I'm from Texas (family in east Texas and Louisiana) and my fiance is from Michigan (family in Michigan and Canada), and we're getting married in New Orleans. We're trying to figure out if we're going to throw a traditional New Orleans reception so let me describe it and then tell me what you'd think as a guest:
NOLA weddings typically don't have enough chairs for everyone to sit- maybe 30-50% of the guests at best. Their receptions are like parties and you don't usually sit at parties, you stand and mingle. There may be high tables to put plates and drinks on. Dinner is buffet or very heavy hors devours. They do it this way to encourage mingling and dancing and it cuts down on the downtime of a wedding (waiting at your table to go get dinner, waiting for the dancing to officially start, etc).
So we'd like to do this, but most of the guests are not from Louisiana and wouldn't be expecting it. We'd have enough tables/chairs for about half the guests, with some of the tables reserved for older family members so that they always have a spot. The rest would be open for anyone to sit. We'd have tall tables elsewhere.
Thoughts - would this confuse/offend you as a guest, not having a place to sit? I was deadset against it at first but I kind of like it. If I did it, should I put a little blurb about it on the NOLA wedding traditions page that I'll be sending out as a wedding packet for OOT guests or am I overthinking it? Thanks in advance!