Planning a seating chart for your wedding reception can be pretty stressful. Between coordinating couples, keeping any disgruntled family members apart, and making sure everyone generally happy, seating charts involve a lot of moving parts.
To make your life a little easier, here are a few tips to help you figure out who sits where during your wedding.
Plan a Formal Seating Chart
You may be tempted to let guests decide where they want to sit once they arrive at your reception, but that’s not the best move. Having to figure out their own seating location can cause guests to feel anxious and can take up a lot of time at the beginning of your reception. Giving them an exact table to sit at can help things move smoothly.
The Wedding Table
If you decide to have a head table, traditionally, the maid of honor and best man sit with you. If there is more room at the table, you can seat your wedding party there. If not, they can be seated together at another table.
Family Tables
Usually, parents of the happy couple will sit together at one table, along with grandparents, your officiant (if they attend the reception) and very close friends. If any parents are divorced, they can sit at a separate table with other family members — that can help avoid any awkwardness.
Friends Tables
Before you get tempted to mix up your friends so they can easily meet other people, take a pause. Most people feel more comfortable at weddings when they’re seated with familiar faces. It’s often best to seat attending friends with people they know and allow them to mingle with other guests later on the dance floor.
Kid’s Tables
If you have a good number of children attending your wedding reception, it’s often best to seat them all together at a designated kid’s table. However, if you only have a handful of children attending, you should seat then with mom and dad.
Singles Tables
Not everyone will have a date, so it’s important to place your single and stag guests appropriately. While you can use your seating chart to play matchmaker, you also shouldn’t have a table of just single people since this can be a bit embarrassing. Mix and match these guests using your best judgment.
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