Cocktail Hour Seating

So, we're kinda out of ideas for this one. Our space for the cocktail hour is kind of boring, so we're looking for ways to jazz it up on the cheap, as well as add some seating for our guests.

Here's the space (sorry for being off-center):

The Whole view from the front of the building...


View from the door to the entry way...

So, not a lot of trees to hang lights or decorations off of... Just a big open circle patch of grass.

(1) Seating.
We are playing with the idea of using hay bales as seats. Check this out!

Photo from Snazzy Jazzy

Except we will be covering the whole thing with fabric. We'll use some egg crate material to pad it, then cover with some awesome fabric. Just a few of these will make an awesome impression.

(2) Music.
Since my uncle Terry's band Second Wind will be playing the cocktail hour, he's going to send me a list of equipment he needs and whether or not he will need power. I think we'll have to run an extension cord from the building if we do need power, but no biggie. We'll work through it.

(3) Decor.
I was going to see if our florist Amanda could do some extra yellow tissue paper balls and candle lanterns for this space. Since there aren't many trees, I was thinking we could tie strings between the few trees and hang things from that. Here's inspiration:

Photo from Wedding Decorator Blog
This one is a little cramped...those balls are huge, but you get the string idea.

Here are some other lights...

Photo from The Knot

It's a work in progress, but the ideas are coming together.