Reception Seating: Sweetheart Table, Head Table, Or King's Table?

View Quoted Comment That makes sense - that's a really cool way to setup the reception tables! And awesome that a kings table will work for you! I'd like to do one, but I think it'll require too big of a table for my group, so we'll probably have to do something a little different.

The kings table and sweetheart table are most polite to the wedding party, because they will be seated with their dates. I think it's rude to split couples up, even just for dinner. I haven't seen a traditional head table in years.

View Quoted Comment I totally agree. For my wedding, it's super important to my fiance and I that our wedding party members sit with their significant others, so we're not even considering a head table. I've seen a head table at a few weddings recently, though sweetheart tables and kings tables definitely seem to be becoming more popular.

I was planning on a sweetheart's table, but with our two daughters with us. I guess that's a sweetheart family table? We'll be facing each other at a square table, separate from others. The bridal party and their spouses/children will be at one table.
My hesitation is that now my daughter is engaged, and I feel bad having her at the sweetheart family table and her FH sitting elsewhere. I suppose I could have him sit at the sweetheart table making it 5. But my FH thinks that it should just be our daughters with us and if the new FH joins us, his daughter (who's 11) will be the odd one out.
So now I'm not sure... Maybe I should do a king's table? Or a traditional sweetheart table and our daughters sitting with the bridal party?

Definitely doing a sweetheart table! I want to have a few more private moments with my husband on our wedding day since the rest of the day will be spent celebrating with others. The day is to celebrate our love, so why not spend some time with the one you love?

View Quoted Comment I love the idea of a sweetheart family table! But I agree - it seems like you'll either be excluding some members if you only do you, your new husband, and your two daughters, or you'll have to make it a bigger table. The kings family table in that scenario seems like it would be around 7 people (you, your new husband, your two daughters, both of their significant others, and your daughter's FH's daughter), which doesn't seem too big at all!

View Quoted Comment Not quite, but I know what you're saying. Only my daughter is engaged. My FH's daughter is 11. So we were going to do just is 4 (bride, groom, 2 daughters). Now it would be 5 with FSIL. My FH feels like his 11yo would be lonely and the odd one out. All her friends would be at other tables. But I think if I present this to my FH and call it the "King's family table" he'll be more open to it LOL. It's only for dinner. I'm sure 11yo will be sitting and walking around with her friends the rest of the time. We may end up doing a head table with the bridal party and families all together. Make it easy lol

View Quoted Comment Love the idea of a sweetheart table to spend more time with just your new spouse! My fiance and I are considering this option as well!

View Quoted Comment Oh I see! Sorry, I misunderstood your original comment. The kings family table sounds like it would be a good option! You could also let one of the 11-year-old's friends sit at the table too, but I think her sitting with just your family would otherwise work out totally fine too!

We’re doing a king’s table with the wedding party + significant others, our parents, and us seated at the head almost exactly like your picture. For 26 people total.

View Quoted Comment Very cool! My fiance and I were hoping to do a king's table, but we don't think there would be enough space in our venue 🙁 awesome that you're also including your parents at your king's table!

My fiance and I both want to do a Sweetheart to enjoy another one on one time besides the first look... but we're considering a head table with the 2 witnesses + partners (no WP for us).

The reason why we are considering the head table is because we're concerned that the guests could approach us constantly during dinner, if we're having a sweetheart. We already know we would tell them something along the lines of: " Please not now, we're eating, see ya when we're done with this course or after our 1st dance" but we know both families: they will pi*s us off pretty quickly LOL, everyone from both families loves talking during breakfasts,lunches,brunches,dinners and loves rushing to the sweetheart table when there's one... everyone but us . And we both hate talking when we eat, so doing a head table could make sense unless we find a solution to make sure they let us enjoy our dinner. We are not paying $2,500-3000 for catering and being unable to eat, no way! LOL.

View Quoted Comment You bring up a really good point about people potentially interrupting your dinner if you do a sweetheart table! I think people try to wait until the bride and/or groom aren't already talking to someone before they go talk to them, so sitting alone at a sweetheart table might be interpreted by some people as an OK time to go say hi. Since you know your crowd will likely interrupt your dinner, a head table makes complete sense!

At my sister’s wedding, her and her husband sat at a table with closest family. So parents, siblings, siblings significant others, grandparents. Worked out great and I’m thinking about doing something similar! Since only one person on my side of the wedding party is not in that list, I’d probably also have her sit with us. 😊

View Quoted Comment That's a really cool seating arrangement! I like the idea of putting close family and friends all at the same table.

We are doing a sweetheart table (a white farmhouse table with vintage armchair rentals!), but we will also have our wedding party at a head table (a long brown antique farmtable) which will be positioned perpendicular to our sweetheart table. It's gonna be the best of both worlds!

View Quoted Comment That does sound like a good way to incorporate both a sweetheart table and a head table! Are you seating the significant others of the wedding party at their same table? Or elsewhere?

View Quoted Comment The big farm table is just big enough to fit the 5 bridesmaids on one side and the 5 groomsmen on the other, but my maid of honor's husband is one of the groomsmen, so they will be at the same table. The rest of the party are young engaged or newlyweds without kids, and there are mutual friends from college that they can sit with and catch up with during dinner. I don't think my particular group will mind sitting separately for an hour ☺️

View Quoted Comment That makes sense! Especially since they'll be at a table with other people they know and socialize with.

We are doing the king's table(right now). At first we were going to do a sweetheart table and a table for the wedding party and their spouses. I have some time to decide but we keep going back and forth between the two.