Planning Ahead
Sweet dreams...
Make the most of your Wedding Reception seating plan!
It is often said that there is as much politics in any given family as in a national political party. In the latter case, people get to decide if they want them in control or not, in the former we have little choice! And though we love our nearest and dearest it is hard to agree on the rock on which many happy wedding preparations have perished the seating plan! Therefore, the best approach is one of calm and knowing you will have a finished result on your wedding day, whether everyone is happy with it or not.
First things first! When you and your beloved are shopping around for your wedding venue, one of the key questions to ask is of course how many guests the banqueting suite can accommodate. This will be your ceiling and thankfully a saving grace for many of you brides-to-be. The next question is to establish if guests will be seated on round or straight tables and then how many guests can be seated per table. When your hotel or venue tells you eight or ten guests per table then assume that`s the ceiling. Remember they are the professionals and generally more than the stated number cannot be accommodated at the table.
The last thing you need is an uncomfortable guest who is then seated beside a less than favourite person! Finally, establish the shape, style and location of the top table and then, the dance floor. To tie it all up together, ask your venue for a floor plan of the entire space, noting location of top table, other guest tables, dance floor, band/entertainment staging and main entrance doors, windows of key features of the suite. This is your blue print for arranging the seating plan.
Once you know these guidelines you can begin the process of assigning guests to certain tables. Lots of coffee and chocolate may be required at this time! Consider the immediate bridal party first. How many people at the top table? In the traditional banqueting suite arrangement, a long and straight top table is positioned at the focal point of the room in a way that allows all other guest tables to face towards it. Do not assume however this is the case, hence asking this question at the very beginning.
Many hotels are opting for alternative top table seating, such as a large square or block-style table positioned in the centre of the room, a large oval at the top of the room, or a simple round table in the style of all others. It`s important to be realistic and though you might like a top table for 18 people, it will look like a train carriage and seem to be awkward looking! Best to keep people immediately outside the bridal party to the nearest assigned tables to the top tableÉ
The bride and groom-to-be need to have an honest conversation with both sets of parents, preferably together, so that any serious preferences they have about who is to sit where can be fought about at an early stage. If you think this doesn`t describe most families in Ireland, then prepare to be entertained! Make a list of the preferences and have a quick re-cap with both sides of the family until everyone is reasonably happy. The important thing to stress at this point is that it is YOUR wedding, no one else`s, and so if your fourth cousin once removed is not foremost on your priority list, then they sit with the main party of guests. Be stern and lovable in equal measure. See, politics in action!
If the bride`s parents are paying for the wedding
you need to be a little more flexible as they have probably guests in mind you both may not have even thought about. If you are an only daughter, then this may be even more relevant. Regardless of the financial arrangements, the goal is to still to be speaking to one another by the time the wedding arrives!
Be mindful too that this seating plan is for the duration of a couple of hours, not for life. The guests will just have to live with whomever they are seated with and the wonderful food, fun and music on offer should naturally encourage guests to enjoy themselves.In reality, the real serious work of putting your seating plan together cannot reasonably be done until most of your invitation responses are received. This is the time when putting square pegs in round holes is often the order of the day.
Remember, you have only eight or ten places per table, so if there`s a perfect 12 to go together, it just isn`t possible. Start with immediate family tables and try to mix both sides of the family together. This encourages more conversation on the day and adds to the occasion. Then, proceed with extended family and close friends and again mix them up if they know each other. If they don`t know each other, then family together and friends together.
From the venue`s point of view, they need the seating plan at least 1 week prior to the wedding so that appropriate planning can be arranged on their side. It`s also important because if there`s an unforeseen issue, say you need an extra table, you will have time to sort out the best position for this. Submit your seating plan in word-processed or typed format. Your handwriting may be great, but someone else may not find it easy to follow. It`s also the best way of ensuring names are spelled correctly and that table numbers are clearly indicated, etc
ORDER PLEASE!
We highly recommend producing an alphabetical seating plan with guest name and corresponding table number listed for all guests. Copies of this plan can be placed throughout your venue reception areas so guests can easily find out where they will be seated. Nothing worse than 200 people trying to see the same plan!
It is inevitable that some guests will not be able to attend nearer the time due to unforeseen circumstances and though you hope this will not be the case, you may have the make some adjustments.
If a table suddenly has six guests instead of eight then leave it as is rather than starting to revise your plan. Think of what you had to go through to get it this far! Any final changes should be sent in writing to the venue and a reconfirmation sent back to you so everyone is on the same hymn-sheet.
Once the big day has arrived, appoint someone in the bridal party, ideally your chief bridesmaid or a relative with a watchful eye, to look over the banqueting suite and have a general check through the seating arrangements to see if everything appears in order. This allows time to make and minor changes with the hotel well before the start of dinner.
Once that bell is rung, then it`s up to guests at the wedding to make the most of their tablemates and enjoy the day. Your hard work is done so you too should relax and have suite dreams!
