Jewelry Care 101: Keeping Your Treasures Shining
GUEST POLITICS: 17 TIPS TO HELP YOU SEAT YOUR GUESTS LIKE A PRO!
Photography by Sarah Eubanks Photography ( See the full wedding here)
After pouring over the results of our recent survey it soon became pretty clear that lots of you were worrying about your seating plan. So we thought we would give you helping hand and put together the ultimate list of tips to help you seat your wedding guests.
1. Start by organising your guests into groups i.e. Family, Friends, School friends, Uni mates, Work colleagues etc.
2. It’s ok to seat your single guests with other singletons but don’t dedicate an entire table to playing matchmaker, it will look obvious and your guests won’t thank you for it. To avoid any embarrassment place them on a table with other couples and one or two more outgoing mates to diffuse any awkward situations.
Photography by VeroLuce Photography (See the full wedding here)
3. If you are worried about it getting weird, include things for your guests to do at their table to break the ice. Games, quizzes about the couple and mad libs are fun ideas and will act as a great conversation starter.
4. If you are having a traditional head table don’t be forced into thinking you have to seat your bridal party in the traditional way, unless of course you want to. If you would rather be sat with all your bridesmaids and groomsmen, then ask your mum and dad to host their own tables, so that they still feel like an important part of the day.
Photography by Six Hearts Photography (See the full wedding here)
5. Alternatively, if you would prefer to sit on your own, ask your bridal party to host their own tables too!
6. Traditionally, parents sit at the head table but what if your parents or your spouse’s parents have split? If this makes you or your parents feel a little uneasy, this would be a good time to ask your parents to host their own separate tables of close family & friends.
Photography by Babb Photo (See the full wedding here)
7. Seating divorcees is always a sensitive one but don’t be afraid to speak to them about the arrangements. especially if it’s your parents. They will be more than happy to put your mind at rest and if all else fails just place them at opposite sides of the room.
8. Seating family/ friends that don’t get along can also be tricky! It’s easy to take the view that ‘for just one day, that can get along’, but trust us, if they have harboured years of tension, a few drinks could be all it takes for tempers to erupt, so play it safe and try to seat them as far away from one another as possible. Not only will they appreciate it but you will too, we promise!
Photography by Carly Bevan Photography (See the full wedding here)
9. If you have a very large group of friends that won’t all fit on one table split them into two tables and fill in any gaps with new faces, taking into account age and interests. Whatever you do, don’t leave just one member of the gang out, instead make sure they are sat with at least one other member of their friendship group, to avoid anyone feeling like an outcast.
10. Seating children can sometimes be difficult. If children are too young to eat by themselves or if you are only inviting one or two, then the most obvious thing would be to seat them with their parents. However if you are inviting a few kids, all old enough to entertain themselves, sit them at their own kiddies table with some games and colouring books to keep them happy!
Just don’t forget to nominate someone to keep an eye on them!
Photography by Carly Bevan Photography (See the full wedding here)
11. You could skip the seating plan altogether if you’re feeling brave and ask the guests to seat themselves on the day.
12. If you do decide to do away with the seating plan, consider having a cocktail party style reception, where guests can mix and mingle rather than sit down for a formal meal.
Photography by Audrey Cutler Photography (See the full wedding here)
13. Always remember to keep in mind older guests too. For these guests, seating may well be a necessity so make sure a chair is available. You might also want to consider seating for pregnant guests making sure that they have somewhere to sit when they need to rest.
14. Don’t forget to take into account ease of access to rest rooms, especially for those guests that are older, pregnant or need wheelchair access.
Photography by Carly Bevan Photography (See the full wedding here)
15. Don’t stress about it too much. Sure you might need to put some thought into it but if your table plan is keeping you up at night, it’s time to take a step back. Remember your guests really won’t be seated for that long so don’t worry about placing them in perfect groups. They will have the rest of the day to hang out with whoever they want.
16. If you want to make things a little easier on yourself why not assign tables and let your guests seat themselves. This will be much easier on you if all you are struggling with is who wants to sit next to who?
17. Start your table plan early! So many couples leave this until the last minute but the earlier you do it, the less stressful it will be!
We have loads more helpful posts here so if you are planning a wedding and need some advice or inspiration be sure to check it out!
