Not enough table space
Our wedding is June 16th and we are having an outdoor wedding and reception. The venue does not have enough to seat all of our guests. The reception is casual with a BBQ menu...i.e. pulled pork sandwiches, mac & cheese, potato salad and the like. It's serve yourself for the food. What we have planned since it is casual is to have tall cocktail tables where we can't fit large round seated tables so that people will have something to lean against. We also planned for an extra tent in the grassy area for the beer trough with more coctail tables...some short and some tall. There will be plenty of seats just not big round sit down tables for all. Will this be okay? Will people be upset that not everyone can sit? I am so worried about this. To add to it we didn't want to waste chairs by renting two sets one for the ceremony and one for the reception. The chairs will be moved from the ceremony to the reception area on the same venue property. Thoughts, comments...please. 
Re: Not enough table space
Is your issue that there is not enough room for table with chairs for everyone? Or you don't have enough tables? I guess I'm a little confused. It sounds like you have enough chairs since you are using the same ones from the ceremony. Would long tables fit better than round ones? Although if you have a ceremony and reception space on the same property why can't you use both spaces for the reception to fit more tables and chairs? I wouldn't want my guests fighting over a place to sit or spilling BBQ on their clothes.
</div>In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_not-enough-table-space?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:8ebdb876-4049-4a66-8bfd-bb5844d0bd56Post:346c41a5-e73a-4629-9281-f9ad1e73ffe6">Re: Not enough table space</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't know what my other options are since this was the only venue I could get in my areat that didn't require me hiring their caterer. <strong>Do you have any ideas?</strong>
Posted by dlm3131[/QUOTE]
Only invite as many guests as you can afford to host properly. If you can only fit X number of dinner height tables and seats in the venue you can afford then you need to only invite X people.<div>
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</div><div>In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_not-enough-table-space?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:8ebdb876-4049-4a66-8bfd-bb5844d0bd56Post:ef4eb6b3-f57a-4e80-9e1a-89fe9482eaab">Not enough table space</a>:
[QUOTE]...so that people will have something to lean against.
Posted by dlm3131[/QUOTE]
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</div><div>You can't seriously think it's appropriate or kind to offer a guest a place to <u style="font-weight:bold;">lean</u>, can you?</div>
- As the others have asked, is it a space issue, or table/chair ratio/cost issue? Is this a large outdoor area that endlessly spreads out and you are trying to centralize everything? If you are getting a tent for the "beer trough" (no idea what that is), can you move that and place some tables and chairs under the tent?
You indicate it is casual, it's simply BBQ. But it is still an event you are inviting people to. I'd assume since it's almost 3 months away you have not sent out the invitations yet.
It's ok to have taller or shorter "cocktail tables" spread around for people to stand at if you are having a reception that lasts perhaps an hour. I go to cocktail parties all the time where there are tall tables to stand at and fewer chairs. But there really needs to be tables and chairs, enough for every guest attending your wedding, the entire night. ESPECIALLY if they are standing on grass in dress heels.
If this is outdoors, and you have hired a caterer and are renting the outdoor area, is there one person who is sort of coordinating all this besides you? A consultant, coordinator, someone? If so, you would want to involve them in getting all the facts together for you and sitting down with you and helping you out.
We are only guessing when we attempt to provide answers.
Good luck.
Also, thank you for your service!
It's my pleasure. Thank you!