Whoever is shucking gets the first table.
At a Bluffton oyster roast, trying to deal cards where someone has just set down an oyster knife is a quick route to an interesting insurance claim. Give me a separate dry table near the conversation. Guests can eat a round, wipe their hands, and come over for a bar bet while the next batch is getting ready. No alcohol or actual betting required.
Leave the May River on its own schedule.
If some friends are meeting at Calhoun Street Dock on the May River, tell them the magic is at the house or reserved room afterward. That gives the group ashore something to enjoy without making anyone check the time mid-outing. For a wedding welcome night, introduce me to whoever is calling the first toast; I’ll have the last guest back with a drink in hand before the glasses go up.
If the weather sends the gathering indoors, choose a corner with room for two chairs across from me. Ask the host what part of the room stays clear of steaming trays. I can misdirect a guest pretty reliably; it’s the person carrying hot shellfish whose attention I prefer not to disturb.