How Do We Arrange Seating For A Cocktail Wedding Reception? – Ask The Expert Answer
Question from Annette:
We are having a 7pm church ceremony arriving at the reception hall about 8:30pm. Dancing will likely start about 10pm. Food will be passed around by servers as well as some displayed on a table for self-serve. Drinks will be served all evening. We were planning on having 6 or 7 round tables with chairs interspersed with several cabana tables. Do you have any suggestions for a reception without a sit-down dinner in terms of seating arrangements and table decorations? We hadn’t planned on having assigned seating as we were hoping people would mingle and then find a spot to sit when tired.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Answer from Bridal Expert Angela:
Hi Annette, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding. You don’t say how many people you have attending. The guideline is that there is seating for 50% to 60% of your guests at a cocktail reception. If it is an older crowd, that percentage goes up to 70% – 80%. Your reception site can give you guidance on where and how to set up tables.
As for seating arrangements, you don’t have that at a cocktail reception as there aren’t enough seats for everyone. Saying that, if you have grandparents, or other relatives that will need to sit, or use a cane, or walker, etc., I would reserve tables for them. Taking care of your guests’ comfort is of utmost importance in terms of etiquette.
Table decorations can be simple or elaborate, depending upon your overall theme or style. Your reception site might even be able to provide simple centrepieces at no extra cost. Or you can check out this video on wedding table centrepieces to get some ideas.
Your wedding plans sound very nice. People will definitely mingle and will be more inclined to dance since they are already up. Cocktail receptions are usually simple affairs, so you don’t need elaborate decoration—but you can have it if you want to. If you want to know more about what works for your wedding site, talk to the people at the reception site. They will be a wealth of information since they have seen hundreds, if not thousands of events in there location.
Good luck and enjoy!
Angela Fiebelkorn, Ask The Expert
