Seating Chart vs No Seating Chart

I am a huge fan of assigned tables at the least. I'm too awkward to ask others if I can sit by them lol.
And could you place the silverware at the table and meave the plates at the buffet? That seems like the easiest option.

Assign tables at least. All guests will have a seat, tables will be full with no gaps and you won't have to pay for extra space (i.e. tables, chairs, linens, and centerpieces for the "over-spill" guests.)

No matter what vibe you're going for, assigned seating can be used for the most casual weddings or formal weddings.

It took us 15 minutes to assign tables for our guest list. Minimal stress and now everyone will have a place to go.

Hey Kelsey!! I went to my best friend's wedding over the summer and it sounds very similar to what you're planning. It was in her parents' backyard, buffet in a tent, no assigned tables. And it was a bit of a mess. They had to bring in chairs from inside the house because guests didn't want to sit with people they didn't know and those were where the chairs were. They also had one of my friend's siblings go around and tell tables to go get food, but once everyone saw one person stand in line, everyone went and her sibling couldn't control the situation.

I would suggest at least giving names or numbers to the tables. Even if you don't do a seating chart, names/numbers will help in the long run. And the silverware thing won't be weird. It was fine, because then I could pay attention to everything that happened before dinner and I wasn't playing around with a fork.

People do not seat themselves well, and if you are already worried about space, I'd say its a must. Some people will leave gaps, or family and friends who just "have to sit together" wont be able to because there is already 3 or 4 people at the table kind of thing. I wasn't originally going to do one for my 175 guest wedding but after talking to my mom I'm convinced it would make the night go so much smoother even though it will require more work and planning ahead of time. I don't think you would need to put silverware on the tables ahead of time, my friend did not for hers and I don't think I even noticed until you mentioned it.

I am not a fan AT ALL of no assigned seating, not even tables. I would put silverware at the table & put the plates at the buffet then assign seats. You set the tone of your wedding with the seating arrangements.

Definitely assign at least tables, with that number of people.

If your guest list is over 40-50, at least assign tables. There’s always odd parties and then you would need to have extra tables and chairs just in case people don’t fill full tables. With that number I would definitely assign something.

I'm struggling with this as well. I want a seating chart but my FH and mother don't. I have made a mock seating chart of people who would sit together and there are gaps because people are going to want to sit with their plus one and not at the table next to them.

I hate going to weddings without assigned seating. I have actually felt so uncomfortable at times that I almost left before the reception started. I have never stayed past the cake cutting when the tables aren't assigned. If tables aren't assigned, it is possible that families/groups will be split up since people don't naturally divide themselves into tables of 8-10. You will likely have empty seats at tables, which means you will need 25% more seating than your final guest count (so if you have 250 guests rsvp "yes," you'll need 313 chairs) to ensure that everyone gets a seat.

A seating chart doesn't make your wedding formal, but not having one does make your wedding chaotic.

We did a buffet with assigned tables, and it didn't look weird at all to not have plates on the table.

Agreed with the others- definitely so some sort of assigned seating even if it's just tables. It won't take too long to plan out and will be so much more organized and worth it day of the wedding.

I wasn’t a fan of assigned seating but after attending a wedding where my fh and I were the “lone wolves “ so to speak, I was grateful that I had an assigned table so it didn’t feel awkward asking if I can sit somewhere.
I researched this obscenely and I think it’s best to do assigned tables to prevent chaos. Also our caterer will be taking requests for our meal and needs a count, having assigned tables will make that go much smoother.