Weddings… who sits where!? Read our Wedding Seating Plan Guide to help you make sense of it all…
Family, friends, and family friends: Where should they sit during your big moment? With parents, stepparents, divorced parents, grandparents, and extended family, all in attendance, you’ll need a plan. Here are our guidelines.
The ceremony
Taking Sides
Ushers needn’t ask guests whose “side” they are on. (In Christian ceremonies, the bride’s side is the left side of the church when looking from back to front, and the groom’s side is the right; for Jewish services, it’s the opposite.) But should someone express a preference for one side or the other (many guests will say they are friends or relatives of the bride or groom), they should be seated where they want to sit. If one side of the family will have more guests than the other, ushers should try to even things out, explaining that everyone will sit together so guests can get the best view possible.
Top table
Traditionally, the top table is the table at the head of the reception room where the newlyweds, their parents, the best man and the maid of honour sit facing the guests.
Many couples opt for a traditional top table layout but that doesn’t always work for everyone. It’s your day, so don’t think you need to stick with tradition. Feel free to arrange your guests in a way that suits you best! In the UK, the Bride and Groom traditionally sit in the middle with their respective parents and the Chief Bridesmaid and Best Man either side of them.
Wedding breakfast tables
Family Fortunes or Feuds
All families have a history, ensure you mix families accordingly, it is good to mix the families between the two couples together to share all those terrific stories from when you were younger – they may even had the odd photo of that hair cut on the summer of 2000.
Mix and Match
Mixing friends family and social groups should be encouraged take a look at our simple solution to bear in mind when creating a table plan:
Consider:
- Making last minute changes if guests fail to turn up
- Mix old school friends with work friends
- Mixing families between the newly wedded couple
Avoid:
- Putting one person on a table who knows no one
- Know your friends, people you think will clash it is best avoid it rather than test your assumption
- Imbalance, do not put a really old couple, with all your University mates.
