Tips on Guests Seating During Wedding Reception

In case you plan to simply have a buffet with 50 guests maximum, you can exclude seating the guests in the particular order. But if you are having the bigger amount of guests and a serving meal, then you will definitely need to have each guests sitting on his place during the wedding reception.

First of all, you will avoid the confusion among guests when being seated with unknown people. Also this will help in case you decide to serve different entrée choices since it is very easy for caterer and staff to be confused. Our useful tips will help you seat your guests properly.

How to seat the wedding guests at the reception

Act beforehand
Make sure to handle the seating issue at least a week before the wedding day takes place. You don’t want to spend the wedding morning figuring where to place the groom’s colleagues since there are a lot of more important things to do. Though it is still ok to introduce the corrections during the last minute.
Categorize your guests
The first step to the proper seating arrangement is dividing your guests by the categories: bride’s family, groom’s family, bride’s friends, groom’s friends, etc. This will help you to effortlessly arrange the list and allocate tables among them.

Paper plan
In case you feel more comfortable using the old-fashioned methods instead of the computer programs, you may draw the circles that would symbolize tables on the sheets of paper and put the guests’ names inside them or simply write the name of each guest on the post-it to place.

Head table
Traditionally, the head table has the shape of rectangle, rather than round. It is usually situated along the wall and faces the rest of the tables. In case you plan to have the large wedding reception, you may want to have the two tiers. The bride and the groom sit right in the middle of the table, so that they could be observed from every angle. Maid of honor and best man sit by the groom and bride accordingly. Then go the boy or girl out from there.

Flower girls and rings bearers typically sit with their parents at other tables, which is a great relief from maid of honor and best man. So, you may either go the traditional way or arrange the head table just for you two.

Seating your parents
As a rule, bride’s and groom’s parents are supposed to sit at the same table next to the grandparents, siblings that are not in the wedding party and the officiant with the couple in case he decides to attend your reception.

But there are cases when parents are divorced and find it uncomfortable sitting next to their exes, in this case you may set the distinct table for each of them and let them host their family members of friends.Another option is seating the divorced parents with their spouses or dates at the same table along with the still married ones.

Keep in mind that there are no certain requirements for seating your parents, so it is up to you deciding where they should be placed. If you are still unsure in this regard, simply discuss it with your parents before coming up with the final decision.

Conflicting relatives
Also consider the fact that some of your relatives or friends just cannot get along because of the fight that took place 10 years ago. The key is keeping them as far from each other as possible.

Become a matchmaker
It is not necessarily seating the people from the same circle at the same table, especially in case if you and your fiancée attended the same college or school. You may seat his and your college friends together and I guarantee they will spend the nice time memorizing their college period. Moreover, it is a great opportunity to catch up with each other.

Besides, you can assist your single girl friends in finding their honey. Have your female friends seated with your groom’s buddies and who knows, maybe it will the starting point for the next wedding.