Seating Chart.... How to decide who sits with who?

We had made a seating chart originally and although my parents are still happily together - his parents never were and my MIL has held a grudge against my FIL for almost 3 decades... so we had figure - SUCK IT UP! lol and sat them at tables right next to each other. Had my parents not been together and we had 4 sets of parents I would just say put the moms and one table and the dad's at the other? Why not intertwine them right?

In the end with how many people at our wedding cancelled on us we just let everybody find their own table and seats but had a reserved sign on the one for our parent's. If they don't like that then they can sit at a table that isn't marked reserved

We had the same issue with our wedding. More of my family came to the wedding than his, so I tried hard to keep them both on their own sides, but they over lapped and there is nothing you can do.

What if you put a table between your parents? and fill it with cousins, or siblings.

We had my Dad's table, my uncles and aunts on my Dad's side, and then my Mom's side aunts and uncles and my Grandma. This way there was a little bit of a buffer.

When it came to cousins and extended family, they will understand not being closer to the front.

As Kelsie said, the best thing is to wait until you get the RSVP's back to start worrying!

View quoted message I wish it was that easy ahaha.

Why dont you mix one of your parents with his immediate family? or you can have them at table thats close to you guys. can you just ask them to get a long for ONE night LOL!!

I completely removed arranged seating. No one stays there anyways because they want to visit with others. That way no one has to sit with someone they don't want to. I even have an extra table just incase

I understand your dilemma: I have split parents and my fw doesn’t have enough to fill a table. We have friends from all walks dispersed amongst family and my family is on opposite sides to ease any tensions. Rather than shove all our friends at the “friend table” we tried to pair them with family members we thought they’d get along with (plus we have a sit-down shower where they can get to know each other ahead of time)
It really is a lot of trial and error. I really recommend the seating option here on ww because it will show all your guests and you can arrange the tables to how yours will look.

We’ll have these issues but aren’t worrying about the seating chart until we get the RSVPS back. If people end up not coming then it’s one less issue we have to worry about.

The way FH and I are doing it is having a sweetheart table for just us, and then people of similar age and/or interests sitting together regardless of which family they are since we're all going to be family anyway. As for my parents, they're also split and don't get along great but I told them to be adults and put up with each other just for my wedding day since it's only for an hour during dinner that they need to be at the same table and can go where they please after.

We also purposely set up the tables so that there's no "front" or "back" table so no one has any reason to complain, which I understand won't work for everyone's situation. In certain rooms and setups though there isn't much you can do, and just have to do the best you can and move on. And like I told my parents, once dinner is over then everyone is free to move about and go sit with whom ever they want, so I really don't understand when people make a fuss over where they were seated for dinner.

Hi Nadia,

I have the same problem. I still have yet to figure it out.

Have you thought of mixing up the families as opposed to having "sides"?

We are going with a sweetheart table with rounds tables to the left and right. Seating family in the front on the right and left side. Our families have not met. So I am hoping this works.

Hoping more members will have some better ideas.