Seating chart

Don't have a stress attack. Do you have anyone close that can help you? What part are you struggling most with?

What exactly are you struggling with? We just grouped people and fit singles or couples in where we thought they would fit best with a pre-established larger group. We didn’t really give things a second thought.

First, take a breather second, I recommend at least assigning tables if not seats. I was also gonna do a free for all but then read somewhere that there will definitely be people who can’t fit on a table and there will be chairs moved, etc. So to make it simpler, we are just doing assigned tables. We’re keeping couples together and probably immediate families/friends

This is exactly what I did! My fiancé AND coordinator told me to let it go! We did our bridal table and then reserved tables for parents/grandparents. We let every one else just fill in! It worked perfectly fine and it was one less thing for me to worry about!

I know a lot of people on here would say a seating chart is a MUST..and I agree IF it comes easy for you. We had 167 RSVP yes and about 152 showed up. If it's too much or feeling stressful, let it go!!!

We are not having a seating chart, just a table for bridal party.

I agree with Kelly. Unless your friends and family are complete jerks, just put them together -- it's an evening, not being stranded on a deserted island for months.... We put family together at at least 4 tables, wedding party & their SOs were spread over 5 tables intermixed with friends of the various groups, daughter & SIL's work friends were put together with others to fill out tables. Ideally, tables would have had 8 guests, but we had tables of 7 and 8, one table of 6 (parents and their 4 kids under 10 -- no one else was going to want to sit with them), and with help from the venue, we had two tables of 10 to make things work to keep the groom's parents on different sides of the room. I think it's sad for you if this is a huge stress; just put people at tables, they'll survive. (A couple of venues told us that without assigned tables, they required a minimum of 20% additional seating, because left on their own guests don't seat themselves efficiently.) It this is truly making you miserable, maybe try handing it off to someone else (like MOB or whomever).

As a guest, having a designated table (but not a seat) is a huge stress relief. Just knowing i won’t be split from my husband (or families split apart) is helpful. Assigned seats aren’t necessary. Assigned tables are helpful.

If you don't, just make sure you have more seats than guests.

Absolutely, just have signage on the reserved seats, everyone else can fend for themselves lol. Not worth the stress

You can absolutely do that! My best friend did exactly that for her wedding, and it was so good she did, her husband's family's seating would have been the death of her if she hadn't lol

I think having a seating chart as far as having assigned tables is a must, assign seats isn’t necessary. I like the idea to just not have any empty seats and that way guests they are guaranteed somewhere to sit with people they are comfortable with. Also to help to have pretty even number of people at tables, and not to many not full tables if that makes since.

I think a lot of people are leaning towards no seatinng charts

Not at all! That’s exactly what my sister did for her wedding and it worked beautifully!

It depends on how many people you're expecting, and how much room you have/tables & chairs available to you. If you have 100 guests and only 13 or 14 tables with 8 chairs each available, I'd say no. If people seat themselves you can count on 2-3 empty chairs per a table, and if there aren't enough tables and chairs leftover, your guests will be forced to split up and sit awkwardly with strangers. How I'm doing ours- 1 for our family (he has 3 kids from a previous marriage and we'll have 1 together by then. Then 2 to 4 tables of family. Then a table for our mutual firehouse friends, a table for his friends, and a table for my friends. We're having a small wedding. If your wedding is on the larger side, Id break it down similarly by changing out our firehouse friends table to adding tables for your work friends and his, and separating out tables for his family and your family, etc. I would just pair people with others that they know as best you can so they have company. Remember, it's ok if it's not absolutely, totally perfect. If people find they don't enjoy where they sit, they just have a tendency to mingle and roam around. No harm done.

We aren't doing assigned seating, but we are doing assigned tables, mainly because the wedding I attended where it was a free for all was awkward with people just kind of taking up random seats, leaving 1 chair open between couples, Couples having to sit apart, things like that. So to avoid that stress my mom and FMIL are in charge of that, they have free reign over the seating chart.

What really helped me through this was when FH pointed out most of them will hardly be in their seats anyways. They'll sit through dinner and then everyone gets up to dance or mingle, the seats turn into jacket holders. Don't stress about it too much! You can do it!

Guests prefer assigned tables. They may not complain, but they may not be happy. If you are spending a lot of money on the reception, it is the least you can to. It is rude to give some people reserved seats and not others. It is like HS cafeteria, you walk up to a table, and be rebuffed with sorry, we are saving seats. Parties may get separated. Couple may get separated. Do you care about that, or no? If it happened to me, I would discretely go to the ladies room and rip up the check I had for the bride and groom. I don't like being a second class invite.

Ask your mom and FMIL to assign their invites to tables. You and FH can handle your friends.

Not weird at all! To make it simple we’re doing a head table and 2 reserved tables (intended for grooms family at one, mine at the other)

First I would say take a breather and calm down. Second as others have mentioned is there anyone that could help you to take some of the stress off? Third I would not recommend a free for all but I would say try to put families together as much as possible. With my seating chart that's what I'm trying to do as much as possible.

I don't like to think of my seating chart either. It's taken so many re-do's and it still doesn't seem right. There's always someone who no one wants to sit with or you don't want to stick your best friend with a group of strangers.... I get it. It's tricky. I like puzzles but it makes me want to pull my hair out.