How to Assign Seats at a Wedding
To assign or not assign, that is the question that we are tackling. Many couples, understandably, shudder at the idea of having to decide where their guests will sit and by whom, however table assignments are incredibly important.
Not convinced? Here are a few wedding table assignment myths and roadblocks, debunked and solved.
WEDDING TABLE ASSIGNMENTS ARE TOO FORMAL AND RIGID
Incorrect! Guests will appreciate you putting thought into where they should sit, but they will also appreciate having one less decision to make for your wedding. Picking where to sit can yield a bit of social anxiety for some people, they don’t want to sit in the wrong place, or far away from people they like or even at a table with no one else that they know.
Remember in grade school, when you thought you hated your ‘assigned seating’ but then you got to college and - even with the freedom to sit anywhere you wanted - you still sat in the same spot all semester?
It’s kind of like that…
And don’t be worried that guests will feel stuck to hang out with the people at their table, guests will mingle and mix as they see fit, especially if you’ve hired an amazing DJ - they’ll likely spend most of their time post-dinner on the dance floor!
WEDDING TABLE ASSIGNMENTS ARE TOO MUCH WORK
I’m not saying you have to assign guests to seats at tables (which is a lot of work), just pick a group of 8 or 10 (depending on the table size) people, whom you think will get along and give them a table number.
Simple! Keep reading for how to make it even easier.
Wimping out and just setting a ‘reserved’ sign on the head table plus two family tables won’t quite get you to where you want to go. How will guests know if they are a VIP or not?
Joe and Jen Photography
WHAT ABOUT GUESTS WHO DON’T RSVP?
Inevitably you will have tables where you just can’t find that last person to fill that last chair, so you might assign guests to tables that aren’t at full capacity. For example, if your wedding venue comes with 72” round tables, which can seat 10-12 guests per table, and you have a guest list of 145 (excluding the head table) then you are looking at 14 or 15 tables.
Scenario one: you could have 9 tables with 10 guests each and 5 tables with 11 guests each.
Scenario two: you could have 13 tables with 10 guests each, 1 table with 7 guest and 1 table with 8 guests.
See how in scenario two there is ample space to add someone to a table, someone who rudely didn’t RSVP but thought it appropriate to still show up.
CAN THE HEAD TABLE BE NUMBER ONE?
You can number your tables how ever your heart desires. Make it easier on your guests and number tables in some sort of order. This makes it easier (and quicker) for guests to find their table, but also makes it easier for your servers to serve tables. Also a table number will likely not be part of your head table decor, so why bother numbering it at all?
All You Need to Know About Wedding Place Cards
Now that I have convinced you to assign guests to a table or a specific seat at your wedding, you need to figure out how you’d like to communicate this to them. In general you have 3 options for your wedding reception seating: open seating, assigned tables, assigned seats. Whichever format you choose you’ll need to communicate these preferences to your guests. For that you’ll likely need stationery: place cards, seating charts, table numbers, escort cards, or reserved signs; or a combination of it all.
Engle // Olson
RESERVED SIGNS
Reserved signs can be used if you are not assigning guests to tables or to seats. Reserving a table ensures that you have a place to sit (where all can see you) and your family has a table next to you. Opting to forgo this is not advised, seriously, your mom might have something to say about this casual move, she needs to know where to sit.
Best practices: Have extra seats at tables (maximum occupancy) and tell family if they are supposed to sit at a reserved table (also tell your bridal party). This style of seating works well if you are not having a formal sit down dinner and are instead opting for heavy apps or staffed stations, think Haitian-style receptions or backyard informal.
SEATING CHARTS
Seating charts list guests with their table assignment. Problematically Pinterest and Etsy have skewed our idea of what this should look like. The pretty way is to have your header be the table # with guests assigned to that table listed below. BUT WAIT. Depending on your guests count, finding their name using this technique can be a tedious and lengthy task.
INSTEAD, sort your seating chart by guest first or last name (alphabetized) and list their table number beside their name. NOTE: this is not a dealbreaker for guest experience.
Now that your guest knows which table they are sitting at they can be seated, however you may need to further communicate dinner details. Here are three common scenarios:
1) Seating chart designates guests table, meal is buffet or family style.
2) Seating chart designates guests table, place cards are set at the table to designate which seat guests sit at AND their meal choice (if needed).
3) Seating chart shows which table icon/picture is where, guests have an escort card which states their table assignment and their meal choice (if needed).
It is unnecessary to have both a seating chart listing guests and their corresponding table assignment AND escort cards listing their meal choice. Why? Because most guests are more concerned about their table assignment and less about signifying to the caterer their meal choice. This means guests may only look at the chart, see their table and sit down, forgetting their card and leading to a mix up come dinner serving time. Or they may grab their card and then aimlessly walk around the reception room wondering how they are supposed to know where to sit.
Oy. Even on a wedding day, communication is key.
Think about your guest experience, how can you make them feel comfortable and knowledgeable? If you aren’t assigning an usher to assist with seating confusions, you’ll want to make your instructions stupid simple, without turning your wedding into an over labeled first grade classroom.
TABLE NUMBERS
Table numbers help guests know which perfectly decorated table is theirs to sit at. You can use numbers, icons or pictures, objects etc. Table numbers help guests find their table, but they also help your caterer (should you opt for a plated or family style meals). Just like any other element of your wedding, table numbers can be an amazing way to incorporate your style, personality and wedding design.
J Olson Photography
ESCORT CARDS
Escort cards direct guests on where to sit, like at which table. They should also include a meal choice designations if you’ve opt for a plated meal with more than one option. They should include dietary restrictions if meals are being served to guests. The meal marker on an escort card (or place card) is how you’ll communicate with servers which guest gets which meal, so make it easily visible and easily distinguishable.
Escort cards must contain first and last names and they must contain a table number, otherwise they are pointless. Escort cards can double as guest favors, they can be flat or folded, paper or otherwise.
PLACE CARDS
Place cards get preset at the guest place setting, they assign which seat a guest is to sit at. Best practices: anything preset requires an extensive room layout with first and last names listed (middle initial if there are any juniors in your family). This takes time to set up, so ensure your timeline allows for it. Also be mindful of the weather. Wind may blow away paper so ensure they are properly weighted.
In lieu of including your head table place cards on the place card table you can opt to preset them. This makes sense since you likely want your bridal party to sit in specific seats. Include a chart, with marked orientation, and have your planner preset these cards.
