Seating Chart or Opening Seating, and NO-Shows

I'm not sure what you're asking ... it is a bit confusing....

I'm not having a seating chart, but my meal is being served buffet style.

If your having a plated meal, I think a seating chart would make everything much easier.

You have two choices.

1. Make a seating chart and people will enjoy your wedding day

2. Don't make a seating chart and people will hate you

I don't mean to be harsh, but that's just the way it is. With 190 people, you will have complete chaos without a seating chart.

I am assigning each guest to a table and they can choose where they would like to sit at the table.

I agree with August bride. With that amount of people you should have some kind of seating chart.

No seating chart = people wandering around trying to find spots to sit where they can still be with their significant other. It feels like the cafeteria on the first day of middle school.

At the very least, you need to assign people to a TABLE, and not necessarily a seat. You can't factor in no-shows, sorry. You can read all sorts of % but all of those vary between each wedding, what day the wedding is on, etc. People get sick last minute as well. We had an entire table end up getting sick the week or two before the wedding, and they didn't show up (they told me beforehand but I couldn't mess with my count by then).

We had a buffet dinner, and we still went with assigning tables. It's NOT hard. The WW Seating Chart feature is awesome, and once you input your guests, it's super easy to play with the seating. Yes, it'll take time to enter all 200 of your folks, but it's not hard.

I ended up DIYing our seating chart since I didn't have time to order one. So I just printed 3 copies of it on 11x17 paper, mounted them, and all 3 were on display at the wedding for people to find their tables. Easy.

ANOTHER THING ABOUT OPEN SEATING: You don't want RANDOM friends sitting right near you guys while your parents/grandparents are on the opposite side of the room beside the loud speakers. Think of it that way.

Assign tables.

Do a seating chart! You won't be able to control the no shows anyway. The seating chart will alleviate stress and confusion for your guest. Make it fun for your guests...

We had a plated family style dinner with 135 guests and we assigned everyone a table, not necessary a seat. You NEED TO DO this. As others have stated, it's not hard to do either through WW or just sit down with some paper and pen.

And by the way, we only had 1 no-show.

That % you are quoting is more likely the number of guests who RSVP NO. Since you have your RSVP count in, I would disregard that number of potential no shows and bet on everyone coming.

I really want to avoid paying for a large amount of NO-Shows. I've heard other stories from brides about people who RSVP and did not attend their wedding. I would assume that having open seating would eliminate that. However after reading these remarks it appears that a seating chart will make our guess more comfort and eliminate other headaches an choas. I guess I cant predict how many will NOT show. If I do a seating chart I planned on just assigning tables not actual seats.

I thought open seating will also work for my guest cause my cocktail hour and dinner are in the same room. Im still pondering the idea

Actually, having cocktail hour and dinner in the same room will make it worse, as half the people will claim seats for their friends with shawls, purses, etc, and half will mosey over to the bar. Then, when the people from the bar come back to find seats, they won't know where to sit and everyone will be milling around.

The last wedding I went to with open seating had cocktail hour and dinner in the same room, and it was a mess. DH and I circled the room over and over trying to find two seats together, only to find out that every seat was "saved" (and lots of times, saved for a person who wound up sitting somewhere else!). Plus, we sat with total strangers instead of the OOT friends we'd really hoped to catch up with. It was awful, and we felt really unwelcome and wound up leaving soon after dinner. Stop pondering and do a seating chart.

Also, I find this fear of no-shows bizarre. I only had one no-show, and that was my evil SIL.

Nothing ever goes well with no seating chart.

Assigning tables is fine too. That's what I think of when I hear seating chart. As long as people have at least a particular table to sit at, it should be fine.

10-20% no show rate is VERY high. That is not a "rule" and I would be very surprised if you actually had that number not show up. Of your 190 guests, that's 19-38 guests not showing after they RSVP yes! Not likely. Most people have a couple of no-shows. Not a lot.

Like others have said, do a seating chart. It will make everyone happier and your event will run more smoothly.

I don't know why brides stress so much over paying for a few plates for people who don't come. In the grand scheme of your total wedding budget, it is a drop in the bucket. You were planning to spend the money anyway, otherwise you wouldn't have invited them in the first place. No shows are part of any planned event. You just have to let it go.

Seating charts are a pain for brides and grooms but are a relief for your guests. Like Shannon said, with no seating chart, your guests walk around trying to find a seat together.

I guess with everything else in place this is like the last little thing that needs to be done , and Im dreading do it! But its very clear here that most of you assume that seating charts are a MUST at a wedding.

I'm going to be different from everyone here - I hate seating charts. People lining up to get a card or read a flippin' chart...feels like cattle being herded. And then, when I was single, there was the endless singles table nonsense. The black hole of common sense where brides seem unable to resist (for reasons I will NEVER understand) trying to set up their friends with one another. In a room full of adults, people should be able to go to a table and sit down. Its not hard, you go, you walk, you sit. Easy. Just ask a friend or family member who won't be held up by photos to keep an eye on things. If people start having issues, that person can politely come in and say "Good evening, you know I think I have a great table for you here. Follow me." Done. And, you know you are always looking for something for that 3rd cousin to do so they don't feel left out....

Last wedding we went to we ended up sitting with the Groom's mother and none of our friends, who all ended up at other tables. It was chaotic and horrible. That being said, I have several tables of 9, and a few couples that it seems I will never get to seat together. Guess I'll just have to wait until the RSVPs come in and I'm sure about who's showing and not showing.

I am only doing assigned seating for the wedding party, parents and grand parents. The other 5 tables are left open. Also you might get more purple who did not rsvp over purple who did and don't show the day of. The 20% is fir people rsvping no to begin with.