The Seating Chart

Now that you’ve invited all the people, you need to know where you’re going to put them. Below are a few tips on how to seat guests at a reception.

• Divide your guest list into groups. Separate into co-workers, family, college friends, etc.
• Make a floor plan of your reception site (or ask someone at your reception site for one) that includes how many tables there are and how many guests each table seats.
• If you have a group that is larger than one table can accommodate, but too small for two tables, divide the group in half and place at tables next to each other. Fill in the extra space with people that don’t fit into any group.
• If you have a lot of unmatched guests, place people together whom you think would be compatible. Consider ages, interests and marital status of those you put together. Your widowed next-door neighbor would probably not appreciate sitting next to four newlyweds.
• If you are going to have some empty space, divide it among several different tables. It is better to have two groups of 8, than to have a group of 10 and a group of 6.
• Do not place feuding family members or friends near each other (unless you don’t have music and are looking for some free entertainment).
• Seat elderly and disabled guests away from the music speakers, especially if they don’t have the freedom to get up and move around during the reception.

Who Sits at the Head Table?

There are no real hard and fast etiquette rules governing who should sit at the head table. They are set up differently for various reasons (size of wedding party or family issues). The decision is really up to the bride and groom.

Here are a few things to consider:

• Sometimes, there is a very large wedding party and not enough room for the parents to sit at the head table. In this instance, the bride and groom and wedding party sit at the head table and the parents are seated at a separate table.
• Some couples choose to include the spouses of wedding party at the head table, others do not. Usually, it depends on the size of the wedding party.
• In the case of divorced parents where no one is “amicable”, they should definitely be seated at separate tables.
• If you have a large wedding party or are uncertain as to who should sit at the head table, think about creating a sweetheart table. This is generally a four-foot banquet table just for the bride and groom. You can have special service and linens and use your bouquet in a vase for the centerpiece.