You want everyone to enjoy themselves at your wedding. One way to help ensure people have fun is to plan where everyone will sit. You need not assign people to an exact seat. However, it’s helpful to at least assign tables. The following tips will help you come up with a seating plan.
Start With the Head Table and Work Out From There
First, decide which guests you want to sit at the head table. Is it just you and your new spouse, or the whole wedding party? You’ll want the wedding party to sit nearby, and also close friends of you and your spouse. You’ll also want to seat close family members from each side near the head table.
Consider Your Guests’ Age and Interest in Dancing
People who will dance a lot won’t mind if they don’t sit at the best tables. However, sometimes it’s nice for older guests to sit near the action. Then they’ll be able to people watch. If you hire a band, seat younger people nearby, as the noise might bother older individuals more. Older people also appreciate being near the aisles or exits to make it easier for them to get out.
Vary Table Sizes and Shapes
Make the seating more interesting by mixing up the sizes and shapes of the tables. Different sizes and shapes of tables fit different numbers of people.
Don’t Be Afraid to Mix People From Different Groups
Think carefully about who may get along together. You can mix friends and family members at the same table. This works best if they have common interests. However, you may want to avoid mixing people with very strong but different political or religious views together.
Consider Using an App for Your Seating Plan
There are apps that allow you to filter guests into groups, making it easier to arrange them. Otherwise, you can color-code different groups of people to help organize them into tables.
Think About Who Already Knows Each Other
Seat people near each other who already know each other unless they don’t get along. However, you may want to avoid seating best friends next to each other. They might just talk to each other instead of including other guests.
Mix Introverts and Extroverts
Try to include at least one extroverted person at each table to help keep the conversation flowing. Each table should include a mix of personalities.