I'm struggling to decide whether to do seating at my wedding reception or not. I can think of pros and cons with each way. The biggest con is that it will be hell to determine who sits with who. Do you have any thoughts/suggestions? Please help.
2007-10-25 13:07:47 · 10 answers · asked by Why? 5 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
nephew's wedding... no seating... everyone still got around to seeing each other...
step daughter's wedding.... she struggled with the seating choices for a couple months... we didn't think it would work out well at all.... come the day.... folks sat down where their cards were... ate dinner there, and promptly moved to where they preferred to be.... a few tables that had been real problems to her turned out to be a mix of young and old that on the surface , didn't look good... but actually worked out very well....
personally, I don't think it's worth the hassle....I mean, she fussed over this to the point of tears, trying to get folks together that wouldn't kill each other.. ya know?....
it's your day, lady... do as you like.... but just don't let it make you crazy!...... congrats and good luck!!
2007-10-25 13:21:19 · answer #1 · answered by meanolmaw 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Of the 8 couples I know who had a wedding in the last two years all did seating charts. They were stressful and literally took each bride anywhere from a month to three months. One girl was even working on it up to the night before the wedding. I personally think it's a waste. While a lot of people think it makes guests mingle, to be realistic, guests won't mingle and after eating they'll find people they already know. My parents didn't do a seating chart and just let people sit where they wanted. Everyone was fine with that. My fiance and I are going to do the same thing. No one will be offended that you didn't sit them in a particular seat and if they are then they have the wrong focus when it comes to weddings. Save yourself the stress and just let people sit where they want.
2007-10-25 20:59:32 · answer #2 · answered by Rockit 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm going to give the other side of the picture...
My fiance and I went to a wedding where we literally only knew the bride and groom. There was no assigned seating, just "open seating". The people who knew each other immediately grouped together and when we would try to sit at a table, we would get "this seat is saved for somebody". We ended up sitting by ourselves at a table meant for 8 - it was not enjoyable. We ended up leaving directly after dinner.
So keep this in mind when making this decision - are all of your guests going to know each other or at least a few other people there? Could there possibly be people who are singled out?
You don't have to assign individual seats to people, you can just assign tables and then they can choose where they would like to sit at the table.
I think it's considerate to your guests to do some sort of delegated seating - it forgoes people milling around and trying to figure out where to sit, plus it gives you a chance to maybe put people together that you think would have common interest, but would never talk otherwise.
2007-10-26 02:20:27 · answer #3 · answered by Muhnkee 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
For one, you dont need the added stress... you have enough to worry about other than who will sit with who
Also, guests sometimes tend to feel confined if there is "assigned seating"... if its just open tables they feel more free to move around and mingle
It might be a good idea to have a "reserved" table for parents/grandparents, but the other tables could just be left open and available... people will sit where they feel most comfortable
You dont need the added stress and you dont want to take the chance of making any guests feel uncomfortable
Good luck!
2007-10-25 20:29:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
We did open seating as well. It was great because family members who hadn't seen each other since the last wedding (or funeral) got to eat together and chat. People felt free to move about and mingle and invite others to their table. I thought it worked out great.
2007-10-25 23:16:48 · answer #5 · answered by mysteryperson 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For my wedding I did a seating arrangement of sorts.
I had the head table with myself hubby 3 bridesmaids and 2 bestmen, Than had a table for my mum and her new family, a table with my dad and his family hubbys parentssister and grandparents, another table for hubbys aunty,uncle and cousins and finally a table for friends. Although they had specific tables to sit on they did not have specific seats, which made it easier for my point of view and everyone could sit next to who they wanted to, everyone enjoyed it, and it keeps stationary cost down!!!
2007-10-25 22:50:20 · answer #6 · answered by Andrews Mummy 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sit people together that know each other. OR sit people of the same age group together. I did this for my wedding, and it worked out great. I sat single people with other single people to meet and mingle.. Its really not as hard as you think it might be.
2007-10-26 07:05:47 · answer #7 · answered by MeL 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Seating plans are simply stupid. Have open seating, with tables reserved for family.
2007-10-26 11:26:15 · answer #8 · answered by Lydia 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I say let people sit where ever they want ... I hate assigned seating ... people always swap them anyway ... if you need to assign, keep family (adults) together and put the singles at one table (who knows ...) and keep immediate family close to yours ;)
2007-10-25 21:43:36 · answer #9 · answered by emnari 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
We let everyone figure it out for themselves, and it worked out perfectly.
2007-10-25 20:24:05 · answer #10 · answered by Nay nay 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋