Seating Chart

I would put all the people with babies on the 3rd table close to the entrance and then group everyone by age or common interests or coworkers and then immediate family and close friends will be close

Place guests as whole families and/or by age company. This helps to divide apart that don't get along to keep the peace and the evening smooth.

I agree with Amelia in terms of putting the guests with young ones on the outside tables because they are prone to "I gotta go and I gotta go now". As for everyone else, I would put immediate family together and have them seated close to your table and work your way back.

We are doing something similar and I know what you mean with the language barriers. Most of our families speak English, however my dads side speaks Italian as a first language and my FH has family that speaks Dutch. We are putting both of our immediate family at one table and then having the family that we are closer to after them and finally at the end having more or less the extended family. We are also sitting them with people within their side of the families and with ones they get along with because that way it won't be awkward and they can still understand one another.

You can sort of mentally block each table into 3 or 4 sections so maybe closer family is in the quarter of each table closest to the head table.


For people with small kids I would put them at one of the outside tables at the side closest to the exit or bathrooms in case they need to make a speedy trip. And maybe keep people with a person or two that they know while putting strangers with things in common together, like if your cousin and his uncle both love to fish maybe putting their groups nearby so they can get to know one another better.