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Please Be Seated: Creating A Seating Arrangement
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If you think creating a seating plan falls within that last-minute, throw-together category of a wedding, you are mistaken. A seating chart takes time and is important to enhancing your guests’ experience at the reception as well as your own. Follow our helpful advice on how to arrange a successful seating chart.


Head Table -
Having a head table and how it is arranged is up to you. Just remember that if you do decide to have a head table, it must be visible for all of your guests.
  • One style of head table arrangement is to seat parents, grandparents and close family with both of you. Your attendants would then be placed throughout the general seating area.

  • Another style of arrangement is to have your attendants sit with you while parents, grandparents and close relatives are seated at a table near yours.

  • Attendants can be arranged with bridesmaids on the bride’s side and groomsmen on the groom’s side or they can be seated mixed.

  • Having attendants’ significant others seated at the head table is an option. The most important thing is that the bride and groom and the head table are clearly seen by all the guests.

General Seating -
Consider how people communicate. Creating conversation and making your guests feel comfortable are your main priorities when creating a seating chart.
  • Seat people of similar ages next to each other. People of the same age group will have more in common.

  • Seat people with similar interests next to each other. (We hope guests will find things in common with each other, but having similar interests is helpful for good conversation.)

  • Allow divorced parents to host their own tables of family and friends if they are not comfortable sitting together.

  • Seat family members who live far from each other together so they can have some quality catch-up time.

  • Put dance lovers near the dance floor. Every wedding needs those first few dance-crazy friends or family members to get the party started.

  • Play match maker. This is your opportunity to nonchalantly match up those two people you’ve always thought would be great together.

  • Always seat even numbers at every table. People tend to pair up in conversation and no one wants to be left out.


Creating the chart -
can be a long and frustrating process. Here are some suggestions to make the experience a little easier.
  • A helpful preliminary step to creating a chart is to get a piece of tag board and draw the floor plan of your reception venue. Use sticky notes with guests’ names and place them wherever needed.


New Ideas -
are a great way to make your wedding enjoyable and unique. Consider the following creative options.
  • Split-em-up! If you would like to try something a little different at your reception, try splitting couples up into different tables. Leave a place card with an ice-breaking game or questions for the guests to get to know each other. This entertaining method of seating will help create a fun and friendly atmosphere for the rest of the evening.

  • For smaller weddings, you can create a well-designed seating chart to place on an easel outside of the reception area. If you decide to use place cards, you can order them personalized with monograms and order extra for thank you notes.

  • Name the tables instead of just numbering them. Use comments that are sentimental to you or places that you both love.

A well-planned seating arrangement can be crucial to a successful reception. Just remember to keep your guests in mind and make sure they are comfortable at your celebration.



by Shanna A. Zuelch