Seating plan vs no seating plan?

Doing one: Orderly fashion. No one confusingly looking for a seat like you are the new kid in middle school at lunch time.

Not doing one: The entire world burning up in flames in mass chaos.

Pros for us is that we get to dictate who has to put up with our man-child friends. I would haaaate for my grandmother to have to sit next to any of our friends for the whole dinner, just because they are loud and often inappropriate Also, this way couples absolutely get to sit together, there's no awkward looking for 2 seats together when all the tables just have one seat left. Also also, there's no chance of my mother having to sit with my dad's wife. Unless you have the perfect family, I just think it's courtesy trying to keep everything as stress-free for them as possible. I'm awkward enough at social functions so I sympathize with wedding guests.

Cons... for my family there really aren't any. It might cause a light traffic jam when everyone goes into the reception space, but I think 5 minutes waiting to find your name is worth at least an hour of sitting with people you get along with.

Everyone here is going to tell you to do a seating chart. I'd recommend checking with your venue to see what their experience is. I have never been to a wedding with a seating chart - hadn't even heard of them before WW - so at my last meeting with my venue I asked about seating charts. I barely had the question out of my mouth when both the venue owner and my DJ said to absolutely NOT do one. Since they are very rarely done in my area, when there is a seating chart, it creates a total disaster because half the people try to follow it and half disregard it.

Only pros in my opinion. I went to a wedding where I only knew the bride and groom. I had to ask if a seat was taken and search around for a seat during the reception. So, so awkward for me.

Unless all of your guests really know each other I would at least assign tables. Plus you can assist with creating an atmosphere.

Im doing reserved tables for OOT guest and family. all of our friends wouldnt follow a seating chart anyways. i'll have signs saying reserved for family but thats as far as it goes.

I agree with @NelsonsGirl! I wasn't going to do a seating chart, but our invite list kind of ballooned from immediate family and very close friends to second cousins twice removed and their families. So we're definitely going to have a seating chart to make sure that everyone knows where they're sitting and hopefully has someone to talk to.

Some people like to make a compromise of sorts and say john and Jane doe, table 20... But then not literally assign the seats.

I have absolutely no idea how you can NOT do assigned seating if you give people a choice in food... How else would the wait staff know where to serve each person their chicken or beef? We will personally be doing assigned seating. We were just a wedding on Saturday and they had funny nicknames for all of the friends of the groom, and it was really funny and everyone enjoyed it

I also want to add that in Canadian weddings you do all your speeches during dinner, and that dinner usually takes 2-3 hours! So I would not want to be sitting with random strangers for that long! Also, you know all your guests best and would be able to coordinate things so that the table has fun and isn't just awkward and boring

I am on the fence about whether I will do a seating chart or not. I love how organized and "guest friendly" it would make the reception but I also know people who would disregard a seating chart for the simple fact that they don't have much experience with it. If we do decide to go with a seating chart, it will definitely be assigned tables not assigned seats.

Personally, I'm not doing one because there are at least 2 people I'm inviting who are divorced and the person they divorced will be there as well FMIL and FFIL (divorced and remarried) and my Aunt and Uncle (divorced when I was younger, and both have since remarried, but Aunt still doesn't like seeing new "aunt", but I still want Aunt to be a part of my day and I know she wants to be there too) so I figure I'll let people seat themselves that way they are as far or as close as they want to be to the people they want to see.

Cons: Just the time you have to spend making the assignments, which is usually nearing the wedding date as the guest list changes.

Pros: Non-confused, non-disgusted guests.

We decided to go with assigned SEATS, not just assigned tables. The main reason is that we are doing long tables, and just telling people to go to Table Number 8 isn't going to help when they can't see what imaginary line separates 8 from 9.

Plus, as above, I want to control which of my inappropriate friends sit near people I would like to not offend, and limit the number of people who have to deal with sitting with my father.

I am not a fan of no seating unless you have a very small amount of tables. FH and I went to a wedding once and saw a family that had to split into two tables. Mom with one kid and Dad with another kid.

I want to do one. I have been to three weddings without them. It worked out okay, but it can be awkward for people there by themselves. I actually have people like my mom and my mom's friend that is helping me coordinate saying not to do one. I have politely said thanks for the advice but I already have my table numbers and have made a display for my seating chart, I'm sticking to it. I think that it is actually less stressful for your guests. Unless of course a huge line forms at the table with the escort cards because they have gotten all jumbled up and it takes like 20 minutes for everyone to get in and get their seats! (Yes, I have experienced this)

I think it depends on how big of a reception you are having (and how close the guest will be to each other). You could probably get away with under 50 guests not having a seating chart, but anything over that I would be nervous. Also, for ex, one of my bridesmaids is bringing her boyfriend. Who knows NO ONE other than me and my fiance. I would hate for him to be stuck, odd man out, at a table with my great aunt or something.

@TeamDean I am also Canadian, and at my FSILs wedding a couple of years ago, I was stuck at a table where I knew practically no one (her grad class was a couple of years older than mine - at the same school -, so I was at their table. I knew of them and could recognize faces, but didn't KNOW them) and I cried pretty hard during FSILs husbands speech. In front of strangers. Super awkward. Yay for an open bar!

I went to a wedding without one. The group of people that I knew at the wedding was about 12-14 people. The tables were set for 10. However, no one wanted to sit with people they didn't know, sot hey kept pulling up chairs until there were like 15 people at one table, and missing chairs abound.

There's nothing you can say that would ever convince me that for more than 50 people, non-assigned seating works. Because it doesnt.

I'm following.

FW and I are currently in the middle of this debate. I at least want to do assigned tables and FW has no interest in assigning anything. Just like @muscularteeth I don't want any of my older family members getting stuck sitting with my not so calm and appropriate friends. Plus it is just easier to at least have the tables laid out with a certain number of people. I think, by all means, if you want to change seats during the reception go ahead but I'm going to at least assign tables.

I am assigning tables, but not seats. I know everyone and who they will best enjoy sitting with, and for a few of the people who are a little shy, they won't have to try to figure out who to sit with if everyone else they know already has a seat and there is no room for them.

A lot depends on how tightly packed your reception will be-- if you have 100 spots and 99 guests, you really need a chart, cause you can't afford to have empty chairs here and there. If, like me, your room holds 100 and you only have 60, then there are plenty of spots. And if you do go for assigned seating, please make sure people are seting next to those they know-- twice DH has been a groomsman and I've been at the 'reject significant others' table surrounded by people I *don't* know, while tables of close friends are nearby.

We are not doing a seating plan,we will reserve tables for bridal party and close relatives. But for the rest they can sit wherever they like. We will have table numbers only for the purpose of the buffet! No long lines here!

I I went to a wedding last summer without assigned seating and it was chaos. At one point people were in different groups standing around counting chairs. I'm doing one I don't like feeling awarkard or uncomfortable and standing around trying to find somewhere to sit is very awarkard and uncomfortable to me.