Option on a seating chart

Browse the search feature at the top right of the page. This is asked very often and the consensus is always the same: assign guests to tables and let them pick the seat. Otherwise you have ptsd from the high school cafeteria which everyone dreaded. Also your waitstaff if you are serving a plated meal requires a seating arrangement.



The easiest and cheapest option is to go on Etsy and get colored card stock blank tent cards (one color per meal choice plus at least 15 extras because you will make typos and people need to be moved last second) and write your assignments on them. Full name on the outside, table on the inside. These are so much more efficient and and easy to read and pick up than a poster. Your handwriting doesn’t have to be perfect as long as it is readable.
A poster is expensive to print the first time, not counting reprints for mistakes and updates. The names are often very tiny and the in fonts that are difficult to read unless you are up close, which creates traffic jams, and guests forget their assignments on the way to the table. Plus there is no way for waitstaff to know who gets which meal.
Table assignments are required whether you are having plated, buffet or stations. The only time they are not necessary is for desserts only.

As a guest, unassigned seating is chaotic and sends my social anxiety through the roof as it causes you quickly try group those you know and find a table with enough vacant seats.

In regard to your specific concern, assigned seating doesn't mean people are forced to sit in their seats the whole duration of the reception - it is quite common for guests to get up and move around a bit and mingle with others at different tables.

I would at the very least have people assigned to tables so that there is at least some sense of direction for your guests as to where to sit.

Unassigned seating leaves people rearranging the table seating to squish in everyone they want, leaving other tables empty. It's basically passing one of the hosting jobs onto the guests. I would at least assign tables.

I am doing assigned seating because my FH parents are divorced and don't get along so assigned seating creates fewer chances for there to be problems.

I’m always curious why people think assigning seats means you can’t mingle. It’s not a classroom you basically only sit to eat. They can get up and talk to anyone the whole night. The seat is just to make sure everyone has somewhere to sit and eat as everyone said above.

We are doing assigned seating for dinner just to make sure everyone has a seat, majority of my guests are family but there will be a handful of coworkers and friends.

Don't do a free for all where guests can pick where to sit, its so awkward - someone might horde a table and then nobody sits with them or people drag seats over and then you have uneven seating at certain tables or families/couples get split up. At least assign tables. If you assign tables guests can still mingle before and after dinner.

I'm all for open seating. I've been to weddings with open seats and it was great. We are doing open seats as well for our wedding.

Hi ! At my wedding, I did the assigned seatting, I wanted to make sure that people will be able to speak each others languages ;-) And then, I think that there would be groups of 4-6 who would like to be together, and we had tables of 8, so some of the people had to sit with those they don't know. But I think we did a good job by putting them all together.

People typically don't seat themselves efficiently when there is completely open seating. I'm always a fan of assigning tables (though not assigning specific seats at the table). That way, everyone has a seat, they can sit by who they want to sit by at their table, and you don't need to provide extra tables and chairs to account for people leaving 1-2 spots open at each table. As soon as dinner and formal reception events (speeches, spotlight dances, etc) are over and open dancing begins, everyone can move around and socialize with everyone else.

Definitely assign a table. It’s awkward and inconsistent to find your own seating. People will wind up cramming too many to one table and barely anyone at another. It’s not a pleasant experience for guests.

Open seating is very common in the midwest where I grew up, but I'm doing assigned tables (live and getting married on the east coast) because I find it more convenient for people to have a "home base" for their things, for speeches, dinner, etc.

I think it depends on where you are from. I'm from Louisiana and have never been to a wedding that had assigned seating. It is always been a free for all-- no matter how fancy.

I did, however, go to one wedding out-of-state with assigned seating and I LOVED it. It did take away some social anxiety of picking where to sit.
I thought about doing it for my wedding, but I didn't think it would translate well. So mine will be a free for all.

I’m doing assigned seating but I’m mixing the families. So for instance my grandad and my fiancé’s uncle would get along great so I’m seating them at the same table this will allow you to connect the family members in your blended family.