Long table - seating chart help

I think 35 is a small enough number that you can skip a seating chart and just place place cards! We have 33 with long family style tables and that's what we're doing! We opted for assigned seating because the restaurant required it for serving BUT I probably would have done it anyway. I wanted to be able to seat certain guests near or away from one another, as not very many people will have met before our wedding weekend.

I agree with Samantha! The first picture I think would be difficult, trying to count how many seats in you are for the people in the middle. Place cards would be easiest as a guest!

View Quoted Comment We would also be doing place cards but I do like the black & white one just bc it provides a general idea for where they will be sitting, you know? Instead of going to each seat.

We are doing this same thing. I love the idea of all the guests sitting together at one table like a family 💕 we are not doing a seating chart. With this few amount of guests, I think it is easiest to just do cute name cards at the table.

Speaking from guest experience, unless you have extra tables and chairs, a seating arrangement when guests are eating is an absolute must even if you are only having 10 people. No one will ever seat themselves efficiently on their own and many have ptsd from the high school cafeteria. Even though they are super popular, one of the most stressful things is a long table. That is without taking social distancing into account. Do not list anyone by first names only. What do you do when you have 5 David’s or 4 Lisa’s? Also, tent cards lined up alphabetically are easier on you and guests and cheaper as well. Guests find their full name, grab and go. If you can, try to divide the table into smaller sections, which makes seating easier. Most long tables seat 6-8 people so if each table is slightly separate from the next, it will be easier for them to locate their seat.

I think just place cards would be just fine, but I agree with Michelle that full names should be used and seats should be individually assigned. If you want you and your spouse to be seated on a certain side or end of the table, and the wedding party or parents around you in certain spots, deciding everyone’s seats will make that go smoothly. That way, no one accidentally sits down where you, the wedding party, or parents/close family were going to sit (that would have been my biggest anxiety if I had done an arrangement like that because I would have felt awkward in that situation 😂).

I think place cards with full names make the most sense here. If there's only 37 people, it won't be too difficult or time consuming for guests to find their spot.