Some
Thoughts on Seating your Guests at the Reception.
You
may spend considerable time and effort carefully
selecting the napkin color, the flower arrangements
and the favors, so that the ambience of the
reception room is warm and festive.
Unfortunately, if a guest is not happy with
their seating arrangement, what they will
remember most will be the lack of camaraderie
at the dinner table or the headache they suffered
because they were seated too near to the band.
Seating
guests is no easy matter and so we suggest
that you start the project as soon as you
have mailed out your invitations. This
will mean many adjustments as the "will
not attend" replies come in. However,
if you leave this task until the last reply
arrives, you will be scrambling to make decisions
when you have a myriad of last minute matters
to attend to.
There
are many seating charts and seating software
programs to use, but sometimes the simplest
methods are the best. If you are attempting
to organize a large guest list and either
the bride or the groom does not know some
of the guests, here is what we suggest.
Request
a layout of the tables from the caterer. Purchase
a round tablet from a stationery store. Make
a preliminary seating assignment list from
your guest list on your computer and put a
space between every 10 names (or however many
people you plan for each table.) Print
out this list and use a scissors to cut the
list so that you have squares with 10 names
on each. Attach each square to the middle
of a round sheet from the tablet.
On
your kitchen table, arrange the circles so
that they match the seating chart. You
will know who is to sit at the head tables,
so start there. Invite your mother,
mother-in-law or others over to help, so that,
between all of you, every guest can be identified.
As you consider the various needs and personalities
of your guests, you can move the circles,
erase names and add those names to another
table. When decisions have been made,
print a revised list.
Here
are some points to consider when choosing
table locations for each guest.
Your
wedding day may become an unhappy memory for
an elderly guest who has been seated close
to a noisy band. Seat your youngest
guests closest to the music and your oldest
guests as far from it as possible. Incidentally,
you should have a wide selection of music
played during the reception, so that all your
guests will find favorites that they can dance
to or hum along with. It is also wise
to have a break from the music during the
main course, so that your guests can talk
without straining to hear their companion's
answers. Discuss the timing of music
breaks with your bandleader or DJ.
Seat
close friends together - they will expect
that, but try to mix it up a little.
Put some couples together with others whom
they don't know but might share interests
with. If you have an extended family
of 10 who want to be together, and you have
tables for 8, put six at one table and four
at an adjoining table, so that the family
still feels connected. Seat singles
in boy, girl, boy, girl fashion, and hope
that the conversation will develop. Lots of
romances begin during other people's weddings.
Not everyone will be happy with the
neighbors at their table - this is the case
with every wedding. But you can increase the
odds, if you give your seating some thought.
Sometimes,
the size of the room or the organization of
the tables means that the servers have to
squeeze between adjoining tables to serve
the meal. This is most annoying to a
guest forced to move their seat each time
someone passes behind them. You can often
avoid this problem, and the ire of your guests,
if you position the tables so that there is
adequate space for servers to pass through.
If you expect guests in wheelchairs,
give thought to their particular needs regarding
space and helpers, and seat them accordingly.
On
the subject of meals, pay attention to the
scheduling of the meal itself. If your
wedding is at 5pm with the reception following,
your guests will expect to start eating by
7pm. Even if you serve hors d'oeuvres,
you will discover that some people avoid them
in anticipation of a large meal. If
several speeches are followed by a long round
of dancing or other diversions and there is
no sign of the meal by 7:30pm, your older
guests will get edgy. A little later
and your guests will be requesting extra dinner
rolls or leaving in a huff! Discuss the
timing with your caterer and band or DJ, and
insist that your schedule be met.
If
you plan to have several children attending
the reception, allocate a separate table for
them. Ask the caterer about special
meals for children, they will probably be
less costly and more to the children's taste.
White grape juice can fill in for champagne
for your younger guests. Have some special
favors for the children, such as coloring
or puzzle books to keep them occupied.
Seat some parents or older siblings nearby
to superintend - or free up your older guests
by bringing in a babysitter to supervise.
