The Lay of the Land: 4 Major Points in Designing Your Wedding Reception
Regardless of the location, you are having your wedding reception, you will need to figure out a floor plan. From the tables to the stage, and, of course, the dance floor, all have a major impact on the ebb and flow of the event.
This is why you need to take into consideration a number of factors based on the place and what you want to achieve.
The Reception Layout
You need to remember that an amazing wedding reception will allow the guests to move around as freely as they want without feeling like caged hens.
A lot of people love to put their own personal touches to make it more accommodating, but it’s vital to remember that you don’t want your guests to weave in and out through numerous garlands or hanging lights.
While you may want something like a wedding neon sign in place, which can look amazing, you’ve got to focus on minimizing traffic to those essential areas like the bar, bathroom, and the dance floor.
Place the Stage and Dance Floor First
You’ve got to have the dimensions of the room to hand, but then you need to consider how big a dance floor you need for that space. A typical rule would be to have the number of guests and divide that in half, which would account for the number of people you would have on the dance floor at any one time.
But then if you want to find out how many square feet of dance floor you need, you multiply this number by 4.5. As very specific as this is, you can use this as a general rule of thumb. However, everybody is different, so if you know that your guests all want to shake their moneymaker, you may want to do away with these formulas and just try and make the dance floor as big as possible!
Sorting the Tables
The trick here is to decide what shape and size you need your tables, and then arrange them in a way that will not cause problems. You may want to choose a long king’s table for the newlyweds, but you will then need to decide if your guests are going to have a similar type of table and choose how many people are going to be able to fit on comfortably.
Once you’ve decided on the type of tables you’re using, you need to lay them out and make sure that the newlyweds are in a position where they face the guests.
The best approach is to arrange tables symmetrically. For example, they could form a U-shape around the dance floor, or you could place them along a long wall or fill one end of the space.
Set Up Cocktail Tables
If all the logistics are proving too complex, you’ve got to make sure you leave a little bit more room than you would think, especially if you want cocktail hour at the end of the night. There’s always a lot to consider when it comes to your amazing wedding venue, but as far as the wedding reception is concerned, you have to get the lay of the land.
