How to seat your guests at your wedding
Figuring out where your guests at your wedding are going to sit is one of the biggest parts of your planning, get it wrong and you have some unhappy guests, get it right and you have barrels of laughter and a happy guest list! Would Uncle John be happy next to little Hollie? Here is a few suggestions to consider when planning your seating arrangements…
1 – Assign people to the tables – This is a very sensitive one, well if guests expect to be sat near to the top table as possible that is, it’s all about hierarchy, the less you know about someone the further away you put them right? And the more one means to you the closer to your company they are, “No one puts baby in the corner”… There’s always going to be someone not happy where they’re sat, it’s not a school dinner hall, it’s a formal wedding… It’s for the duration of 2 hours, that is all, don’t think about it too much, they are adults remember.
2 – Name the tables instead – Rather than numbering the tables, a clear sign of how much you hold your guests at your wedding dear to you, why not name the tables instead. So you’re a lover of animals, name them after your favorite animals, having an independent wedding or a bonfire day wedding? Why not address your tables after the names of fireworks? That way your guests won’t feel disappointed when they thought they meant more to you than the kids table.
3 – consider seating people who are similar together – To completely mix the tables up try keeping it fresh and interesting, split everyone up, obviously keep partners and couples together but place them on a table with people they don’t know, that way conversation is new, varied and lively, not to mention they could then become friends themselves or why not try and set your single friend up with another by seating them next to each other. Also, consider seating the elderly and those with lack of dance moves away from the dance floor and place the young and eager to show off their dance move types nearer to the floor.
4 – show your appreciation for your guests – Why not show how much you appreciate your guests at your wedding and why you invited them by showering them with little table gifts, mini cupcakes or chocolates, who doesn’t like chocolate? Bubbles on the table is also a good one for guest interaction. Behind each of their place names why not write a small personalized thank you message, you’ll be sure to not hear of how the soup was cold or how slow the ceremony was through the rest of day… I promise you!
5 – Keep the children busy – I’ve seen it many times, the speeches are well underway and a kid runs around wild or shouting and crying and the parent is frantically and embarrassingly trying to quieten them down while onlookers frown. Why not keep them busy by supplying them with a coloring pad and pencils or puzzles while the innuendo and adult jokes fly well over their heads, allowing your guests at your wedding to enjoy too resulting in a peaceful and humorous speech.
