Weddingbee boards

The last few wedding FI and I have attended have had such over the top cocktail hours that by the time dinner was served we have been stuffed, so we thought it would be fun to just do a cocktail reception.  We have the venue picked out with a great menu consisting of many many passed Hors d’ oeuvres, and stations followed by cake and desert.  The ballroom is going to be set up with a combo of smaller round table with chairs and hightop cocktail tables and sweetheart table for us.  There are not going to be any other table assignments so that people can mingle.  I am hoping things will work out but I an concerned with the timelime.  Below is my tentative timelime. 

5:30pm- Ceremony in Ballroom

6:00pm- "Cocktail Hour" on Beach front porch , Ballroom converted, open bar, pictures, passed Hors d’ oeuvres, Crudites Display, Cheese and Fruit Display. (Pianist Playing)

7:00pm- Reception in Ballroom, Entrance, First Dance, toasts, followed by more passed Hors d’ oeuvres, sushi bar, pasta station, carving station (2 choices), hot food station with 2 choices, Antipasta bar, and open bar (all until 9pm)

- Open Dance (DJ)

8:00pm- Father Daughter Dance

-Open Dance

8:45pm- Cake Cutting, Bouquet / Garter Toss

9:00pm- Cake, Coffee and Dessert Bar

-Open Dance

10:00pm- Last Dance

How does this sound?  Did I forget anything?  Suggestions?

I would love to cut out the "Cocktail Hour" but we need it for two reasons.  The Ballroom needs to be converted from ceremony to reception (same room) and that is when we are going to take pictures.  I also can't change /move the time back because of the venue restrictions.  I am confused on what I really want.  I do want a fun dance party but I also do want to do most of the traditional wedding things.  Most important to both of us and our families is that there is lots of drinking and dancing. 

Thanks for posting this I have been working on my own recently too. Our plan is similar our ceremony will be at 6:30, cocktail hour from 7-8, then our "cocktail" reception will be like 8-11:30.  I would love to talk with you more about your plans for tables and everything else.  I'm starting to worry myself over there being enough seating.

LRin2011 - We decided that we don't want to do place setting.  We want it to be more Cocktail Party feel.  So we aren't going to have seats for everyone.  For 130 guests were are going to have 6 regular tables with chairs and 6 hightop bar tables without chairs.  As for center pieces I am thinking silver mint julep cups with hot pink roses with a few tea lights for the hightop tables and hot pink roses and pink peonies in round bowl types vases on mirror chargers with tea lights on the larger tables.  I don't want anything too high since we want people to be able to have conversations and see across the tables. What are you planning?

Our plan is similar except we will be having around 250 people... Our venue has a few different rooms that all open up to each other along with an outdoor patio.  We are going to do a few hightops around the dance floor and outside as well as scattered and I'm working on the exact number of tables but at my last count we had about 12 which is only enough seating for like 90 lol I have some more work to do!  I'm guestimating 4 people around a hightop and maybe putting some stools at some of the high tops.  We are also having a lounge area off of the dance floor so that will provide a few seats as well. I'm going to have the tables right near the dance floor reserved for family so they atleast have a place to put their stuff and sit where they can see everything.  I know in the end it will all work out because my cousin had the same thing at the same venue but right now everyone has got me nervous about seating.

This is a side note to the original time line question but I would strongly recommend you get enough seating so everyone who wants to can take the weight off their feet.

I went to a similar cocktail style reception last summer and although it was fun, it was awful having to stand up the entire evening. 5 hours in stilettos on a hard surface = pain and discomfort! Perhaps you can warn your guests to bring comfy footwear?

Also, have you tried eating standing up whilst holding a glass? If you are having hot food stations you need to have enough places so people can put their glasses/plates down to grab the fork in the other hand. If your guests also have a clutch like most women do, it gets pretty tricky to eat whilst standing up.

I love the idea of a cocktail reception but it's worth spending some time thinking about the practicalities too

@808mjm202: 8 hightops is plenty for the amount of guests you have coming, but it worries me that you are only going to have one table? and no lounge.  My ultimate goal is to have enough seating for about 2/3 -3/4 of our guests and enough high tops that everyone will have a "space."  I would try and maybe arrange some chairs in a lounge like setting near the dance floor so your younger crowd can rest some from dancing but you don't want them all the way at the back of the room.

Thank you for the suggestions, I think we will move the F/D dance and toss to earlier.  We really do want people to be dancing and having a good time. I was affraid that those later might break up the dancing too much.

808mjm202-  I was hoping the same thing with that people wouldn't claim tables but mingle. 

@808mjm202: Ah I didn't realize your hightops are going to have chairs! That is definitely helpful.  Maybe try and do 4 chairs at half and 2 chairs at half.  My hightops are mainly going to be for people to stand around if I want any stools I'm going to have to rent them my venue has the hightops but no stools.

@erinjgolden: I'm trying to figure this one out.  In all the photos you see tables have centerpieces and place setting so they look full and pretty. But we won't have place settings since all our food will come from stations which will have the smaller plates at the station.  I hope a big table doesn't look too empty with just a normal size floral centerpiece and some votives...

I know what you mean.  I don't want the tables to look empty since they won't be set with place setting but I don't want to do over the top centerpieces since I want people to be able to eat, place purses, talk, etc...

I love the idea of a lounge area too!  I will have to call our venue to see if they can provide or if I can have outside vendors can bring it.  Can you rent couches?

In my area there are some places you can rent lounge furniture.  They aren't very "couchy", but still pretty attractive.  My friend had these at her wedding last weekend and my mom is now obsessed with them.  But we have no idea how much they cost yet!  Just look around at a few different rental companies hopefully you will be able to find something.

I am doing a similar reception - and I am having the same problem as @enoh121.

I am having a cocktail, station, bar, passed appetizers but the isle is lined with iron moroccan looking lanterns that will be used for the centerpieces inside!! So since we are getting married and having the reception in the same place -- how do I get all of the lanterns inside to decorate the table without the room looking bare until we get them in there?! IWe are having 200 people -- seating for everyone inside, there is also seating out on the balcony and tall tables around the dance floor.  There is one bar on the absolute opposite side (from the balcony) of the venue so having a cocktail hour might be difficult without letting them inside 

My mother contacted the rental place that we are getting the high top tables from and they do have furniture to do a lounge area.  She went yesterday and found a bunch of pieces that she said I will love and fit the venue nicely.  I told her to use her judgement, since I'm almost 4 hours away, and order what she thought was best.