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We are. I've been to countless dinners and weddings where there was no seating arrangements and it was mass chaos. Even to the point where people who arrive together are forced to be split up.
I'm not, because I'm having a very laidback, outdoor picnic wedding at a park with ~100 who will almost all know each other. I think having a seating chart for our reception would be interfere with our casual vibe. If we were doing an indoor reception or fancier one, though, I'm pretty sure I'd go for one.
ooo i want to know too! For now I am thinking no, because we are doing more of an appetizer dinner, not a regular 3 course meal, so i thought it would be more fun to let people feel like they can get up and down whenever they want... but i'd like to know if people did this and it was horrible, or if people did this and it was fine!
Yes. We have a lot of people, many of whom don't know each other and it would be a big mess to let people find their own seats. So we have to do it for them. ;) I also want to make sure that our disabled guests have seats that are easy to access.
ETA: Our wedding is pretty formal, so that factored into the decision as well.
We didn't have a seating chart. We were thinking there would be a max of 100 but only had about 30 people that came to the wedding. With that small amount of people, it wasn't mass chaos but with more people I could see it being a problem.
I say yes and it's mostly because it can be a mess for people to seat themselves because you get lots of openings at tables with a chair here or there and other people end up struggling to find somewhere to sit. We just went to a wedding 2 weeks ago and it was SOOOO annoying trying to find seats, the couple didn't even at least have reserved tables for families, so our whole side (we are from the groom's family) got stuck in a corner all the way in the back of the room where we couldn't see anything that was going on. And this included the groom's grandma, which I felt like wasn't cool, she deserved a better seat than we got.
Based on experience with family dinners at Thanksgiving or Christmas for example, with just 20 people between two tables, people have enough trouble figuring out where to sit so I couldn't begin to imagine letting 100 people loose to fend for themselves to find a seat available with whomever they came with.
thanks guys! I hadn't even thought of the lack of space for groups. I am NOT looking forward to planning this part. LOL
Also be aware that there are some people who will save seats for their friends who don't even sit with them and they don't give up those seats for anything, even when there is nowhere else to sit and folks are forced to sit on the floor or stand.
Yes, because J wants to. We agreed that we both have veto power on stuff early on, and this one is important to him... and I'm kind of take-it-or-leave-it, leaning in the direction of being lazy and not bothering. But he wants it, so we're assigning tables (not seats).
I don't know for 100% yet, but I am leaning towards yes. That way, everyone will have a seat and there won't be anyone who might be coming to the wedding alone who doesn't know where to sit.
We're doing assigned seats because:
1. We're having a plated dinner & we need to have a seating plan w/ a marker for which entree each guest will be having
2. I've only been to 1 wedding without assigned seating & it was stressful! People were scrambling for a seat & my table included four children under the age of 10, two seniors and myself & my date. lol
We're assigning tables, but not seats. That way everyone has a seat, but it takes the guesswork out of who will be sitting next to whom.
We assigned tables, but not specific seats. I've actually never been to a wedding that didn't at least assign tables. I'd be afraid that some tables would be half empty and others would be too crowded. We took a lot of time to figure out who would work sitting with whom, so I was confident that people would be happy with their seats.
At least assign tables!!! My husband and I went to a went that was close to 200 people and had completely open seating. It was a HOT MESS. We had to sit with random people that we really had nothing in common with. They were hs friends of the bride's parents and we were friends with the groom. It was super awkward and uncomfortable, especially when they had had a few too many drinks and started ripping on the best man during his speech (who was also a groomsmen in our wedding party) about something absolutely ridiculous.
For our wedding we assigned seats because it was plated dinner. It did take some time but in the end it was totally worth it.
Yes, I just think it makes everything so much easier. It was a bit of a pain to plan but I think it is totally worth it. But we also had kind of a unique seating plan. We had 2 family tables surrounded by the rest of the tables instead of a head table. That way our wedding party was able to sit with their spouses/so's and all tables were "good" in terms of their distance from the bride/groom. We ate our salad at one family table and the entree at the other. Then we circulated during dessert. It worked out better than expected.
We're doing tables, not seats. That way our family gets to sit near us, our friends further out, and our college buddies don't get stuck next to my cousin and her 3 yr old and new born.
We will be assigning tables. I don't want people wandering around trying to figure out where they should sit.
We are assigning tables but not seats - it minimizes a bit of chaos and everyone will HAVE a seat with their date but it is less work than assigned seats!
yes, please assign tables!! i went to a wedding last christmas that did not have any assigned seating and it was sooooo confusing and annoying as a guest! i went with my parents and my FI and ended up having to split up because we found 3 seats together... my dad sat by himself at some random table.
in my experience at least, its just not a good idea!
We assigned tables, and I wouldn't have done it any other way! The weddings I've been to without any kind of seating chart end up in chaos - like many have mentioned - if they've got a larger group size. So we assigned tables, it worked out great.
We are keeping our guest list to a max of 50, so we were thinking about just letting everyone sit wherever they wanted; however after much thought and reading this post, we will be assigning tables, but not seats. I am sure everyone will get up and move around after they have eaten to visit, but to start with, having assigned seating will save a lot of stress and confusion for everyone.
I definitly have to. I have a HUGE family and there are so many family feuds! Unfortunately I have to be really careful who I sit together. Right now I dont even what to think about all the politics involved in my seating chart. Even if your family is not crazy like mine I still think its very important for a larger wedding. My own major dislike at a wedding is dissorganization.
We are having a sit down dinner, and I am doing a seating chart but no assigned seats. I thought about doing assigned seats, but folks would probably switch seats anyway and since it doesn't affect the menu (ie, pre-selected meal would have required assigned seats), it's not worth the trouble.
I'm going to have the chart on an easel and on display during the cocktail hour; the maitre'd will also have a copy of who belongs where, in case there are any problems.
I say do a chart; it'll save time over doing all the seperate cards, it looks neater (no cards all over the place, or loose cards if you have a few folks that don't show), and you're using less paper.
I'm having a seating chart because I'm worried that if we don't place people, then families might not be able to sit together. You know know how some people just sit at a table and break up the flow of things. We have lots of friends, but some of them don't know everyone well, so we want to strategically place people!
We had table assignments, and it helped a lot. I knew that a lot of people at the wedding knew each other, and there were very few that didn't. It helped me make it easier for them to feel included and mingle without being uncomfortable.
Honestly, I've never been to a wedding that had a complete seating plan, or if I was, I didn't know it.
We will have tables for the parents & grandparents, and otherwise people can choose their own seat.
A definite no-no that happened at a relative's wedding... the mother of the groom (my aunt) reserved seating (including placecards) for their friends, but no one else (including close family). Its a running joke in our family, so as a joke I'm giving another aunt, who was especially ticked (and has a good sense of humor), her own placecard to take with to the seat of her choosing at our reception :P.
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Just curious if you are having open seating or a plan & why.
We are not....at least at this point I don't think we are.