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Station Reception in Castle, need help with layout!

LisaTyler1984LisaTyler1984
100 Comments
in Wedding Reception Forum
I am getting married in a castle and am doing a station wedding. We are having three different active stations (sushi station, New American station and Italian station) and we are also passing small plates (tapas style). We have access to the entire castle. It is two floors and a bunch of rooms. I wanted my reception to be 'cocktail party style" meaning no assigned tables and people mingling/ dancing the whole time. I am a little stuck and need some ideas about the layout. I really want to do a different station or bar in each room of the castle. But does anyone have any ideas about how the seating should work? I feel like it would be a little awkward to have all the seating in the one, main dining room. It would mean people will be having to walk upstairs, get some food, juggle all their plates, glasses and come back down. Plus, this isn't a buffet. Meaning, it's not one or two trips for food- it's tapas style. 
My solution to this, is to have seating throughout the castle. Is is weird that people will be sitting in different rooms? I worry that the older people will plop down and never move. I want my wedding to be flowy and constantly moving. I want everyone to experience all the rooms and all the great antiques in each and I feel like if all the stations are in one room, with the seating, it will end up feeling like a buffet and noone would experience all the rooms. 
Any advice on layout taking in all these considerations? 
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Re: Station Reception in Castle, need help with layout!

  • trix1223trix1223 member
    5000 Comments 25 Love Its Combo Breaker
    Sitting people in different rooms is guaranteed to p!ss off your guests who are not in the same room as the bride and groom.  They'll definitely feel like they're second tier-because they are.

    Guests want to be in the room where the bride and groom are.  They want to see the cake cutting.  They want to hear the toasts.  They want to feel like they're part of the party.  And shuttling people off to different rooms is just a bad idea.

    And not having assigned tables in the "main room" means that people will NOT get up and mingle and move around.  They'll have the "good seats" and so they'll sit there all night because as soon as they get up, people will snap up those seats rather than be stuck in one of the lesser rooms. 

    Figure out a way to put everyone in the same room.  Then give them a home base by assigning tables.  If you can't, find a different venue.
    "Trix, it's what they/our parents wanted. Why so judgemental? And why is your wedding date over a year and a half ago? And why do you not have a groom's name? And why have you posted over 12,000 posts? And why do you always say mean things to brides?" palegirl146
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  • LisaTyler1984LisaTyler1984
    100 Comments
    Well, I think you are misunderstanding. I am not assigning seats at all. People can sit wherever they want. My cake has it's own room as well. The DJ will announce when it's being cut and everyone will come to gather in "the cake cutting room". Noone can feel second tier because there is no assigned seating. If I wanted everyone in the same room, I'd have a sit-down dinner. I really wanted people to walk, talk and mingle. There will be an hour of passed hors d'oeuvres and then two hours of heavier passed foods and active stations. For the most part, I don't want people sitting. I just worry about older guests who may not move much. 
    I am going for a cocktail party feel but with high-end food with good presentation and heavy enough to constitute a dinner. Basically, I want to have tables for those who need them or who need a break from dancing, but for the most part, I want everyone on their feet either mingling, visiting the stations, touring the mansion or dancing the whole night. 
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  • LisaTyler1984LisaTyler1984
    100 Comments
    and just to clarify, there are two huge rooms we have access to the whole night that, each, would be big enough to have tables for the whole party, but I feel like if I assign people tables, the stations will feel more like a buffet. People will feel pressure to rush to the food when it opens and go back to their seat. I want the food running all night, and people to have some sushi at the sushi bar, grab a lychee martini, talk, dance, go back and get some pasta, grab a glass of champage, mingle, etc. etc. I don't want  people going to pick up their food and then sit down. A buffet is a nightmare to me. 
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  • mbcdefgmbcdefg member
    10000 Comments 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    Is this at Oheka?
    image
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  • LisaTyler1984LisaTyler1984
    100 Comments
    Nope, It's in Newport Rhode Island
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  • trix1223trix1223 member
    5000 Comments 25 Love Its Combo Breaker
    No Lisa.  You didn't understand.  The room where the bride and groom are sitting to eat IS the main room.  The other rooms are second tier to anyone who gets stuck there.  How many of your guests will CHOOSE to avoid the reason for the reception:  the newly married couple.  Hint:  few, if any.
    "Trix, it's what they/our parents wanted. Why so judgemental? And why is your wedding date over a year and a half ago? And why do you not have a groom's name? And why have you posted over 12,000 posts? And why do you always say mean things to brides?" palegirl146
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  • LABRV09LABRV09 member
    First Comment
    Lisa - I don't understand why Trix is being so negative to your ideas.. I think that is an awesome idea and I think it will be fabulous!  How many guests are you having?  I think you should consider how many guests will flow in and out of each room at a time if there will be enough people in each room to make it feel crowded enough to feel cocktail party like.  You don't want to have so many rooms that there are 10 people in each room wondering where the bride is, ya know?  I would say if you have 150 guests, you should only have like 3 rooms and then have the rest open to guests to "tour" if they like.  Does your venue have a "tour guide" to talk about the history of the castle?  I think that even if you have two stations in one room or more than one "attraction" it will not feel like a buffet if your stations are elegantly done like you are thinking.  I also think that as long as you are mingling between rooms a lot, people will not worry about always being in the same room as you because they know you will come in and out of each room often.  Hope that helped!
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  • LABRV09LABRV09 member
    First Comment
    Oh also, maybe for the tables, you should do a mixture of regular tables with seats and cocktail tables (the higher ones) so that it is more of a cocktail atmosphere.  That way older people can sit down and the younger people can do what you wanted.. mingle and put their food down but go back and forth and in and out of rooms.  If too many people get settled at a table, they will be less likely to move around.  Also.. if you are having alcohol, you should have the bar in a place that will entice people to grab a drink and then walk around, like near the door of a room or something.
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  • tracy_ktracy_k member
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Comments
    Lisa -- That's exactly what I'm doing, it's going to be perfect. :) We have some reserved seats for the older folks and expectant moms, but other than that we have tables scattered throughout the venue, a mix of cocktail tables, smaller tables that seat 4-6 people, armchairs & low tables, etc..

    Not a castle, though, that sounds awesome!
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