WEDDING ETIQUETTE – THE WEDDING SEATING PLAN

Organising the seating plan can often be a dreaded task for brides and grooms. Your Auntie Maude and his Grandma Helen can't stand each other, your friend Diego speaks Spanish only and your pregnant sister needs easy access to the bathroom and on top of all of this there seems a minefield of do's and don'ts! But don't panic! We've got a few tips to guide you through who sits where + with our Seating Planner tool it's super easy!

• Don't split up couples
• Put people with others whom they already know and get on well with.
• Place guests who don't know anyone next to people who are friendly and easy to talk to.
• Don't worry about sticking religiously to male-female, male-female. The most important thing is that guests sit next to people whose company they enjoy.
• Allocate an area for young children and babies if they are going to be at your wedding. This area should be equipped with highchairs perhaps some colouring books and crayons.
• Consider special circumstances like family members or divorced couples who don't get along and make sure they are not seated close to each other.
• If parents have been divorced and remarried, they should be seated next to their new partners.
• The closer people are seated to the bridal table, the more they are honoured. i.e. the closer a relative, the nearer they should be seated to the bridal table.
• If the reception is informal, you can let guests decide where they will sit. Another alternative is to decide who sits at which table but not designate specific seating arrangements at that table. People can then sit next to whom they choose at their table.
• Don't get stressed or fight over the seating plan. Accept that you will not be able to please everyone.

The bridal table is always at the centre of attention. Everybody wants to catch a glimpse of the happy couple. Traditionally the parents of both the bride and groom sat with them on the bridal table along with the best man and chief bridesmaid. Below are examples of bridal table arrangements that include parents

Most couples these days opt to have a parents' table and seat only the bride, groom and bridal party at the bridal table. Below are examples of this.

As with most wedding traditions, these are not set in stone and you can totally disregard these arrangements. It's best to select an arrangement that will make you and those around you happy, whatever that may be!