Implementing assigned seating at your wedding is a great way to reduce your guests’ stress, ensure every table is filled to maximum capacity, and allow everyone to feel comfortable and ready to have an amazing time. No one wants to walk around aimlessly, unsure who they should be sitting with, not wanting to step on anyone’s toes. Some wedding reception venues even require you to have assigned seating to make their staff’s job easier for plated dinner services and organizational purposes.
Here are a few tips to help you craft the perfect seating chart for your wedding!
Arrange Guests by Groups
Once your guest list is finalized, it’s time to organize everyone. Arranging people by groups of how you know them and how they know each other is a great place to start. If you invite a few work friends, it is best to sit them together, since they probably won’t know anyone else at the wedding. This doesn’t mean sitting them alone at a table in the corner, but ensuring they are all at the same table mixed with others, so at least they have some people they know and can easily converse with.
The goal is to make everyone feel comfortable with a mixture of new and familiar faces. It’s also important to be aware of hostilities or people who have a negative history with each other. Avoid sitting these people together to ensure there is no unwanted drama on your special day.
Enlist the Help of Your Close Family
Often, especially if you are having a larger wedding, there are bound to be people on your guest list that you don’t know extremely well. Whether it be friends of your parents, relatives from out of town, or people you simply haven’t seen in years, it’s helpful to enlist the assistance of your parents or relatives who have better connections with all your guests to help decide on who will sit where.
Keep the Venue Layout in Mind
Always keep the layout of your venue in mind when deciding where you and your guests will sit.
Where is the dance floor? Where will the band be set up? Where will the cake be cut? Where are the restrooms located? Keeping the answers to these questions in your mind when crafting the seating chart will help you decide where everyone needs to be.
If you have a few people in wheelchairs, they might need to be seated at the end of a table or closer to the dance floor for easier access. Older relatives might want to avoid being seated so close to the band or DJ if it will aggravate their hearing. You and your wedding party will want to be seated where you can see all the action.
At Drumore Estate, we have multiple venue options for your reception so you can choose the best place for you and your guests! Our grand tent is perfect for larger wedding parties, with the ability to accommodate up to 400 guests; no one needs to be left out of the festivities. Our newly constructed carriage house is specially designed for gatherings of up to 150 people, with a cozy fireplace, sound and video equipment, and special event lighting. For smaller wedding parties, our orangery holds up to 80 guests creating an intimate atmosphere that invites people to enjoy the view of the surrounding 70 acres of picturesque gardens, the pool, manicured lawns, serene woods, and stunning sunsets!
Call (717)284-5076 to get in touch with one of Pennsylvania’s highest-rated luxury wedding venues and schedule a personalized venue tour today.