Take the Headache out of Seating Charts

All of the excitement of planning a wedding can make it seem like everything is easy. However, many brides realize this is not true once they have to start dealing with seating charts for their wedding. It can be hard to find a spot for each wedding guest that allows them to socialize with people they like while avoiding people they do not get along with. But the right seating chart will make your wedding reception a fun and happy event. If you are struggling to find a seating chart that meets all of your requirements, say goodbye to stress! These easy tips will make it fast and simple to plan the perfect seating arrangements for your special day.

The biggest mistake that most brides and grooms make when planning wedding seating charts is waiting far too long. Often, they start out thinking that they will just let everyone sit wherever they like. But then they realize that a seating chart is the only way to ensure that all of their guests get a good seat instead of ending up in confused clumps around the room. This can cause the bride and groom to spend the night before their wedding frantically making last minute seating changes instead of getting good beauty sleep. Therefore, you should start thinking about your wedding seating chart as soon as you decide on your reception venue.

You can use the size of your reception tables to get a rough idea of how your seating chart ought to look. Most wedding and event planners suggest putting eight or nine guests at a round 60 inch table and 10 or 11 guests at a round 72 inch table. Most square tables are well-suited to two or three guests on each side, and a rectangular table normally fits three to five people on each long edge. This will help you to determine how large the groups for your guests will be, and you can make sure that each person has enough room at their table.

A lot of couples start making everything too complicated by attempting to create the perfect seat for each guest. Typically, you do not need to assign an individual seat to each guest, you can just assign them to a table and let them figure out the seating within their group. This keeps the seating arrangements loose enough to give your guests some options while not allowing any unplanned conflicts or seating issues to arise.

The first step once you know how many groups you need to make is deciding where you want your immediate family to sit. You will need to make sure you have room for both of your parents to sit with each other, and you will probably need space for the dates or spouses of your wedding party members and siblings. Once immediate family is figured out, you can move on to finding the right spots for all of your friends and extended family members.

If you have no clue how you want your seating arrangement to look, the easiest thing to do is just keep your plan traditional. Normally, this results in the bride and groom sitting together at a head table with the members of their wedding party. Then there will be a table for your parents and siblings to sit together, and a table for your new spouse’s parents and siblings.

This is really one of the biggest reasons that seating plans are important for your wedding. A good seating plans keeps feuding relatives, friends that have recently broken up, or bickering siblings away from each other. Think about any potential arguments that could occur during your wedding and try to put possible instigators on opposite sides of the room from each other. If you avoid putting guests in tense situations, you are less likely to end up with your guests attempting to settle old scores and sidetracking your big day.

This might seem contradictory with the previous headline for each piece of advice about using a traditional seating arrangement, but it is still important. For example, you do not have to make your wedding party sit at the head table if you think your sister might like to sit with your parents while your friend sits with the rest of the people you knew in college. Do what works best for your individual friends and families instead of feeling like you have to use some traditional type of seating chart that does not meet your unique reception needs.

Your wedding is a union between your family and the groom’s family, so it is likely that not every single one of your guests will know each other. This can be the perfect opportunity to introduce your new husband’s best friend to the cousin that you know would be perfect for him. While you are planning seats, try to think about who each individual guest will get along with best. People with similar hobbies, jobs, or personalities can often spark up a conversation during the reception. Even if any new couples do not form after your wedding, you can make sure that people get to make new friends.