Wedding Party plus one seating

I didn't know that head tables were considered rude until I came here. I have always seen head tables. I just went to a wedding February and it was the first time that I had to sit separate from FH. It was the best wedding ever. I had a ton of fun with the people at my table and half of them I didn't know. Fh kept coming by me cause our table was so energetic.

We actually had one girl at our table that was the date of one of the GM and she had a blast as well. She didnt know anyone but I couldnt tell cause she was so chatty.

I still plan on having a headtable at our wedding. FH really wants one too. A kings table with my bridal party would be about 35 people so we aren't doing that. I will put the SO's with either people they know or people their age. Its less than an hour, they can deal.

We're having a sweetheart table in the front/center, and off to the right of us will be two tables next to each other for the BP so they can be seated with their SOs/plus ones. It'll be a mixture of BMs and GM at the two tables.

I haven't gotten any complaints about this plan, other than one BM is preferring to be seated with her parents (she's 22), so we're going to give her two seats in case she changes her mind later and wants to sit with the rest of the BP.

This is giving me great ideas. I love the idea of a kings table. I like sweethearts tables bc they give the couple alone time to enjoy together but they seem impersonal (as a guest I feel like ppl are bothering them, like they want to be alone).

If you have significant others sit with the BP would it be weird for the sinle people of the BP? One if the groomsmen is going through a divorce! Hmmmm

Do their significant others ACTUALLY know other people to sit with? Or is it a case of "they've met at a bar a few times, they'll be fine!"

My FH was in a wedding last summer and I didn't get to sit with him. It was actually really awkward and terrible because I was sitting with all of his friends that I had met once or twice before.

What made it bad was actually that we spent the whole day apart--there's getting ready, ceremony , photos, traveling to reception site, cocktail hour, AND dinner. So yeah, couples can totally suck it up and have dinner separately. But they're not just having dinner without their SO, they're pretty much celebrating the entire day without them.

I will be keeping it the traditional way... they will have designated seating for dinner and then can do whatever they want once its time to party...

if they are doing speeches or whatever, you kinda want them to be in a uniform spot.

If all members of your party don't have dates, they will kinda feel left out that they didn't have one...they have put in a lot of work for your wedding. They are at a separate table as a SPOTLIGHT for their hard work

We're doing a head table, so two people in our wedding party will have a date not sitting with them.

One is my BM/FSIL's boyfriend. He will sit with her family at the very first table. He lives with them and is very comfortable with them. I think he can survive not sitting next to her for 2 hours.

The other one is a groomsman's fiancee, who will sit with friends. She has a ton of friends going to the wedding. Again, she will be fine sitting without him for 2 hours.

We seated everyone with people they knew. Our bridal party was with their SOs (if they had one) and friends, not us. No one feels left out for being single, and there's no reason for them to be in a certain spot for speeches. It sucks for the bridal party member and it sucks for their SO to be separated and the reception is FOR THEM Just because they're a bridal party member's SO doesn't make them less of a guest - and you wouldn't separate couples that aren't in the wedding party. It's like saying "come celebrate OUR love - but yours isn't as important so you guys can just suck it up and sit apart."

And again, remember, you will not be sitting at the table yourself for more than 10-15 minutes. You will have other things to do while everyone else is eating.

TL;DR: If you are justifying something with "my guests can suck it up," it's rude.

DH and I had our own table and we had a seperate table for the bridal party and their dates.

We are also doing a sweetheart table and sitting our BP with their dates.