So for the last 10 months I have searched this board and everywhere else I could think of to get information on having a reception in the Vista Suite. For those of you doing the same right now, I had my in-suite reception last weekend and wanted to give you some more details.
The suite itself is absolutely gorgeous! It was an elegant, beautiful setting for our party of 40. I was worried that there wouldn't be enough seating and there wouldn't have if I had brought in 10 extra chairs. I counted and if you include bar stools, easy chairs, dining chairs, couches and padded foot stools, there was seating for 20. We added ten chairs that my girlfriend (who lives in LV) had, and it was perfect. Everyone who wanted to sit, could.
I had wanted to have uplighting to set a more romantic mood but didn't want to spend the money some companies wanted. So instead, we bought 6 purple bulbs and replaced the lamp bulbs with those. It looked awesome. 
I was also very worried about hauling coolers, chairs, gigantic suitcases with decorations, and catered food through the Mandalay lobby. Guess what? Not one person said a thing except the random guy in the elevator who said "we have to supply our own furniture here?". Lol Masterpiece Cuisine and Retro Bakery both brought their food and no one questioned us at all.
We brought in $300 worth of alcohol and other drinks. The bar was the perfect size for people to hang out around and had enough room for my two brothers-in-law to play bartender. NOTE: beware the candy, nuts, and alcohol that the hotel leaves in the suite behind the bar. They charge very high prices and if you even lift one of the items from it's slot (which keeps track of the weight of the item), your room will be charged! Of course one of my husband's buddies thought that was funny and kept taking things from the tray.
So as of 10-12-13, I would say the Vista Suite is the PERFECT place for a smaller reception or party. And you just cant beat the million dollar views!!