There’s a lot to plan when it comes to your big day. Unfortunately, figuring out who sits where at your wedding reception can be one of the most time-consuming tasks. Wedding seating etiquette spells out where each person in the party should be, but there’s a lot of room for flexibility. Use these tips and sample reception seating guides to make the day go smoothly.
Wedding Reception Seating Etiquette
Most venues that offer weddings adhere to the standard etiquette of having a head table along with tables for family and guests. Before you even start thinking about your seating arrangements, ask for info on the table capacities and layout. This will give you an idea of what the best seating will look like for your party size.
Head Table Seating
The newlyweds should be seated at the center of the head table, with their attendants flanking them. Some couples include the ushers in the wedding party table seating, while others choose to reserve a table near the front of the reception for them. Flower carriers and ring bearers usually sit with their parents.
Family and Honored Guest Seating
Even if the couple is not assigning seating for the entire guest list, they usually reserve several tables at the front of the reception hall for their families and other important people who helped with wedding preparations. The actual seating arrangements will vary depending on the couple's particular family situation, size of the reception tables, the table layout at the reception, and their personal preferences. However, these general tips can apply to creating this seating arrangement:
- Parents and the ceremony officiant should be seated in front of the couple.
- If there is room at the parents' table, seat all grandparents there. Otherwise, seat grandparents near the wedding couple at the next tables over.
- If the dance floor happens to be in front of the head table, the couples' parents and grandparents together are traditionally seated to the right or left nearest their family member.
- Close relatives and honored guests and their families should be seated at the front of the wedding reception.
- Spouses, children, and significant others of the wedding party should have reserved seating at the front of the reception, as well.
- The officiant can be seated at whatever table the couple feels they would be most comfortable.
Create your own seating arrangement by using blank seating charts. Download the following ones and write in everyone's name for each table. This way, you don't have to worry about seating arrangements when you decorate for the reception.
Wedding Seating Arrangements for Guests
What about everyone else? There are several options when it comes to where your guests should sit at the reception.
Specific Seating Assignments
To create a specific seating assignment for guests, couples will usually consider who gets along and who doesn't and which guests have things in common. This helps foster conversation and makes guests feel at ease. Guests will pick up table assignments at the favor or gift table and then find their names near their place settings at their assigned table.
These are often put in wedding favor frames and set next to the table setting. Figuring out where everyone sits can be difficult, especially when couples have large guest lists. However, it can be ideal for couples who have smaller guest lists or those who want to have a more formal reception.
Having a "singles" table can be a little uncomfortable, so don't be afraid to mix singles with couples when creating your seating arrangements.
Table Assignments
Rather than figure out who sits next to whom at a wedding, couples will often put certain people together and assign them a table name or number. This allows guests to choose their actual seat at a table but allows the couple to keep feuding relatives apart or group those with similar interests together.
Guests usually look for their name on a place card on the guest book or favor table and then find the table on the reception floor. In both the specific seating assignments and in table assignments, those who are closest to the couple, like their bosses and close relatives, should be closer to the front of the reception.
Get creative with fun table names inspired by places you and your partner have traveled, novels you love, or whatever else resonates with you.
No Assignments
Not every couple chooses to assign seats or tables to their guests. Instead, they may reserve several tables near the front for close family and special guests and then allow other guests the freedom to choose their own reception seats. This eliminates a lot of stress for the couple while allowing their guests the ability to choose who to sit near.
Possible downsides to this route are that if you have guests who don't know many others, it may be uncomfortable for them to find a seat, and close friends without a reserved table may end up in the back of the banquet room or reception hall.
Honor All Your Guests
You want your wedding to be perfect, but try not to spend too much energy worrying about your wedding seating. Whether you decide to do reserved seats or tables at your reception, your guests will still have the opportunity to mingle and spend time with each other throughout the event. And you'll get to greet and show gratitude for each of them, regardless of where they're sitting.
