Outdoor Wedding
Reception Seating
Congratulations, you’re getting married!
Now that you have decided when and where your wedding reception is taking place, it’s time to think about seating your guests. When you rent a tent for your outdoor wedding, you are able to create your own ceremony and reception venues.
In a perfect world, you would have unlimited space, an unlimited budget, and the ability to invite as many guests as you like. Unfortunately, most of us don’t live in that world. Like a traditional banquet hall, a tent has limited space, but having a tent wedding provides you with the opportunity to select the tables and chairs being used for your wedding seating.
Seating Guidelines
What goes under the tent?
When you begin planning your guest seating arrangement, remember that there are other items that need to be under the tent as well. Buffet tables, the dance floor, the D.J. or band, bars or beverage stations, sweets tables, and your head table all need to have room under the tent. Place the big stuff first i.e. the dance floor, band, band riser, head table, and buffet tables, and only then work on placing your seating tables around them.
How many people to a table?
We always ask our customers “How man guests would you like to seat per table?” What was your answer? If you said 10, you are like most people. 10 is an easy number to work with on paper, but 10 doesn’t always work well with tables, guest comfort, and the space available.
48" Round Tables
48” round tables seat 6-8 guests and are great for areas where the larger tables won’t fit, and when mixed with long tables. 48” round tables are also perfect for family seating near the head table or to seat the bridge, groom, maid of honor, and best man.
60" Round Tables
The standard size seating table under a tent is a 60” round table. 60” round tables comfortably seat 8 guests, but you can seat as many as 10 per table. 60” round tables are easy to converse across and area easy to place in all tent sizes.
72" Round Tables
72” round tables allow you to seat 10-12 guests, but they have several disadvantages. It is difficult to have a conversation with someone sitting 6 feet away, and centerpieces need to be larger to fill the 4-foot area in the middle of the table. 72” round tables also create unusable areas in tents less that 60” wide.
6' Long Table
6’ long tables will seat 6-8 guests, but we do not recommend having guests sit on the ends. 6’ long tables are often set end to end in tents and other spaces that are less than 30” wide.
8' Long Table
If you prefer long tables, an 8’ long table will seat 8-10 guests. We discourage seating 10 guests at an 8’ long table because of the table legs. Long tables, when set end to end, can create a beautiful setting when mixed with small round tables.