Tables and chairs for everyone?

greennik

Hi Everyone, I'm looking for some advice. We're having a backyard September wedding. Our reception is being catered by a pizza truck. So our guests will go up to the pizza truck and pick from a list of options for their food. The whole wedding will have a very informal feel. I really just want a party with all of my loved ones. My question is, how to you guys feel or have any ideas on not have tables and chairs for every person? I'm going to rent a tent and tables/chairs but do you think it's necessary to have a seat for everyone? I was thinking some tables and chairs for the older guests and maybe some high top tables. The pizza truck will be there for 3 hours. We will have 2 or 3 different bars bartending by our friends children that just turned 21, oversized games set up, a dance floor, and a firepit with a smoresbar. Just looking for any comments or suggestions on how to go about this.

Jen4948

Yes, you need seats for everyone. That's Hosting 101 - don't make anyone eat without a seat. Have fewer items in your backyard or invite fewer guests, but everyone has to be able to sit while eating.

lnixon8

Seats for everyone.

And I would rethink the just turned 21 bartenders. A 21 year old family friend is probably the last person you want in charge of mixing drinks (or even pouring wine/draft beer).

MairePoppy

You need a chair and a place at a table for every guest. You know what happens when there are not enough chairs? Those who get there first take them and stay put for fear of losing their seats and a place to eat and park their purses, jackets etc... My daughter attended a wedding where the couple thought the guests would mingle and eat in shifts. Wrong, once the tables were filled, the remaining guests left. 

Do you have guests who will be under 21? If so, I wouldn't leave the just turned 21 year olds in charge of the booze. You should look into an event insurance policy, especially if your wedding is on private property.

MesmrEwe

In my younger years I worked as a bartender (and I'm a teetotaler)...  IMO, just because someone just turned 21 is not a justifiable reason to put them in charge of the liquor cabinet at your wedding.  This has potential to be a liability issue (as @MairePoppy pointed out, check your homeowner's policy!), hire the pro to handle the alcohol, there are just too many flags with something like that which you do not want to have to deal with..

And yes, you need more than enough chairs for ALL of your guests!!

artbyallie

Ditto on a chair at a table for every butt! Also, I would rethink the food truck unless you have <20 guests. Otherwise people are going to have to wait forever for food! Food trucks are not known for their ability to serve a large number of people at once, especially if they're making everything to order.

southernbelle0915

That's like asking "should we have enough food for everyone?" Would you ever ask "I'm having 100 people but can I only provide food for 60 of them?" KWIM? 

There are just some basic things you have to have - seats for every butt, enough food/drink for every guest that's appropriate for the time of day (i.e. meal for meal time, refreshments if not meal time) and shelter from the elements. Everything else is fluff. 

judywedding2019

You really need seats for everyone. Most people will eat at the same time and even if they don't people often want a place to put there stuff a "homebase" so to speak. I have been to weddings that didn't have enough seats and guests were VERY vocal in their complaints.

ahoywedding

greennik said:

Hi Everyone, I'm looking for some advice. We're having a backyard September wedding. Our reception is being catered by a pizza truck. So our guests will go up to the pizza truck and pick from a list of options for their food. The whole wedding will have a very informal feel. I really just want a party with all of my loved ones. My question is, how to you guys feel or have any ideas on not have tables and chairs for every person? I'm going to rent a tent and tables/chairs but do you think it's necessary to have a seat for everyone? I was thinking some tables and chairs for the older guests and maybe some high top tables. The pizza truck will be there for 3 hours. We will have 2 or 3 different bars bartending by our friends children that just turned 21, oversized games set up, a dance floor, and a firepit with a smoresbar. Just looking for any comments or suggestions on how to go about this.

DO NOT DO THIS. Newly 21-year-olds are like the least responsible drinkers. They won't know how to (properly) make a drink or when to cut someone off, unless they've had professional bartending experience. You'll also want insurance if you're not hiring professional bartenders. When my parents got married, my dad's 18 year old brother bartended (they only served beer and that was legal at 18 back then). He was the drunkest person at the entire wedding (and my family can put it away). My parents have been married almost 40 years and it still comes up in every single conversation about their wedding. 

For the rest of your plans, YES have a seat for everyone at a table. Even if everyone doesn't eat at exactly the same time, most people will kind of choose a spot and park their stuff there so no one else will be able to use that chair. It's always awkward try to eat while holding a drink and your purse, etc. Also talk with your food truck ahead of time to see how they'll have the food ready so that there isn't a long wait between each guest getting their pizza. The good thing about pizza is that one pie can serve several people and it can be made somewhat ahead of time and kept warm. The rest of what you have planned sounds really fun!!

charlotte989875

ahoywedding said:

greennik said:

Hi Everyone, I'm looking for some advice. We're having a backyard September wedding. Our reception is being catered by a pizza truck. So our guests will go up to the pizza truck and pick from a list of options for their food. The whole wedding will have a very informal feel. I really just want a party with all of my loved ones. My question is, how to you guys feel or have any ideas on not have tables and chairs for every person? I'm going to rent a tent and tables/chairs but do you think it's necessary to have a seat for everyone? I was thinking some tables and chairs for the older guests and maybe some high top tables. The pizza truck will be there for 3 hours. We will have 2 or 3 different bars bartending by our friends children that just turned 21, oversized games set up, a dance floor, and a firepit with a smoresbar. Just looking for any comments or suggestions on how to go about this.

DO NOT DO THIS. Newly 21-year-olds are like the least responsible drinkers. They won't know how to (properly) make a drink or when to cut someone off, unless they've had professional bartending experience. You'll also want insurance if you're not hiring professional bartenders. When my parents got married, my dad's 18 year old brother bartended (they only served beer and that was legal at 18 back then). He was the drunkest person at the entire wedding (and my family can put it away). My parents have been married almost 40 years and it still comes up in every single conversation about their wedding. 

For the rest of your plans, YES have a seat for everyone at a table. Even if everyone doesn't eat at exactly the same time, most people will kind of choose a spot and park their stuff there so no one else will be able to use that chair. It's always awkward try to eat while holding a drink and your purse, etc. Also talk with your food truck ahead of time to see how they'll have the food ready so that there isn't a long wait between each guest getting their pizza. The good thing about pizza is that one pie can serve several people and it can be made somewhat ahead of time and kept warm. The rest of what you have planned sounds really fun!!

I bartended at 21 (through 23/24) and while I was not always a responsible drinker, I was absolutely a responsible bartender because I was doing a job I was being paid for. 

Hire a bartender. Regardless of age. But let's not assume adults cannot be responsible just because of their age when they're being hired for a job. 

ahoywedding

charlotte989875 said:

ahoywedding said:

greennik said:

Hi Everyone, I'm looking for some advice. We're having a backyard September wedding. Our reception is being catered by a pizza truck. So our guests will go up to the pizza truck and pick from a list of options for their food. The whole wedding will have a very informal feel. I really just want a party with all of my loved ones. My question is, how to you guys feel or have any ideas on not have tables and chairs for every person? I'm going to rent a tent and tables/chairs but do you think it's necessary to have a seat for everyone? I was thinking some tables and chairs for the older guests and maybe some high top tables. The pizza truck will be there for 3 hours. We will have 2 or 3 different bars bartending by our friends children that just turned 21, oversized games set up, a dance floor, and a firepit with a smoresbar. Just looking for any comments or suggestions on how to go about this.

DO NOT DO THIS. Newly 21-year-olds are like the least responsible drinkers. They won't know how to (properly) make a drink or when to cut someone off, unless they've had professional bartending experience. You'll also want insurance if you're not hiring professional bartenders. When my parents got married, my dad's 18 year old brother bartended (they only served beer and that was legal at 18 back then). He was the drunkest person at the entire wedding (and my family can put it away). My parents have been married almost 40 years and it still comes up in every single conversation about their wedding. 

For the rest of your plans, YES have a seat for everyone at a table. Even if everyone doesn't eat at exactly the same time, most people will kind of choose a spot and park their stuff there so no one else will be able to use that chair. It's always awkward try to eat while holding a drink and your purse, etc. Also talk with your food truck ahead of time to see how they'll have the food ready so that there isn't a long wait between each guest getting their pizza. The good thing about pizza is that one pie can serve several people and it can be made somewhat ahead of time and kept warm. The rest of what you have planned sounds really fun!!

I bartended at 21 (through 23/24) and while I was not always a responsible drinker, I was absolutely a responsible bartender because I was doing a job I was being paid for. 

Hire a bartender. Regardless of age. But let's not assume adults cannot be responsible just because of their age when they're being hired for a job. 

I assumed the 21 year olds OP was going to hire weren't actual bartenders, but just some friends. I did qualify my statement with "unless they have professional bartending experience" though, which would be fine.

charlotte989875

ahoywedding said:

charlotte989875 said:

ahoywedding said:

greennik said:

Hi Everyone, I'm looking for some advice. We're having a backyard September wedding. Our reception is being catered by a pizza truck. So our guests will go up to the pizza truck and pick from a list of options for their food. The whole wedding will have a very informal feel. I really just want a party with all of my loved ones. My question is, how to you guys feel or have any ideas on not have tables and chairs for every person? I'm going to rent a tent and tables/chairs but do you think it's necessary to have a seat for everyone? I was thinking some tables and chairs for the older guests and maybe some high top tables. The pizza truck will be there for 3 hours. We will have 2 or 3 different bars bartending by our friends children that just turned 21, oversized games set up, a dance floor, and a firepit with a smoresbar. Just looking for any comments or suggestions on how to go about this.

DO NOT DO THIS. Newly 21-year-olds are like the least responsible drinkers. They won't know how to (properly) make a drink or when to cut someone off, unless they've had professional bartending experience. You'll also want insurance if you're not hiring professional bartenders. When my parents got married, my dad's 18 year old brother bartended (they only served beer and that was legal at 18 back then). He was the drunkest person at the entire wedding (and my family can put it away). My parents have been married almost 40 years and it still comes up in every single conversation about their wedding. 

For the rest of your plans, YES have a seat for everyone at a table. Even if everyone doesn't eat at exactly the same time, most people will kind of choose a spot and park their stuff there so no one else will be able to use that chair. It's always awkward try to eat while holding a drink and your purse, etc. Also talk with your food truck ahead of time to see how they'll have the food ready so that there isn't a long wait between each guest getting their pizza. The good thing about pizza is that one pie can serve several people and it can be made somewhat ahead of time and kept warm. The rest of what you have planned sounds really fun!!

I bartended at 21 (through 23/24) and while I was not always a responsible drinker, I was absolutely a responsible bartender because I was doing a job I was being paid for. 

Hire a bartender. Regardless of age. But let's not assume adults cannot be responsible just because of their age when they're being hired for a job. 

I assumed the 21 year olds OP was going to hire weren't actual bartenders, but just some friends. I did qualify my statement with "unless they have professional bartending experience" though, which would be fine.

True. 

I think hiring anyone, regardless of age, that doesn't have bartending experience is a bad idea. I just bristle at the "21 year olds can't possibly be responsible for serving alcohol" some of the posts had. 

MairePoppy

Who said 21 year olds can't be responsible bartenders? There are many young adults that work in the food and beverage industry who wouldn't risk their jobs by serving underage or inebriated drinkers.

OP is planning to ask friend's kids who just turned 21 to serve alcohol. Nowhere does she mention those kids have bartending experience or any kind of training. Since they are just turning 21, there's a pretty good chance they've never worked behind a bar. This is not a risk I'd want to take. I'd hire a professional bartender, don't care about the age,  and get an insurance rider through my homeowners insurance company.

TrixieJess

MairePoppy said:

Who said 21 year olds can't be responsible bartenders? There are many young adults that work in the food and beverage industry who wouldn't risk their jobs by serving underage or inebriated drinkers.

OP is planning to ask friend's kids who just turned 21 to serve alcohol. Nowhere does she mention those kids have bartending experience or any kind of training. Since they are just turning 21, there's a pretty good chance they've never worked behind a bar. This is not a risk I'd want to take. I'd hire a professional bartender, don't care about the age,  and get an insurance rider through my homeowners insurance company.

I started tending bar at 18 (legal age in Ontario). I had my Smart Serve and a bartending class under my belt. I made more money in a summer than most of my friends.  

OP, seat for every butt. Make sure you have a licensed bartender.