A wedding seating chart is one of the most important wedding tasks. This is in line with the wedding and engagement party etiquette for guests that support orders. Seating charts for weddings add aesthetic beauty to the venue while giving the guests comfort. Moreover, creating a seating formation gives a clear guest count. And this helps you prepare a budget for feeding and the right venue.
It could be a bit difficult to set up wedding seating plans, but not to worry. To make your job easier, we’ve outlined 8 ultimate wedding seating plans.
1. Choose your shapes
Before anything, you must choose a table shape that suits your venue vision. As a general rule, there are four standard table shapes suitable for weddings. They include rectangular, square, oval, and round tables. Oval tables are more aesthetically pleasing for larger venues with small guests. Triangular tables will seat more guests in smaller venues. Round tables give more leg-room and easy mingling. Square tables seat less but allow for leg space. So choose a shape that suits your venue, decor, and tastes to get started.
2. Consider the venue
When setting guests up at tables, consider how the venue is built. Where are the speakers, stage, and entrance? This will help you know where to put certain people. For instance, you want to keep the elderly away from the speakers because of their sensitive ears. The same goes for kids. Also, guests needing assistance to move are better fixed close to the entrance for easy exit. If there’s an entrance close to the stage, even better, so they don’t miss out on the fun.
3. Observe hierarchy
This is a very important part of creating your seating chart. As a rule, the love seats for you and your spouse come first. You’re the center of attraction after all. Next comes the seats for your family (parents/close relatives) and wedding party. The next set of seats are for your closest friends, their plus-ones, and VIPs. You want to be cocooned in the love of your real ones before anyone else. If you’re dealing with divorced parents who are hostile to each other, separate the tables but keep them on the same line.
4. Get the parents involved
When it comes to seating their guests, the parents know best. Get them involved in the seating chart process, seeking where to put their guests. However, cross off the first three best rows because they’re for your dearest. The only exception is if the guests are VIPs that you personally recognize. If that isn’t the case, the fourth-best seats down are free for the parents to pick from.
5. Known your guests
Knowing your guests will play a huge role in seating them appropriately. You must consider how long you’ve known them and where you met them. Also, their backgrounds, interests, outlook, and social preferences. Lastly, you must be sure of who they get along with the best before putting them at tables. The idea is to make sure they enjoy themselves at your wedding. You wouldn’t want them bored to death or fights breaking out at a table.
6. Prioritize the kids
Kids are an exciting bunch but a handful. And while the parents love their children to bits, they also came to unwind, so help them. Make the kids feel important by assigning them separate tables if they’re many. However, ensure that there’s a minder to monitor them if they’re below the age of ten. Equip their tables with games and crafts so that there busy. But be sure to keep the tables within eye distance from their parents. The attention span for children is quite short and if they can’t see their parents after a short while, they panic. Alternatively, if they’re less than five children at your wedding, sit them with their parents.
7. Encourage mingling but be sensitive
Encourage your guests to mingle by seating them in a mixed-up manner. This is your opportunity to match make. Who knows, they may include your wedding in their love story. However, be very sensitive by not creating a singles-only table. Also, do not make it a married affair with a single person dropped in the middle. This may make the guest feel left out or slighted.
8. Automate your seating chart
An automated seating chart will give you a bird’ eye view of how the venue looks. Congested, easy on the eyes, awkward looking, or just perfect? These are what can help you nail your decisions. So, look up sites and apps that let you customize your seating chart to suit diverse venue shapes and sizes. You can shuffle seats or drag and drop them to your heart’s content.
The ultimate wedding seating chart is orderly, aesthetically pleasing, and gives the guests comfort. Apply these tips and achieve one of your wedding dreams.
