Reception Seating Arrangements
By Jennifer (Zemko) Livingston

Many brides choose to devise a seating plan for their guests. This decision may be based on the need to separate families that do not get along due to a divorce, guaranteeing the best seats to immediate family and closest friends or playing match-maker with the singles. Whatever the bride's reason, the task is not very simple.

First the bride must have at least a general idea of how the tables will be arranged at her reception site as well as how many guests can fit at each table. Second, the bride has to have a definitive list of those who have sent an RSVP (which is a struggle for most brides). Once the bride has the final head count and a good floor plan, she should start by placing the parents and other important guests close to the head table.

Other important considerations include, but are not limited to: placing a younger crowd near the dance floor and speakers, keeping the singles together, separating any guests who do not get along, creating an easily accessible seat for handicapped individuals and seating the spouses or significant others of members of the bridal party together and near the head table.

After numerous revisions and rearranging the guests to create the best plan, the bride will have to develop a way to direct the guests to their proper table or seat. Round tables have an advantage in that guests won't have to be assigned a specific seat; whereas, a long banquet style table will require individual places to be designated.

Whichever the bride chooses or is required to use based on the limitations of the reception hall, the bride will need to identify each table. Most often, the tables are numbered; however, the bride may choose to identify different tables by themes, colors or flowers.

Near the guest book, the bride should have an alphabetical list of the guests. This list may simply be printed on paper or place cards may be organized with the appropriate table identified on the card. Displaying a floor plan of the tables may help the guests find their tables easier. Also, it may be beneficial to use a host and hostess at the door to greet the guests and direct them to their tables as well as the gift table.

Regardless of the time spent creating the plan, the guests will eventually move about and mingle with others that they know at different tables. Sometimes, too, guests will take the liberty of rearranging their seats. Formal sit-down dinners seem to work best with seating plans; whereas, a more informal buffet may work better without a strict plan.

An option for the bride may be to reserve the best tables for the immediate family and let the rest of the guests choose their own seats. Finally, before a bride becomes set on creating a strict plan she should realize that this will be a very time consuming and detail-oriented task that cannot be done too far in advance and may be too much for her to handle so close to the wedding.

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