Seating Chart Dilemma

Wedding coordinators, WeddingWire and the wedding forums on Reddit are all overwhelmingly in favor of seating charts for the reason you describe -- lacking a seating chart causes problems for guests. Not sure why it's controversial?

Either way, there's nothing wrong with putting your friend and their plus one with your coworkers if the table has room. Why does it matter whether it's an even or odd number if the table can accommodate the quantity of people? Wouldn't adding the friend+plus one keep it an even number anyway since you're adding two people to an already-even number? If your friend has met your coworkers but none of the other guests, I would prioritize placing them with the coworkers so they can chat with familiar people at dinner rather than strangers.

But ultimately it's not the end of the world if they're seated with people they don't know -- it's a common occurrence at weddings and just the nature of wedding events that you may not know everyone at your dining table.

I'm confused why adding your friend and their plus with your co-workers is a problem if it's even. Did you mean you already have that table filled with the max number of people? If not, then adding two more people would still keep it even. I would definitely try to include your friend at a table with people she has already met.

Also why isn't your sister-in-law sitting with her significant other or other family members? It seems odd that you are sitting her with your fiancé's friends. If she is your brother's wife she should be sitting with him and your parents or if she's your fiancé's sister then she should be sitting with your mother-in-law and father-in-law.

View Quoted Comment I realize now that I worded it wrong 😅 Even number meaning the tables are filled/ only the friend is left

View Quoted Comment I did mean that the tables are filled 😬 I have 18 friends/partners coming and our tables are 8 seaters.
Unfortunately, my sister in law is by herself because she is the only family that is coming for me 😞 My brother is military & has maneuvers they will not allow him to miss.

There’s always one table of people who don’t fit anywhere else. It’s normal and where your friend would be expecting to sit if they don’t know anyone else. I’d rather be in a catchall table than be the only one at a table where everyone else is already friends — you’re all more inclined to make conversation than being the one left out of a conversation of all friends talking.


To the person asking why it’s controversial, it’s really a cultural thing. In my area, seating charts are really rare and people are used to finding their own seats. In that context, you feel like a small child at school being assigned a seat. If it’s common around you, then you feel awkward trying to find a seat. It’s all a matter of matching the expectations around you.