Seating Chart - Pros and Cons

Im on my phone so I can't look but there was a huge thread about this last week. Search for it, it had great points.

Oh ok thanks!

I just looked for the thread and couldn't find it.. Sorry! I have about the same amount of guests and I am doing a seating chart. Every wedding I have been to or worked, there has been some sort of seating arrangement; otherwise, there could be some awkward moments for your guests. I think they definitely serve their purpose and people sometimes switch seats but I think they enjoy having their own "place" at the reception. The only con is that it is kind of a headache..

Maybe someone else will have better luck finding that thread!

Pros - If you have seating arrangements they work for those awkward moments where one guest might be left standing or sitting where they don't want to. Might have 8 at a table but those guests are separated around the room. Joe, Tom, Lisa, Nicki, Adam, Candace, Laura and Alex, but then Tom's wife comes to the table and there is no room? Now what.

Pro- food is ordered according to what people want - beef, chicken ? if that's the case you need to give a seating chart to the staff so they know what belongs at what tables. Otherwise you will be shorted food that might go to another person because someone changes their mind.

Cons - if more than family and do not have even numbers you could end up with the headache of sister joan doesn't like uncle nick, etc..

On a whole being in the banquet industry, using a seating arrangement of table, not seats per say.. makes it much easier on all then.

We had 180 people attend our wedding. We assigned tables, but not seats at the tables. It took us 20 minutes to figure out who sits where and everyone had a blast. We had not one single complaint on who sat with who. We had 8 people at round tables.

Honestly, with 100 - 125 people, you should assign people to a table. If you had a small wedding (40 - 60 people) , then it'd be ok to do open seating.

As I understand it, the cons are: you have to make one, people might get seated where they don't want to be.

Pros are: you don't end up with couples and groups wandering around, looking for seats together. Whether you do a seating chart or not, you can still invite people to the buffet by table (a common reason people give for 'having to have one'. In the end, I think it boils down to how many people you have and how tightly packed the room will be. I had about 60+ people in a room that could hold 100, so I really didn't need everyone to fill every available spot. We didn't have a seating chart and there was no problem.

I will have about 110 people and I am assigning tables but not seats,

I have 80 and am assigning tables. I've been to weddings with seating charts and was happy I didn't have to look for somewhere to sit and decide who I would sit by

I've never been to a wedding with open seating. It's just not done around here. We have about 90 people coming and we are assigning tables, not seats. I think it's helpful to the guests and less awkward. It really is not that much work.

My cousin had assigned seating. She put me with the children. She knows i get along with the kids but i was kinda looking forward to not having to deal eith them(there were candles on the table. Needless to say i was less then pleased when we almost had a fire at our table.)

I'm not doing assigned seats, but i am doing assigned tables, despite the fact that my venue discourages it. I want my mom to have a seat near me. I want my grandfather to have a seat with ease acess (he has limited mobility). I want my friends that wont know very many people at the wedding will definitely have seats next to people they do know.

But after the food is consumed, no one sits at their assigned seat/table anyways.

I've only been to weddings that have seating charts. I would HATE a wedding that didn't have one. I would want to sit with the few people I know and if we can't find a seat together?! well then I'd probably stand.. or feel awkward. I wouldn't stay long at the wedding because I hate having to choose a seat myself and that would put me in a bad mood.

I'd rather sit with people I hate all evening than to have to find my own seat.

I am doing assigned tables after talking with brides on this site.

Reason I didn't want to do assigned seating? 1. My mom didn't want to. 2. I thought people are grown ups they know how to sit down. 3. I wanted people to mix or not mix if they didn't want to. 4. I just didn't want one more thing on my plate or to pay for.

Reason we are doing assigned seating? 1. I don't want people saving seats 2. The venue said if we didn't assign tables that they would have to put out more tables to accommodate people that couldn't find a spot. 3. I want couples and friends to be able to sit together with out having to spread out due to lack of seating 4. I didn't want a mad rush to find a table to save a seat 5. I didn't want anyone to have to ask can I sit at this table Mostly my con's had to do with a reminder of it being like a HS lunch cafeteria.

Things that might have changed my perspective? 1. If everyone at the wedding knew one another already. 2. If the wedding was really small. 3. If I had done one freaking lone harvest table in a field like I have already dreamed of doing (real wedding vrs dream wedding moment).

I'm not pro seating assignments but I am pro TABLE assignments for a couple of reasons:

-As a guest it is very confusing to walk into a reception and NOT see them, thus not know where to sit

-People ALWAYS move tables at the first part of the reception. This messes up the table a bit and doesn't look AS nice as it did originally for the next guests that sit down.

-Makes thing easier if you are trying to eliminate any family drama by keeping arguing parties on the opposite sides of the room

-People "save seats" like they are in high school for people they want to sit with

-Late arrivals always end up getting the shaft on where they sit

I would not like to go to a wedding without at least assigned tables. What if there aren't any seats left with people I know by the time I get there? It's SO much easier for guests if tables are assigned, and it's only a LITTLE bit of work for the bride and groom to put together a chart. Unless ALL your guests know each other and like each other, do your guests a favor and assign tables! (I don't think your wedding of 100-125 people is "small", btw. I would assign tables for anything over 50!)

We are having about 70 guests, and we are doing assigned tables. Why? Because there are people we know will want to be able to sit together, and if we don't assign tables, it will be a free-for-all and families and groups of friends will end up separated. There are a lot of people coming to our wedding that do no know each other and would feel awkward getting stuck at a table full of strangers.

We're doing a seating chart. I don't want people sitting with people they are familiar with. I want our families and friends to get to know each other. And we're doing plated, so if they aren't in their correct seats, no soup for you! ! Next! LOL

@SpoiledQueenB, you're seating people APART from people they know??? OMG, that sounds so awkward! I would not like that!

This needs to be a sticky!!

Omg if you sat me with a bunch of strangers I would kill you. Or just not go.... We are doing a seating chart. We are having a small 50 person wedding (all family). We are doing a seating chart because you have to avoid family conflicts by putting certain people together, and to make dinner easier with knowing ahead of time which food is going where. After dinner I could care less if people mingle and change tables.

Assign tables. It makes sense. Unless you have like 50 extra seats, people are going to be searching for seats next to friends and family and then you will have super awkward situations. I have been to a couple weddings without them, and it was pretty stressful... like, people were glued to their seats, not mingling at all, just to save a seat with people they wanted to sit with.

We had 42 people at our reception and still assigned tables. Its easier for your guests, ensures that families stay together, that guests enjoy the reception with people they are similar with, peace of mind, and helps with flow. We had two different people tell us that they loved their table assignment and the people we placed them with.