How to create a stress-free seating plan

When making plans for a large wedding reception where guests will be assigned seating, it is important to know the ins and outs of seating chart etiquette including where the key members of the wedding party should be seated as well as how to make sure that couples do not get split up, that singles do not feel left out, and that children do not cause a disturbance to the gathering.

While assigned seating can seem like an almost medieval concept in this day and age, it does make things go more smoothly, especially if there are going to be large numbers of people in attendance; some of whom do not get along well with others.

When it comes to seating the bridal party (who should be at the natural “head” of the reception room so that everyone can see them) seating is traditionally boy/girl starting with the newlywed couple in the center, and the best man seated on the other side of the bride and the maid of honor on the groom’s side.  The attendants are then ranged down the table in the reverse order that they appeared in the wedding.  This table is almost always reserved for the attendants, and not the small children (such as ring bearers or flower girls) who should be seated with their parents.

The size of your seating arrangements for the rest of your guests will depend entirely on what sort of seating arrangements you have chosen.  One popular choice is to have round tables seating 6-8 people each ranged around the dance floor with the wedding party seated at the “top” of the dance floor at a rectangular table large enough to hold the entire party.  One half of the room is traditionally reserved for the tables for the groom’s guests, while the other half is reserved for the bride’s guests.

When deciding who sits at which table, keep in mind that the proper etiquette is that the immediate family of the bride and groom (mother, father, brothers, sisters and grandparents) sit the closest to the dance floor, with the next row of seating belonging to extended family such as cousins, aunts and uncles.  On the outside ring should be friends and acquaintances.  However, if there are small children in attendance, this seating plan can be adjusted so that families with small children are seated near the exits so that parents can make a quick escape should the child need to go to the bathroom or need to be taken out for some reason.

When it comes to the decision of who to place at which table, keep in mind that family groups and couples should always be kept together, then the blank spaces should be filled in with singles, preferably putting at least two singles per table so that they will not feel alone.  You can also arrange for all the singles to be put at tables together and couples at other tables, and families together as well.

Of course you will need to keep in mind that there will be certain family members, such as ex-wives or husbands, ex-girlfriends or boyfriends who will need to be seated apart from other people to avoid any unnecessary tensions.

As you can see, there are many things to think about when you are creating a seating arrangement for your wedding reception.  One of the best things that you can do is to make use of online websites and software that offer online seating charts to help make your task easier and less of a hassle, then you can print them out and plan for the place cards and table cards that will help your escorts to seat them in the right locations.

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