Take a Seat

Just the other day a friend told me about a bride who insisted on doing the seating chart herself without any input from her parents or future in-laws. Needless to say, the groom’s mom was not thrilled, and rightly so. Who knows if the bride realizes that she shouldn’t seat the groom’s grumpy Uncle Ed next to an aunt he’s not speaking with? My advice: Don’t try to handle this huge task alone and do seek assistance from your parents and in-laws. After all, they’ll know instinctively where to place certain people and your guests will be happier if they’re seated at a table to their liking.

From my own experience, I’ve always enjoyed my table mates at weddings except for one occasion when I was separated from all the people I knew and placed with couples I’d never met before (and I came to the wedding alone!). They were all very polite but since they knew one another they naturally conversed mostly amongst themselves. It was not as fun or as comfortable for me as it could have been and right after finishing the entrée I left to tablehop and spend time with my friends.

So, if you’re about to do your seating chart or even if it’s months away on your to-do list, here are some pointers:

• Do seat people together who have something in common (co-workers, college friends, book club, etc.)
• Don’t put older folks too close to the band, loud speakers or DJ, or too near the kitchen or any other busy area. The younger crowd won’t care as much since they’ll probably be out on the dance floor more.
• Do have a kids’ table if you’re going to invite quite a few. You can give them fun, inexpensive toys, favors, coloring books and crayons to keep them occupied and offer them a special kids’ menu (burgers, mac ‘n cheese, fries, etc.). Their parents will love this arrangement, too!
• Don’t sit a single guest with all couples (unless they’re really good friends) or put your single guests at one table. It’s always best to seat singles with people they know.

Good luck and don’t obsess over the seating chart too much. Even if you have to sit people together who don’t know one another that well, they’ll still have a good time and make some new friends.