When it comes to creating a seating plan for your wedding, you may be wondering if there are dos’ and don’ts. The answer is, yes there are, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be a daunting task.
Follow these 5 simple steps to creating your wedding table plan and you can’t go far wrong!
1. Decide Who Will Sit on the Top Table
First things first you should decide who will have the honour of sitting on the top table. Traditionally this would be the newlyweds, both sets of parents, the best man, and the chief bridesmaid. But we live in an untraditional world now and in times like this, that can be a blessing! With circumstances like split parents and new partners it can sometimes be easier to opt for a small top table with just the bride and groom. And that is ok! Check with your venue what top table options are available to you and go from there.
2. Figure Out How Many Other Tables You Need
Now that you know who will be sitting on the top table, you can figure out how many seats you will need on the other tables. Ask your venue how many people can be seated comfortably around each able and then calculate how many tables you will need.
3. Organise Your Guests into Groups
Now this is the more time-consuming part. Start to separate your guests into groups. For example ‘the Bride’s work friends’ and ‘the Smith family’ You will likely have more groups than you have tables, but that’s ok because you can now match groups together based on the numbers and also who you feel will get on well. You will most probably have to do a bit of shuffling around until you find the perfect table groups.
4. Put Your Closest, Closest
Once you have all of the groups solidified, you can then decide which table each group should sit at. The people sitting closest to the top table will have the best view of the top table and possibly be close enough to communicate with you throughout the wedding breakfast. This is why we always advise that you put the most important people in your life on the closest tables. You should also put groups with children on tables around the edge of the room so that parents can take them to the toilet without disruption.
5. Assign Specific Seats
You might think that assigning specific seats within each table is not that important, but I’m afraid it is. So your planning duties are not over just yet! Some people are unfortunately going to have to be facing away from the top table. You should consider ensuring that the most important people to you are facing the top table and also consider having elderly people facing the top table so that they don’t have to twist and turn during the speeches. Again, consider putting children closest to the edge of the room.
So there you have it. Hopefully our 5 simple steps have made creating your wedding seating plan much less daunting!
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