Assigned Seating Etiquette?

Why not nix a seating chart and let the guests mingle and sit where they like? We're doing that for our reception-- my sister did the same for hers and it worked well so everyone met each other!

Yup that’s what we did!

View Quoted Comment I wanted to! The caterer asked that we have assigned seating to make it easier for their servers.

View Quoted Comment For a plated meal a seating chart is necessary so the waiters know what meals to bring to what tables.

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We're doing a plated meal and checked with our venue if we needed to have assigned tables. All of our guests are getting the same meal and assigned seats aren't needed. That said, it's fine to mix the wedding party with other guests so that they may sit with their families instead of separating them. One of my bridesmaids has kids and FH's best man has a family, too, so mixing is totally fine by me.

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If you're serving the same thing to everyone, all the servers need to know is the number of chairs at each table to serve the meal.

View Quoted Comment Gotcha. Yeah if the guests are all getting the same meal that changes things. Ours chose between different meals when they RSVP’d so the staff needed to know.

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We're simplifying it to minimize planning stress and to encourage our guests to mingle with each other.

I watched a youtube video from a wedding planner and she says you should always have a seating plan cuz then you end up with a table that seats 6 and only have 4 at it cuz so n so dont want to sit with so n so or only want to sit with who ever or theres a family of 3 and the only table left has 2 chairs and then its a night mare of shuffling would have taged the video but cant find it.

but as for mixing wedding party with other guests i say do it just make sure theres at least someone they know who also knows someone else

We are assigning tables and mixing wedding party in with guests. Most of them will be combined in 2 round tables, but we will have some other friends mixed in as well and a couple bridesmaids will be sitting with their family. I see this as totally fine. Plus I dont think guests care where other guests sit

We assigned seats and mixed our wedding party with other guests.

The last two weddings I’ve been in we have been interspersed with other wedding guests. I appreciate a seating chart at weddings personally just because it takes the stress of finding a seat off my shoulders.

View Quoted Comment Was it Jamie Wolfer?

We are doing a sweetheart table and seating our bridal party among the rest of the guests.

View Quoted Comment A lot of times a group of 5 walks and there are no tables left with 5 empty chairs.

When I’ve been in weddings I’ve had to sit with the rest of the bridal party for the most part and it’s the worst. I would have rather been with my friends or my parents who were at the wedding, but that’s me.

For our wedding, we are assigning seats. Our ‘head’ table will seat 24. We tried to put family there, but nothing worked so we are making that one big friends table and us. Two members of our bridal party who happen to also be family will sit at the ‘family’ tables and since some of my family don’t get along, I want to make sure they aren’t at the same table.

View Quoted Comment I think so

The problem with keeping attendants separate is they don't get to enjoy their meal with their plus one unless that person is also in the wedding party. If you really want a seating chart, I believe it is perfectly fine to mix them in with people they know and will enjoy interacting with during the meal.

Yes! I like seating them amongst guests who they know as opposed to the traditional head table soooo much more! Especially if anyone in your party brings a date/significant other who isn’t in the wedding party, or doesn’t know anyone else in the wedding party very well. Also, I feel like once the ceremony and pics are over your wedding party is “relieved” of their duties so it’s only fair to sit them where they’d be most comfortable

Yes I think it's fine to sit the party with other guests they know