What is a Room Flip?
In the wedding industry, a room flip describes a singular event space where your ceremony and reception both occur. It consists of repurposing ceremony seating around tables while guests are attending cocktail hour (often just steps away).
Room flips have been taking center stage in the wedding day itinerary since 2020. As you may have guessed, the pandemic led to more and more couples seeking out smaller wedding venues to accommodate their smaller guest counts, which drove the need to make a small space multi-functional. Room flips allowed for a more budget-friendly approach to a wedding day and more intimacy with guests. Room flips can still be viable options for couples who are looking to do something a little different with their wedding planning, however there’s some things to consider when implementing this in your own wedding day.
Pros of A Room FLip
The biggest pro that trickles down to all aspects of a wedding day is cost. When your venue is smaller, you naturally have less cost associated with one of your biggest ticket items in your wedding budget. Repurposing chairs can mean less rental fees, and floral – such as your arch and aisle decor – can also be reused as centerpieces or backdrops for the sweetheart table or even a photo booth. This can also be a good method of design if you have older guests who may not be able to walk long distances to and from multiple locations on a venue’s property. It’s important to keep in mind however that they may be asked to stand or move if they are in the way of the staff conducting the room flip. Ask your planner to have their tables already set up prior to the flip, or perhaps set aside some chairs for them in the meantime!
One last thing to consider is that your DJ may need multiple set ups if you have your ceremony mic’d in one space, and toasts and music happening in another. I can’t personally speak to if DJs charge for having multiple moves (I assume they would), but it absolutely would take time out of your event if they are shuffling gear back and forth between the ceremony and reception. With a room flip, you might save a little money on your DJ’s package and as a bonus you wouldn’t have any weird transition time without music or announcements.
Cons of A Room Flip
The main con that I see as a wedding photographer when it comes to room flips is the overall feeling of chaos that overtakes the guests. Often times there is no where for people to mull about during a room flip, and staff can be seen weaving between guests with tables and linens and centerpieces. This is not relaxing for guests and impacts the mingling spirit that usually happens during cocktail hour. The best solution to this is if there’s a patio or a bar space separate from the main room where guests can get a beverage and queue while the tables are moved and family portraits are taken. In some situations the venue has a lobby bar that they will funnel guests to while the flip is taking place.
Speaking of family portraits, these typically happen directly after the ceremony and at the altar or arch space where the ceremony was held. It’s common for this arch to be moved to the sweetheart table during a room flip (as mentioned above), which can effect the photographer’s timeline as well as their backdrop if staff moves it at the wrong time. The trick here is to have the first 25 minutes of the room flip focus on the back of the room, allowing for the front of the room to remain intact during the portrait time. This is easily organized with your planner or event team, however it’s super important to communicate this with them as well as your photographer so everyone is in the loop from the start.
Venues provide a few staff members on site during your wedding day to make sure everything goes well with your venue experience. If you are wanting a room flip, they may ask that you cover the fees associated with them having a larger staff for your day. This varies case by case of course, so it’s worth a chat to see who is going to be on site and what their duties include. For example, your bartending staff would not be able to help with a room flip because they are serving drinks during your cocktail hour! Your planner may be with your photographer calling out groupings, or working with the caterer to make sure dinner will be served on time. There will most likely need to be extra support staff specifically hired for your room flip’s success.
Is a Room Flip Right for You?
These are the most notable but also avoidable conflicts with having a room flip that I’ve come across in my many years of wedding photography. It’s a good idea to talk with your venue at your initial meeting before committing to a room flip to know exactly how they go about organizing guests, and if your guest count is a good fit for a room flip. Having too many guests will bring all of these cons to the top of your reception hour with a lot of grumbling from all parties involved. As you continue to plan your big day, know that your vendors are here to help! We’ve seen a lot of different events and can make recommendations tailored to your day so that it’s a huge success. As a photographer, this is something I encourage my couples to reach out to me for feedback on if they need some extra guidance. While I can’t draw up a play by play guide for your vendor team, I can definitely help iron out the big focus points that can effect your photography and give you pointers on how to organize the move. One way or another, I’ll make sure you have the tools to decide if a room flip is right for you!
