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Wedding Reception Forum
mcybela18
member
Stand up reception? how to do? suggestions?
My ceremony and reception is at a gorgeous mansion with a beautiful garden. The problem is I'm going to be having 90-100 guests , so we are over the limit for a sit down reception. We are having a stand up reception with a buffet/stations , we will still have several big tables with chairs, stand up tables, cafe tables throughout the mansion for are guests to sit and eat or sit and enjoy the entertainment. After the ceremony when we are taking pictures I'm planning on having cocktail hour with hor d'oeuvre's for about an hour and than the buffet/station dinner.
How would it work for when the bridal party comes in and the flow of the reception? I've never been to one and googling stand up receptions doesn't bring up anything.
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Re: Stand up reception? how to do? suggestions?
Yeah. No. Why can't you rent extra chairs, bars tools, etc, and scatter them around the site? I assume you meant you were over capacity for them to serve a plated dinner, but I'm not sure how that limits your seating in general.
You really need to get enough seats for everyone to sit. It's a hosting basic. If you can't do that in your current venue, you need to find another venue-even if it means eating any deposit you have made.
I am assuming that when you say 'throughout the mansion' you mean everything is in different rooms and there is not one single room to accommodate all your guests. If so, there may not really be a 'flow' because everyone will be in different stages doing their own thing in different rooms...
I think the way I'd do it is to have very clear announcements so that the guests know when you are coming in and what to expect. I probably would reserve tables for you and the wedding party (and SOs) so you'll have definite places to sit and eat, announce dinner, and then have music play for dancing, etc.
Story time: I went to a wedding reception that was at a restaurant. For whatever reason the bride decided to have about 75 seats at tables and a few highboys for 150 people. I assume she thought that people would go through the buffet, sit eat and get up. People made a mad rush for a seat,and then lingered for a long time after they finished eating. I finally got to sit, at a dirty table, at 9:30, once people finally got up. By that point I was exhausted from it being Friday, standing through cocktail hour and a 2 hour gap. We left quickly after we ate. Also the bride was mad because the reception flow was messed up. No one watched the first dance because people were eating. Then half the reception was ready to dance/ party while other were sitting waiting for food. So the dance floor remained mostly empty.
Moral of the story: You need a chair for eveyone and have all of your guests eat at the same time.
I think there is a bit of a communication gap here. Sounds like you are having food stations....kinda like a buffet but more spread out....and people will get food then sit down (at the seating provided that fits them all). Our food is like that, though we do plan on assigned tables...
I think we'll have the "social hour" (dry cocktail hour) while we do some pics etc and then have the staff open the seating area and move people over to the reception room (it is all in one place, the room has three parts that will open as the events progress). I imagine we'll have everyone get seated, do intros and maybe the 1st dance, then open the food.