Too Many Guests to Serve Dinner (Tables Don't Fit in the Venue)

You have to have a seat for every single guest during the reception. Cut your guest list or find a new venue. Forcing guests to stand for hours is rude, and how are they supposed to hold a drink and eat without a table to sit at?

I don't think it matters if you do dinner vs ongoing small plates, if people don't have a place to sit it's going to be a problem. You need a chair for every person in attendance. This would be true even if you had an afternoon wedding/reception.

How many people are you over as far as what the venue can accommodate?

As long as you are serving it all night long I dont think it would be too much of an issue. My cousins reception was like that. There were waiters constantly comming around with substantial finger foods....

Edit: my fingers are stupid.

P.s i agree that everyone needs a seat.

Cut the guest list, or get a new venue. Appetizer receptions are fine, but you have to have a seat for every guest regardless of if you serve a full meal of not.

I work in banquets and see cocktail wedding receptions a lot. Food stations, passed h'ors doeuvres and drinks all night. The hall that I work at holds 200 standing. We set up about 5-6 round tables of 8, 8 high top cocktail tables, and some small square restaurant tables around the border of the room. Some areas are lined with chairs. It is doable!

I am having the same issue. We had to make a hard decision and cut down on our guest list.

I think the younger guests won't mind standing, but maybe the older guests would like to sit. Is it possible to put a bunch of small round tables instead of big tables, maybe you can seat more guests with smaller tables. Can you put tables outside the room, like on the patio if they have one or are you limited to one room.

The venue didn't give you a capacity when you booked? I would honestly cut the guest list.

My cousin had a wedding like this. I didn't mind it but I was one of the lucky people to get a table. I wouldn't have been very happy though if I was one of the people having to stand.

Cut down the guest list.

We're doing all stations, all night, with heavy apps. We're having a small wedding so our space was fine, but my cousins did this same thing years ago because they had too many people and not enough room so they set up small cock tail tables around the room and lined the walls with chairs. as a guest, I loved it!

I've seen it done, and I've attended a wedding where there was very limited seating (four formal tables used by the senior citizens and high tables that a few people could stand around. To be honest. I didn't like standing at a high table to eat. I'm in the one chair for every guest camp. Honestly, I'd cut the guest list.

We did a cocktail reception with heavy passed apps, mini entrees etc. and it was AWESOME. We had seating for 50% of the guests as per our venue - however our set up wasn't a formal hall, it was a bed and breakfast, and our guest list was small (44 people). I'm not sure I'd be comfortable leaving 150 people without seats. Yes a large number of my guests did stand or spent most of the night mingling, but being a small crowd nearly everyone knew everyone. In a larger group of 300 I'd be willing to bet people break off into groups and for the most part stick with who they know, and they'd probably like to sit at some point.

ETA: also since half our guests were staying with us at the B&B, half my guests didn't have "stuff" - purses, coats, etc. so we didn't need that extra space at tables to set things down. I'd hate to be at a reception where I'd have to carry my coat or purse all night because I had no dedicated space to put it down at.

Just cut your guest list. NOBODY needs or has 300 close friends and family that have to be a wedding

Just cut your guest list. NOBODY needs or has 300 close friends and family that have to be a wedding

Hopefully, you have not sent out STDs yet.

Invite only what the venue can legally hold.

Our venue could accommodate 150 (by law). We invited about 150 and about 125 showed up.

You definitely need a seat for every butt. I attended a wedding like this last summer--only enough seating for about half the guests, stations of food. My friends took over a table and ate in shifts, but because I was having so much fun I didn't get any food in me until near the end of the night. Factor in the open bar, and I was good and sloshed. People need a place to eat and a place to keep their stuff, it's not fair to make some people stand around.

Cut the guest list.

Also, for people who are just starting to plan a wedding: please, please, please make up a rough draft of a guest list BEFORE you book a venue. Then pad the numbers a bit to account for adding more people/people getting in relationships. It will make your life so much easier.

If you're not serving dinner, i would say you can get away with not having enough tables. if you serve a dinner, you absolutely have to have enough tables. otherwise, that's pretty rude. what time is your reception?

FH's brother's reception was what you are describing as a "moving reception", i guess. they had different stations with different hors d'oeuvres. they also didn't have enough tables for all of their around 300+ guests. their ceremony was also really late... 7pm ceremony (about a half hour) and then reception following. so everyone had pretty much eaten dinner before their ceremony so they kind of got away with this.

if you are having a regular dinner time reception... i would really recommend having a dinner. so either cut your guest list or find a new venue. :/

We are sort of in the same situation. Our venue gave us a max capacity but didn't tell us that it included having seating on the dance floor!! We absolutely do not want people sitting on the dance floor, half the celebration is dancing!

STDs haven't been sent but with large families its hard to really cut the list. Not sure what we are going to do but this is a great thread! We will most likely have lots of smaller tables but enough chairs for everyone along walls and in corners etc.