Empty front rows..? Solutions

Don't worry! You (Or your ushers if you're having them) can guide certain guests to the front rows, especially if you don't have a large family. You could also personally invite some of your close friends to sit in the front if you know your family won't fill all the seats.

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That's a good point! But i'm worried that i might be occupied at the entrance greeting guests (i'm thinkning 100+) so i wouldnt be able to keep track of who to guide to the front!

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That's a totally valid concern, especially with a large guest list. A great way to handle this is by letting your close friends and relatives know in advance where you'd like them to sit. You could reach out to them before the wedding day, maybe through a group message or individual calls, just giving them a heads-up about sitting in the front rows.

Another option is to include a seating chart in your wedding program or send it out a few days before the wedding. This way, everyone knows where they should be heading as soon as they arrive, and you won't have to worry about guiding them while greeting others at the entrance.

Honestly never heard of this and it sounds strange. Typically the immediate family sits in the front row. Perhaps the older generation didn’t let them know that? Were ushers and parents/siblings/whoever not informed? The only way to prevent that is to be super clear that ushers need to seat the immediate family in the first row and inform parents/siblings that is where they sit. The day of coordinator should also know this. This is information that is given at the rehearsal and just before the ceremony starts.


Online there is a trend of the attendants sitting in the front row on each side but that is not representative of real life in many social circles.

View Quoted Comment She said there wasn’t much family, but people were still avoiding several rows under the impression they’d be filled by family.


I agree that giving a little guidance beforehand is best. Confide to a few good friends that you don’t have a lot of people to fill the family rows and you’d love for them to sit there so people know it’s okay. The ushers can also inform people there are no reserved rows, please sit where they like.

Maybe let your bridal party sit there after they walk up? That way they can also watch!

I would maybe just put a sign that says “reserved” in the first row and tell those family members (and even close friends) to sit there. If only the 1 row is reserved, people should be able to figure out that the 2nd row is open.