It’s time to figure out your seating chart!!! AGH!! Always a dreaded task of my clients. Here’s a great guide to all of the do’s and don’ts of putting together your seating layout.
Don't: Make your reception into a free-for-all.
Do: Arrange a seating chart for any guest list over 50, even if you think this is a drag. Even if you want a low-key, fluid vibe where guests aren't stuck in their chairs all night, guests will like knowing where to go immediately upon entering your reception area.
Directing guests to a specific table (or maybe even a specific place setting) makes them feel comfortable. No one wants to feel like they're jockeying over chairs like they're in a high school cafeteria all over again.
Do use your seating plan to introduce people with similar interests, backgrounds, etc. Try to make everyone feel comfortable by offering a mix of familiar and new faces at each table.
Don't: Get bogged down with spendy wedding planning software.
Do: Plan seating at your reception the old-fashioned way: write each persons name on 8-10 small post it notes. This will represent how many seats your tables can accommodate. Label paper plates with the table number and go to town sticking and resticking. Using post it notes gives you the freedom to move guests from one "table" to another easily as you go through your list. Or, if you really need a digital helper, try out a free seating chart tool online. Wedding Wire offers a great one.
Don't: Forget to consider complicated relationships.
Do: Let divorced parent head a separate table to keep the peace.
Don't: Sit people together who have a complicated past, clump all your single friends together at one table or, conversely, plop an unattached pal at a table full of marrieds. Avoid lumping together people who have zero in common, too.
Do: Do use your seating plan to introduce people with similar interests, backgrounds, etc. Try to make everyone feel comfortable by offering a mix of familiar and new faces at each table.
Don't: Sit discreetly at your wedding
Do: Sit in a spot where every guest gets a good look at the newlyweds. Whether you sit at a table all alone with your new hubby or at a larger table with attendants or family, sit so you're facing your guests.
Don't: Tackle hard seating questions by yourself.
Do: Enlist your wedding planner to help guide you when you're not sure of the best seating arrangements at certain tables. Also, let your parents give suggestions, for example, if you don't have a clue where to seat their friends who are attending.
Don't: Go blindly into making a seating chart
Do: Work off a copy of the floor plan at your reception's locale. This will help you position people wisely if there are unexpected pillars or walls on site. Ask your site coordinator to help you design the room in the way it best fits the venue and your needs. They may be able to complete the layout for you!
Don't: Play down how you tell guests where they'll sit.
Do: Make the presentation original, even splashy. Having a small reception? Make a large display or escort cards or even just a chart where table names and numbers are listed with place cards at each place setting. (Escort cards direct guests to their tables. Meanwhile, place cards are cards set up at each place setting if you're also doing assigned seats at each tables).
Remember to keep a few extra host cards on hand on your wedding day in case you need to make any last-minute changes.
So now that you’ve got a good start, grab a glass of wine and get to work on that seating chart! YOU CAN DO IT!!
Au Revoir for now!
