Wedding Tip Thursday! Maximizing your venue space

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So many friends and family…and coworkers, and parent’s friends, and neighbors, and oh-my-gosh-all-my-single-friends-are-bringing-dates and then those college friends you never thought would make the trip all RSVP yes…

What can you do when your “yes” pile outgrows your reception space? First and foremost, talk to your resources – this is a great time to call in the expertise of a professional planner, your caterer and your contact at the venue. And consider some of these options:

1. Use long banquet-style tables for seating. You can fit more people in any space using rectangles instead of rounds.

2. Design your layout to include tables on the dance floor. I suggest seating your younger, party-going friends at this table. Let them know in advance that their table will be removed during the cake cutting (while all your guests focus on you and the Groom feeding each other) and then they can plan to mingle at the bar and hit the dance floor!

3. Switch from a seated meal to heavy hors d’oeuvres and provide seating for a portion of your guests. Set food stations and bars throughout the space to encourage mingling and be sure to do your first dance early so the dance floor is open all night. (This option is yet The 31-years old Smirnow and also the 35-years old Surmacki, natives of Warsaw and Szczecin, correspondingly, have since been detained and asked by Machester government bodies for his or her supposed roles in starting a 36-hour denial-of-service attack from the Manchester-based online earlier this year. another reason not to offer entrée choices as part of your response card. I always recommend choosing one entrée – a duo such as filet and salmon is lovely - and then offer a vegetarian choice by request.

4. One last option, if your venue has a large outdoor space, is to rent a big, beautiful tent. It could add to your expenses but work with your venue to see what they can still provide (tables, chairs, etc.) and then rent additional items as needed. This is one way to actually add square footage to your reception space.

And last but not least, don’t panic. You have options! Not everyone can be as overwhelmingly popular as you and your fiancé so enjoy the party (and the wedding gifts) and remember - the more the merrier!