just be standing around staring at each other with nothing to do or say, and all parties turn out fun so i shouldnt probbably worry about it.  Plus with the pool table there I am sure thatll keep a few of the preteen kids entertained. 

I really dont think I can afford a DJ for a saturday night, and im happy I can give everyone a hearty tasty meal and all the cake and alcohol theyll want, but should I have something else? Try to find a friend or family member with a band or maybe even just hook up music to the speaker system??  And what about the TV?  Would it be cool to do like a slideshow of mine and my fiance's photos to hook up to the flat screen?

Or...am i just worrying too much?!

sinkLindsaysink

We are having a "restaurant party" reception at a local restaurant's event space that has its own bar rather than the big traditional reception. We really aren't in to dancing, and the kind of music we like isn't really the kind of music people dance to at weddings. I'm trying to think up other activities to break up the evening and make it fun.

Definitely at the very least make use of the sound system and if you can, come up with a good, energetic playlist. I think doing a slideshow would be a great idea and might give the party a kind of focal point or area people can gravitate to when they're alone/not really talking to anyone/etc. 

I'm trying to think of card games to play - some that involve large groups of people at once that get everyone together, even better if they're goofy or fast-paced. There's that Racing Demon card game (I only learned what it was after seeing it on Downton Abbey...don't judge) that's a possibility. My family also plays Left Right Center, which isn't a card game, but a game with dice and we play using quarters.

biojess

It sounds like you have plenty going on for a nice party. If you really want, you could just put light background music on through the speaker system, not for dancing, but for enjoying while everyone is eating. Also, I think it'd be fun to put a slideshow on the tv. It'll make the tv something else to chat about without tempting anyone to try watching tv on it.