What's Your Strategy for Seating Arrangements?

I highly recommend it. Every wedding I've been to without a seating arrangement was stressful. At least assign tables.

We assigned tables. We kept families together even if the children were 18+. We also kept our friends together even if it meant squeezing an extra person at a table. You will end up with a random table where family/family-friends/friends mix, it just happens.

I’m doing a seating chart. Assigning tables only. FH handles his side and I’m handling mine. I know my family well enough to know who needs to be with who Etc. I don’t care too much for assigned seats lol

We're assigning tables (not seats)! We're making sure that families are together and since we're having a sweetheart table instead of a head table, we're making sure that our wedding party sits with their guests as well.

We have about 130 guests on our list. Instead of doing a seating chart where everyone will be jumbled looking for their name under every table number, we've decided to do escort cards and place them in alphabetical order. Each card will have what table number they are assigned to.

Please at least assign tables. I've been to 3 weddings in the past year that had open seating and they were all a nightmare mad dash for seating.

My strategy-

I made a spreadsheet. I marked next to each persons name how we knew them or which family (or even sub-family) they were in. I then started copy pasting in 8 person chunks, not really worrying about who was where quite yet, just trying to see how many tables I would need for his family, my family, our friends, etc. Then I started moving people around to fill tables and make sure people were with people they would enjoy.

I definitely ended up with some tables of 9, some of 8, even a couple of 7 and one of 6. But everyone has a table full of people they know and enjoy the company of.

Definitely assign tables to avoid mass confusion.

We assigned tables rather seats. My husband organized the seating chart since most of the guests were his family and friends since I have a very small family and only a few close friends. His parents are divorced so we knew right away his parents couldn't sit together. His father is also estranged from two of his four children and all were going to be in attendance so we kept them apart. We also had people that were exes at the wedding so we kept them apart. We had college friends and they knew each other so we sat them together. My father is a recovering alcoholic so we sat my parents with people we knew wouldn't drink which meant my sister and her boyfriend couldn't sit with them since they drink, but that was fine because we sat her and the boyfriend with other people in our wedding party. We had about 90 people so it was definitely easier than 200, but you should sit people based on who they know and who they get along with as well as importance to you. We had a sweethearts table so on one side of us sat most of his bridal party and their significant others and on the other side of us sat most of my bridal party and their significant others. The next closest table on my side were my parents, grandparents and my brother and his wife. Both my brother and his wife were in the wedding, but since they didn't drink it made sense to put them with my parents plus both of our wedding party tables were filled to the max. They were cool with where we sat them so that's all that mattered. The next closest table on his side were his mother and some of his aunts and uncles. His dad sat at the table behind the bridal party table on his side as he was still close to us without being too close to his ex-wife or estranged children.

We are assigning people to tables.

We are doing our best to group people next to individuals they know or people who have the same relation to us (ie: my great aunt and uncles will sit next to FHs great aunt and uncles)

We aren't going to worry about it until February though when RSVP's are in. Hoping some people RSVP no because we have a few tables that are "we love you but don't know who to seat you with so here you are" lol.

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B, thanks. I was definitely thinking of assigning tables if nothing else.

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Kyleah, thanks for the input. I like the "we love you, but..." note. That's cute.

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Cyndy, thank you.

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Ok cool Lauren. Thanks. I was going to assign tables if nothing else.

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Brandi, I agree. I don't like the assigned seat thing. I can assign tables though. I think thats no problem.

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Jasmine, that sounds like a good plan. Thanks for the input.

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Nicole, OMG I do not want a big mess of people scrounging around and fighting for a good seat. Thanks for the insight. I will be assigning tables ASAP.

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OMG Veronica, this sounds like alot of thought has to be put into this arrangement. I never looked at it this way. My FH has more family and friends than I do so I need to get him involved in this part of the planning as well. Thanks for the response dear.

We just sat people by who they knew/get along with so people would have the most fun.

View Quoted Comment You're welcome. It was, but I was lucky enough that my husband did it for me. He said from the very beginning he wanted to do the seating chart so I let him. It was one less thing that I had to worry about. I would definitely have your fiance help you.

Assigned tables are necessary.

This will alleviate the over or under filled table situation.

I placed those with something in common together (i.e. job, family, church, etc...).