Why are seating charts a thing?

Seating charts are a very effective way of keeping order. It also keeps couples and families from being separated and prevents confusion.

They're a thing so people aren't walking around aimlessly trying to find a table, trying to fit all their friends at one table moving chairs around. Or ending up at a table alone/with people they don't know because they walked in too late. If you seat friends and family together, then there shouldn't be a problem and it's much more organized.

How many guests are you having? I'm just picturing people running to catch a seat next to their favorite person, and a couple is split up because there aren't enough seats at one table.

I went to a wedding without a seating chart. H and I couldn't find chairs next to each other. It was the worst.

Sitting with strangers is stressful and you don't want your friends to go through it, so instead you want to make it every man for himself and let them fight for seats?

Logic.

They're not 'a thing'; they are a way of avoiding the chaos of not knowing where to sit, of half empty tables, of your grandma wandering around looking for a seat.

It's appropriate and it's necessary, no matter how irritating to you it is to put it together.

Seating charts prevent families and friends from being split up, which will happen if you don't have one. Make a seating chart, they are definitely for the best.

Seating charts save you money as you won't have to set up extra tables for people who will sit 4 to a table. It saves a lot of hassle for your guests and confusion.

You know your guests. Why would you sit them with people they don't know?

I've been to multiple wedding without seating charts and never encountered the chaos other posters have described. It worked out fine, and past friends of mine have told me not to waste my time with one because they said it caused them too much stress and wasn't worth it in the end.

You can just assign tables but not assign seats. I agree that just having a free for all would be too chaotic

It sounds like you have been to weddings that the seating chart was not done properly.

I honestly was not planning one until recently. I have gone to a couple weddings without one and realized that it is more awkward trying to find a place to sit when you don't know someone.

We are going to do a seating chart, but will make sure people know others they sit with, and if there is someone who does not know others at the wedding, we will try to place them with people we think they have stuff in common with/will get along with.

Im an introvert and despise small talk stranger. I prefer to sit with people I know, and I'd rather not have to fight Hunger Games style to get a sit hopefully with another couple I know. I would also be pissed off if I had to sit with strangers without my FH because we couldn't get sits fast enough. Eta: You clearly know that sitting with strangers sucks. Making a seating chart allows to to ensure that everyone knows at least a few people at their table.

1. That's messed up of your friends to do that to you. Everyone should be seated with at least a few people they know—even if they are charismatic.

2. Not having a seating chart can be a disaster. We went to a wedding in the summer without one. Some people (mostly men) just stood the entire reception. FH stood next to me while I ate because there weren't any tables with 2 spots. I guess you could avoid that by having way more seats than necessary, but I imagine that would look weird/be more expensive.

It also depends on how 'informal'. For our 'sit down / three course' we have to provide a chart for the kitchen so they know who has what dietary requirement. I also agree with the other posters, it can get messy with a big guest list and it may mean people just stick in their little cliques - which may or may not be what you want. Just be sensitive when placing so your guests don't feel like you have.

I sat alone at my brother's wedding because they didn't assign tables. It was so embarrassing.

So that Trump loving, redneck papaw and super liberal homosexual couples don't end up sitting by each other.

Yes the are a pain to figure out but they are done to avoid exactly what you are talking about. If your "friends" sat you at a table with a bunch of people you didnt know but you had friends at the wedding then they are a-holes!

I am making sure everyone at least knows one other couple at the table they are assigned.

How many people are you talking about? 200? 20? We're having a small wedding with 50 people INCLUDING the wedding party, so we're renting a restaurant out and having it catered buffet-style. No seating chart involved. If we were having food served by the plate, then I could see a seating chart making sure that the waiters can deliver everyone their proper dish.

FH and I have been to one wedding where we were sat with people we didn't know... because we didn't really know anyone but the bride and groom.

Seating charts are recommended because they reduce confusion, keep couples and families from being separated, keep headcounts at tables even (so no one ends up like LindseyO), and ensure that family members getting prime seating.

Let's face it: people think they can handle themselves, but they actually like being told what to do, especially in unusual (because the average person doesn't go to a wedding every weekend, right?) situations.

It sounds like what you need to do it pair up people who know each other rather than forgo a seating chart.

I wholeheartedly support seating charts if you will only have seated round tables. Not having one will be the middle school cafeteria all over again and result in a bunch of random single seats and couples unable to be together.

However, I personally am not doing a seating chart because I want an extended cocktail party but this means that I am spending much more in rentals because you have to account for empty chairs at tables where no one can fit and supply extra and I'm also having 1.5 times the amount of cocktail tables I would normally need.