How to Create a Wedding Table Plan
Creating the wedding table plan is the chore that many brides-to-be find most daunting when organizing The Big Day; families and friends are complex and getting the social dynamic right at a wedding can be a bit of a minefield. Do you seat people together with other guests that they know, or mix it up and keep your fingers crossed that everyone gets along?
Here are a few tips for creating a table plan and you’ll have guests mingling away as if they have been BFFs for years.
First Things First
If you’re drawing a total blank on how to get started on your table plan, start by looking at your guest list and group them together on how you know them, i.e. school friends, work friends, church friends and so on. You could even create a reunion vibe if some of them have not seen each other in years.
Keep Age and Interests in Mind
While you love your great aunt Sue and school pals equally, chances are, if you seat them together, they will not have much in common, especially after they’ve exhausted talking about how beautiful you look, and how wonderful the day has been so far…. Avoid awkward silences by seating people together who have things in common. If your work bestie travelled France last summer, seat her with your cousin who is heading to Europe later in the year – even total strangers can bond over shared interests.
Also, try and seat grandparents and other mature guests a little further from all the noise – if they are hard of hearing they will struggle to be able to listen to the conversations and could be left feeling isolated.
Avoid the Infamous “Singles” Table!
Forget seating all your single guests on one table and hoping for the best; it can feel obvious to them and make for an uncomfortable situation. If there are singles you particularly think that will hit-it-off, then, seat them together on friendly, inclusive tables where they can talk to everyone, and hopefully they’ll naturally gravitate towards each other – no awkward match-making here, thank you!
DO Make a Table Plan
It can be tempting to bin off the idea of a seating plan altogether and let guests find their own seat, but we strongly advise against this. It can cause anxiety for some guests – nobody wants to relive the high school horror of eating be themselves in the corner, or sheepishly asking “is this seat taken?”
If assigning seats stresses you out, try assigning tables. Let your guests choose where they sit upon their designated table.
Be Tactful
Lastly, if you know two of your guests do not always get along, for the sake of everyone, avoid sitting them at the same table. We know, they should be able to put their differences aside for your special day, but it’s easier to set them apart than to break up a spat. Trust us.