Guests….Please be Seated or Not!
Assigned vs. Unassigned seating at the wedding reception – opinions vary among today’s brides. Open seating allows guests to choose their seat, which works well with informal type and cocktail party type receptions. With assigned seating, guests can be assigned a seat or just a table, where they choose their seat at that table. A few guidelines will help the process of assigned seating.
This is something most couples and planners have to wait until the last minute to tackle…the dreaded seating chart. Begin working on the table layout and seating chart a few weeks prior to the wedding to allow for changes. Include those you believe will attend but have not yet responded.
Determine if you need just a seating chart or if you also need place cards at each seat. Some brides are finding creative ways to combine the two, say a table with glass Coke bottles that have a tag hung around the neck stating the guest’s name and table number; guests pick up their bottle as they enter the reception and place at their seat. Place cards can help guests to remember each other’s names.
Traditionally, close family and friends sit nearest to the bride and groom. Those generally seated together are: families, work friends, people of the same age (teenagers or the elderly), and groups of friends. For interest, mix the bride’s and groom’s friends at one table. Do not sit together divorced couples and/or feuding families.
Planning a seating chart should not be a stressful part of wedding planning. Ask for help from the mothers of the bride and groom and begin early to make the process simple and hassle free.
As seen in Premier Bride of Mississippi. Want a copy, visit www.premierbridems.com