What are you doing for seating?!?

Do not do a free for all at all..... I went to a wedding in Nova Scotia where this happened and a lot of people were unable to sit with their friends or a couple people sat with a table to strangers.

If you're able to do assigned tables, that is the most optimal. They can sit next to whoever they want at that table where they at least know several people.

So, your seating arrangement was worked out until 4 people RSVP'd late? If it were me, I would just fill them in empty chairs, whether they're sitting at the same table or not. Or, put the four of them at the same table. I would say to them (probably in an email, because I don't like confrontation) that their RSVP was late, but they are still welcome to come but since your seating arrangement was already made, they will be given empty seats. If they were my husbands guests, I would've had him tell them.

For my wedding, we did assigned tables. We still had people ask to move to a different table. They asked my bridesmaids, not me (don't bug the bride!) but it was just annoying because I had sat them at that table for a reason and it also meant that two other people had to move tables.

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Thank goodness! Your guests will thank you for that lol.

View quoted message I personally wouldn’t do a free for all either, because as a guest, that would really stress me out. I’m doing assigned tables as well.

Definitely assigned tables!

Out of all the weddings I've attended, only one had a "free for all" approach to seating, and it was uncomfortable. I think assigned tables takes away that awkwardness.

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I know eh?! I've heard horror stories of it so that doesn't help!

View quoted message Haha, no kidding! It’s one of the things that would keep me up at night thinking about it. How bad is that lol

View quoted message It’s SO hard! My parents are divorced. I have nothing to do with my dads family at all, so no one is invited from his side of the family. Sorry Dad, looks like your sitting with 6 of your grand kids lol.

View quoted message It’s definitely such a big stress for something so minor! I don’t blame you for quitting lol.

View quoted message Haha. Adults kid table, love it! I’m with you! I need to finalize it now. Only 2 weeks left! lol. I’m going to just do assigned tables as well! I’m sick of stressing about who will sit where

View quoted message I’m going to do assigned tables and let people figure out the seating at the table on their own! It just seems to be the easiest way!

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That's hilarious!!

I have 170 people coming I am going to reserve the few tables around our table for my bridal party and their family and my parents (his are deceased). Then everything else is a free for all. We have lounge like seating in the hall, so they can sit with whom they wish. Best of luck to all you seat planners, I feel like I would have a breakdown doing it.

Assigned seating was created for 72 where family was put together as parents were seated with adults (her family) and aunt in law. The rest of the family were placed per table with cousins/aunts and uncles. Other tables had friends and co workers seated.

9 tables in total seated as:

Tables 1-6: Family/cousins/aunts & uncles

Table 7: 2nd Family with MOH and friend

Table 8: Co workers and parents of MOH

Table 9: Husbands salon friends & our friends

View quoted message It's only them that needs to be assigned lol! So I have to assign every one! It's harder then anyone thinks, making sure everyone works well together etc couples are seated together

View quoted message I know how you feel with that! My mom & stepdad refuse to sit anywhere near my dad & stepmom.. so seating has been a pain for me!

I'm doing assigned as FH has a step mom married to his dad and a step dad married to his mom, his mom and step dad don't wish to sit with FH dad etc. So I had to do assigned seats to prevent the issue. Plus I out couples together, and some people who don't know each other to get to know each other. I'm 14 days out and I just did the name place cards and still moved people around.

We are doing assigned tables and then they can chose their own seat at the table. It’s mostly my family so it won’t be an issue

We are doing assigned tables and then people choose where they sit at the table. We thought this way we can keep people away from those that they don't get along with but it's not so much work for us trying to decide where people sit specifically. All the weddings I've been to I have been assigned a seat and I find that I usually don't mind who I am sitting with at the table but that I would rather sit beside someone other than who I'm sitting beside. My fiance has the same opinion on the weddings he has been to so we figured that our guests would appreciate this.

View quoted message We'll have around 70 people at our wedding. We are going to put up signs saying to choose a seat. Our guests are mostly family and always sit in the same groups at every get together. So I don't think it will be an issue.

View quoted message How many people are you having at your wedding? and how are you telling people there picking their own seats? I'm realllllly wanting to not assign seating but I'm not sure how to deliver it without guests getting stressed out about having to choose.

We're doing assigned tables, I don't care where guests sit at the table lol

I'm not looking forward to doing the seating plan, but that's why they invented wine!

We're letting everyone chose their own seats at our wedding.

We’ve assigned tables, not seats.
And the Wedding Wire app was super easy to use, so we got the job done in about an hour.

We’re doing free for all. I kept panicking and over thinking it so I finally just said I quit, people can sit where they want lol. We’re having a pretty small wedding of a max of 60 people and everyone is family and close friends. They’re just gonna have to figure it out for themselves. I think it’s different if there’s a lot of people and a lot of random people that don’t know each other but in this case I think it’ll be fine. Im seeing a lot of comments about guests being stressed but when it came down to maybe a couple guests being stressed on where to sit vs me having panic attacks - well you see what won.

I am 21.5 days away! We are doing assigned tables, and they can choose which seat they sit in..I couldn't deal with the stress of picking their seats as well haha The seating chart took me about 2 weeks to fully complete (started it when we had most of the RSVPs back) I had to re-work a few tables a couple of times but I managed to make it work in the end! We have 4 kids coming and they are sitting with their parents, adult children of some of the guests will be at an adult kids table lol
Tuesday I am taking the seating chart to Staples to get printed, so after that its set in stone.

I will be having assigned tables. Then people can figure out seating from their. I have went to weddings where it was no seating assigned and we sat where we wanted but multiple gaps in between. I have also been to weddings where there was assigned and its been fine, I was with people I knew

I hear you! We are 15 days away, and I had two different rsvps today! We are having a small wedding, with one big table (horse shoe shaped) and I want to make sure that everyone fits! If it's a free for all, people will just sit wherever and then be "inconvenienced" by having to shuffle spots to make room. Also, I want my grandmother to have a specific spot, the emcee, the four babies that will be there should have an easy exit if necessary. Not to mention those certain family members that can barely be in the same room, breathing the same air... So many things to think about. Creating an adequate seating plan is no easy task. I do know that as a guest, its hard to judge where to sit without a seating plan.

View quoted message That makes sense! The majority of the kids at our wedding will be between 7-11 years old haha

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Kids are sitting with their parents - The kids are either 12+, so likely wouldn't want to sit at a kids table, or under 6, so I don't want them sitting without their parents.

View quoted message I can't see any of my guests doing that be it never hurts to be prepared lol

View quoted message Ha! No kidding! That’s hilarious!