How to arrange tables for a wedding reception

Before deciding on the layout of your reception, first to consider is the size and shape of tables. Each table shape has advantages and disadvantages. The decision of circular, rectangular, oval, long-rectangle, or small-square tables will depend entirely on the venue and the general style of the preferred table arrangements. These are considerations that are important to keep in mind for your banquet table seating guide.

The next decision is whether you want to be in a head table setup with your chosen close family and wedding party or separately in a sweetheart table setup with just the bride and groom. If you opt for the latter, the family and wedding entourage tables will preferably be set up closer to you. These tables typically have special decorations different to guests to emphasize their importance. Either way, the most important thing to remember is that the newlyweds should be facing the guests.

When deciding on the layout of the reception festivities, also consider the grand entrance as newlyweds, cutting the wedding cake, the first dance, and wedding toasts. Arrange tables to make enough space for all this to be possible and visible. Your dining table seating guide is crucial to help your guests enjoy their shared meals and the wedding reception in general.

Other things to take into account are miscellaneous factors such as a DJ or a live band, a dessert table, an open bar, a photo booth, and other things that you might want to include in your wedding. When planning your layout, keep in mind that these will also need their own space. Ideally, these must be spread out across the venue to avoid crowding obscuring pathways.

How to seat guests at a Wedding Reception

Seating your guests will be the hardest part of creating your wedding’s table seating guide. To make it less stressful, start with immediate family and closest friends. You can branch out from there.

Parents will typically sit together in one table which is the closest to the newlyweds. In the case of complicated family situations, they can be put on opposite sides of the table or at separate tables.

After the parent’s and immediate family are sorted, the nearest table to the newlyweds would be the wedding entourage. Bridesmaids and groomsmen can sit in one table. Or they can sit separately depending on the arrangement of tables and the number of people that fit in one table.

You can opt to seat your guests by groups – your work friends, high school friends, college friends, and extended family. You can also opt for a mix of these groups for all of them to get a chance to get to know each other.

Basic Etiquette for Wedding Reception Seating

Considering the diversity of the people on your guest list, it’s important to be considerate of where you place them. You can group them by how you know them – school, work, extended family, etc. Or you can mix it up and decide who you think could get along well with who.

Traditionally, the groom will sit to the right side of the bride. The best man will sit on the left side of the bride. Meanwhile, the maid of honor sits to the right of the groom. All other special guests are seated near the couple depending on how large the table is.

It’s also important to keep in mind a few considerations. Make sure you don’t place people who may have conflict next to each other to avoid possible drama. Also consider the accessibility of guests who might need it. Elderly or persons with disabilities may need extra accommodations to ensure they have a fun time.

Additionally, if children are allowed at the reception, a Kids’ Table is a good idea to keep them in one place. This will occupy them while the function is happening. Ideally this table is near to their parents or their line of view.

If you don’t want to have to go through the trouble of placing each guest in a specific seat, you can opt for assigned tables instead. Guests will have the option to sit where they want in a table assigned to them. This way, you don’t have to painstakingly decide the placement of each guest but they won’t be in chaos trying to look for a seat.

Coming up with the Best Table Seating Guide

Your wedding day is a milestone worthy of celebrating with all your dearest family and friends. Coming up with a proper table seating guide will help make your big day go off without a hitch.

This article gives the basics of how to achieve the best seating arrangement for your wedding guests, how to properly seat your guests to give them all a good time, and the basic etiquette for every wedding reception seating. You can even opt to create a wedding reception seating chart for easier planning.

For other wedding matters, you can also opt for other wedding planning tools online. There are many online resources to help you plan your wedding.

Once your seating arrangements are ironed out, you can get on with planning your wedding reception decoration to give your guests a dining experience in style. Get high-quality linens at affordable prices by ordering wholesale tablecloths, chair covers, and other wedding decorations.

Keep these guidelines to help you navigate the tricky task of creating the perfect wedding seating arrangement. Following these tips in planning your table-seating, you’re sure to give your guests the time of their lives at your wedding reception.