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Samantha Gades on Unsplash
While a wedding seating chart is not mandatory,
it does make wedding planning a tad bit simpler. Not only does it ensure that
each table will be occupied to its maximum capacity, but you’ll also be able to
take note of where your guests are during the majority of your wedding reception. Moreover, this helps your hired wedding catering staff to keep tabs on where each group of
guests are seated. This helps avoid unnecessary confusion, especially after
you’ve painstakingly made an effort to customise the dish according to their
dietary restrictions of specific guests.
With that being said, deciding on your guests’
seating arrangements can be stressful and overwhelming – as with any part of
your wedding planning checklist. But
don’t fret just yet! We’ve gathered a few tips that could help ease the entire
process for you.
1. Decide on the Types of Tables to Use
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Thomas William on Unsplash
Before you jump straight into planning whom to
sit with whom, you’ll first need to decide what kind of tables you’ll want to
bring in. Pick a shape and size that can complement the layout of the wedding venue as well as accommodate all your guests.
When it comes to table shapes and reception
layout, there are four typical types: square, round, oval and rectangle. Each
of these options has its respective benefits. For instance, rectangle tables
generally can fit more guests whilst round tables offer your wedding guests
more legroom. Regardless of your choice, do keep in mind that functionality is
equally important as aesthetics.
2. Keep Your Family And Friends Close
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Alasdair Elmes on Unsplash
The head table consisting of your wedding entourage
is an excellent way to acknowledge both their roles and their efforts in
contributing to actualising your dream wedding. Alternatively, you can reserve
those seats for your parents, who are arguably the most important (and
probably, the most overjoyed) out of all the wedding guests.
Of course, this might be rather tricky if you’re
dealing with parents who have divorced under irreconcilable terms. If
situations are tense, you may want to consider seating them close to the head
table but at separate tables. This way, nobody will feel uncomfortable or left
out.
If you’re opting for a long rectangle table
setting, you can also seat them at the opposite ends so long as they’re out of
each other’s direct line of sight as much as possible.
3. Organise Guests According to Groups
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Once you’ve figured out who to invite to your
once-in-a-lifetime event, the next step would be to start grouping your wedding
guests according to how you know them. You could categorise them according to
family members, college friends, coworkers and the like. You don’t necessarily
need to abide according to these groups per se, but having a mental image will
allow you to get an idea of who knows who and how well they get along.
Besides that, you can also consider their ages,
backgrounds and interests. Afterwards, mixing familiar and new faces at every
table is also a great way to encourage mingling between different groups of
people.
That said, remember to be tactful! Avoid seating
those with a bad history together or seating those uncomfortable with
strangers. Be sensitive to such social cues and you should be good to go.
4. Convey Table Assignments Clearly
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Christina Victoria Craft on Unsplash
After figuring out all these minutiae, don’t let
it all go to waste by not clearly conveying the seating arrangement to your
guests. To avoid this, let your guests know by creating a digital or physical
seating chart.
You’ll want to ensure that the number of tables
and their dimensions on this chart matches the actual ones. If you’re opting
for table assignments, you can alphabetically arrange your guests’ names for
easier searching.
Alternatively, you can opt for place cards to
tell your guests where to sit. With the perfect balance of simplicity and
elegance, you can arrange these cards in various manners depending on the types
of tables and table settings you’re working with.
Pro Tip: As you pick out which approach works
best for your wedding, remember to choose an eligible typeface and font size
for these name displays so that it’s easier to read.
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Markus Winkler on Unsplash
If you’re still having a hard time figuring out
how best to arrange your guests, leave
it to the experts! At Blissful Brides, we have years of experience helping
couples realise the wedding they’ve always been dreaming of.
With our extensive resources and expansive
network of wedding vendors, we’ll be able to create a magical ceremony
that fits your preferences. Head down to our Blissful Brides Concierge or
simply fill up this form to get
the ball rolling!
