Is it okay to make people stand up at the reception?

I went to a wedding in July & this how it was set up. It was indoors tho. It had a few table & chairs for older ppl and the rest was just open. It went fine, but also it wasn't a super long reception either. I will say you need some high tables like bar height for ppl to stand & eat tho.

Just think if you are dressed nice for a wedding and have to juggle food and a drink and try to eat and drink while standing up and not get any on you. I think it would be ok to use the chairs from the ceremony but you should have tables for the chairs to be moved to... enlist your groomsmen, that's what guys are for

Yeah, I was really just hoping to avoid using tables, because there are not many rental places in the middle of nowhere and I am running out of money! If I didn't have such a huge guest list it wouldn't be an issue, but then a lot of things wouldn't be an issue, come to think of it.

Is it a farm? all you need are some work horses and an old door or piece of wood to put over them. and work horses are easy to make out of 2x4s... Improvise they don't have to be actual tables or even the same size and shape. bring the dining room table out doors it wont hurt it for 1 day. get some card tables. My dad made a table out of PVC pipes and a sheet of glass. if it is only hours d'oeuvres then most likely not everyone will be sitting at the same time so less tables than you would think.

I think it all depends on the type of event you are wanting to organize. If you do decide to forfiet tables for your guest to eat at I'd advise that you make it really clear on the invites that it is a casual event. I really wouldnt appreciate getting nicely dressed for someone's wedding to be outside without any type of tables or anything for me to eat my food. I think that because you have a guest list of 500 it is more of an issue. With 500 people on a field, it may not be room for tables actually...thats a lot of people.

I agree with Sachele and Bride to be....you need to have something for them to eat off of and to put their drink, you can't expect them to juggle that stuff. Like Sachele suggested, there are alot of alternatives to actual tables, you could always throw a tablecloth(even plastic ones)over them.

I don't think they understand how many tables and linens you need for 500 people! It's a lot of money...and nobody has that many card tables or doors in the garage! You're going to have to spend money. I would rent some cabaret tables so some people can stand and set down their drink. As long as you have enough chairs, I think you'll be ok. How are you going to keep the lazy teenagers away from the tables? You will have to have a table monitor, LOL, to make sure your elderly guests are seated at tables. It will surely cut down on the length of time some people stay, but with 500 guests, that may not be a bad thing!

500 guests! Wow! Well one thing to keep in mind is that not all of them will be able to come, so you can budget more for like 350 or so, maybe that will help? I am having a hard time visualizing the setup you have described. After the guests get their food, will they be going back to sit in the ceremony chairs lined up in rows? Or will the chairs be moved around inside or near the tent? The others are right, your guests are going to need a place to set down their food, even some makeshift tables would be appreciated. Another option would be to make your wedding more casual and picnic like. I went to a wedding like that and people brought blankets and sat in the grass and it was great and a lot of fun. Also is the area where the guests will be standing grassy? Because it is not very fun to have to stand in the grass in heels so that's another thing to keep in mind.

Is there any way you can cut down your guest list at all? I understand wanting to be all-inclusive but at the same time you have to remember when you invite people you need to ACCOMODATE them. With no tables, a person has a drink in one hand and a plate in the other. How are they supposed to eat?

I have to agree with others. Please provide at least a bunch of cocktail tables for them to set their food down. Food, pie and a drink, along with their purse would be a nightmare without having some place to put everything.

Something is going to have to give here. You need to either cut your guest list drastically, do cake and punch reception only, or provide enough tables so everyone either has a table to sit down or stand up next to one. I realize that renting this many tables is going to add to the expense, but having a 500 person semi-formal wedding is expensive! IMO, having guests travel back to their ceremony chairs juggling their food is not appropriate for a semi formal affair.

Ashley I would also point out that you should provide better accomodations for yourself than you do for your guests. You shouldn't sit in a cushy gazebo while your guests juggle plates on their laps or in their hands. If your guests are standing and/or mingling then you should do the same.

Have you considered changing to a casual reception? That way, you could use blankets as yada suggested or make picnic tables as Sachelle suggested. Guests could wear casual attire and feel comfortable sitting on the ground or at picnic tables. We are having a casual outdoor wedding. Our venue provides picnic tables that we are covering in plastic table clothes. Our delima is deciding whether to rent chairs for the ceremony or not?

I would be pretty upset to go to a hot, outdoor summer wedding that I got dolled up for and brought a gift to only to discover that there is no place to even put my stuff down other than the ground. No shade, no seat, no table. I'd leave pretty quickly, honestly!

Being that it's outdoors you can probably get away with making people stand. However, keep in mind that some people sit there for the whole day and won't budge especially when seats are scarce. So you may want to simply rent a bunch of extra chairs so people can move them where they want and have a seat while mingling and enjoying other company. It avoids the headache of tables, but at least people have a place to sit.

How long will the reception be? If it's going to be pretty lenghty, I would provide more seating, I personally, probaly wouldn't stick around very long if we had to stand to eat and what not. Are able at all to cut the guest list? If not, then I like the idea of a picnic reception. Just have some family members bring some blankets for everyone to sit on, or you could even put on the invite/invite insert:

.

Picnic Reception to follow, Please bring a comfy blanket and cozy pillows to make your picnic celebration as comfy as possible!

If i remeber correctly, you mentioned this was in a field? How stable are the chairs and what not going to be on un even ground?

I was thinking the same thing as wowjunkie. In June, it's hot, and being outside watching a ceremony then having to juggle my food, drink, and cake would make me not very happy and I would leave very quickly. Are you having shade at all?

Do you have any churches around you? A lot of times they will rent out their tables for cheap rather than the actual Rent-A-Whatever places that charge a bunch just because they can. As far as decorating them, noone is going to care if you have a 30cent WalMart table cloth put on them. If your colors are purple and silver (or w/e they are) just throw some purple and silver table cloths on the tables - they're not expensive at all.

I think if you are inviting 500 guests and have a budget then you need to have room in that budget for tables for guests. It will be more enjoyable all around for everyone. Plus, I wouldn't want to sit in a row of chairs while eating.

I'm young and I would be annoyed if I went to a wedding where I couldn't sit. My feet would hurt from the heels and I have lower back issues and it hurts to stand forever. You go dance up a storm and then you need a break. You at least need some tall cocktail tables for people to place a drink and lean against. Maybe just pay for the tables but only get white tablecloths to save on linens. Or do the long tables that can fit more people. This is definitely a tough situation for you.

I really think you need to have seating for most, if not all, of your guests, along with tables for at least 1/2 of them. Not everyone is coordinated enough to balance a plate, a drink, a purse, and anything else they might happen to have (wedding favor, program, etc) while wearing high heels and a dress in a field.

I agree with some of the previous posters, the reception you're talking about, with no seating or tables, on a hot June evening, is not a reception I would stick around for too long.

totally agree with everyone- inviting that many people and feeding them very little with nowhere to sit might not go over well. People want to feel like you want them there, not like you had to invite all these people and they're just "one of the crowd". I'm young and would also leave early if there was nowhere to sit. I would likely also end up wearing my food if I had to balance high heels, food, a purse and was in a field. You want your guests to want to have fun, so I would also say that maybe cutting the guest list might help? free up some money for tables or makeshift tables? just a thought-- good luck!