How to plan your wedding seating
Do your seating plan once you have almost all the RSVPs, not before. Group guests by who they know (family, friends from each stage of life, colleagues), make sure everyone sits with at least one person they know, and put the keenest dancers near the dance floor. When you're done, give the caterer a sheet per table with menu choices and allergies.
When to start
Start too early and every new reply will have you redoing tables. The practical approach is to sketch the groups while the RSVPs come in and finish the plan as soon as the deadline passes.
Ask the venue or caterer first which tables they have (round or long, and how many seats) and what the room is like: the plan depends on it.
How to group your guests
There's no single rule, but these ideas work at almost every wedding:
- Start with the obvious groups: each family, friends from each stage of life, colleagues.
- Nobody should sit at a table where they know no one.
- Discreetly separate anyone you know doesn't get on.
- Older guests away from the speakers and close to the toilets and the exit.
- The keenest dancers near the dance floor.
The couple's table
You can have a top table with parents and witnesses, a sweetheart table for the two of you, or sit with your friends. Choose what feels comfortable: there's no right answer.
Children, babies and allergies
If there are several children, a children's table near their parents usually works well. Babies don't take a seat but need a high chair: count them separately.
Keep track of who has allergies or a special menu, so the caterer knows exactly what to serve at each table.
For the caterer and for guests
The caterer will need to know who sits at each table, each person's menu and any allergies. A sheet per table avoids mistakes on the day.
For guests, a list at the entrance or each guest's table on the wedding website saves queues to find their name.