How did you structure your outdoor cocktail hour layout to keep guests comfortable during transitional weather shifts?

How did you structure your outdoor cocktail hour layout to keep guests comfortable during transitional weather shifts? We had exactly your situation — October, 68 degrees at 4 PM, 54 and breezy by 6. Here is the layout that worked:

• Zoned seating: half the tables in open sun, half under a sail tent, so guests self-sorted as the temperature dropped.
• Heat lamps at the edges, not the center: people drift toward warmth naturally, and perimeter lamps kept the layout from looking like a campsite.
• A blanket basket by the bar: $80 at a wholesale store, and it was the most complimented detail of the night.
• Bar and food stations under cover: guests will stand in the cold for a drink, but the bartender should not have to.
• A weather call deadline: we decided tent-sides-on vs. sides-off at 1 PM with the coordinator, not during the event.

Plan for the cold version of the day and let the warm version be a bonus.