You’re knee deep in planning your wedding reception when the thought crosses your mind “Do I really need a seating chart for my guests?” With so many other things to prepare for, can’t my guests just seat themselves?
Like most wedding details, there is not a true right or wrong choice. At Amazing Graze Barn, we prefer you opt for a seating chart, but here are a few pros and cons to consider when making the decision for your big day:
Downstairs area at Amazing Graze Barn
Downstairs area at Amazing Graze Barn
Downstairs area at Amazing Graze Barn
PROS for a Seating Chart at your Wedding
AVOID MOVING TABLES AND DECOR
According to The Knot, the average wedding hosts 131 guests. That’s a lot of people scrambling to find a seat next to people they know. Plus, if they come in a big group, they might move chairs and place settings around to fit everyone at one table- even after you have spent all that time and planning to get your tables looking just the way you want!
However, if you have a seating chart, everyone knows who sits where at your wedding reception. Therefore, you can choose how many seats at a wedding table looks best for the space to prevent a messy free-for-all.
make the most of your venue space
You’ve paid for a fantastic venue to host your wedding. So you want to make the most of it! By having a seating chart for your reception, you can maximize the floorplan. It stops guests from moving chairs and blocking pathways to the food and dancefloor.
At Amazing Graze Barn, we generally do recommend a seating chart. To help with this, check out our capacity diagram to determine what location works best for you. Once you have determined your reception location, we will provide you with an online program to digitally create your seating chart. Complete with round, rectangle, and cocktail tables, color coding, and text overlay, creating a seating chart will be easier than you might imagine!
ensure a great guest experience
Aside from giving your guests the space to dance the night away, a seating plan makes sure they are near people they know, or who you feel like they would best get along with. For example, you can sit all your college friends at one table and your cousins at another. Plus, you can create a wedding seating chart for divorced parents.
Covered Patio area at Amazing Graze Barn
Upstairs area at Amazing Graze Barn
Likewise, you can sit guests who don’t know anyone next to each other. You know your guests. Ask yourself who is a social butterfly and who is shy. Then place them together to make it easy for those attending alone to make new connections.
Guests are often up and down at a wedding, using their seat as their home base. Making sure they have a place literally with their name on it, helps them feel more comfortable and a sense of belonging.
The caterers will thank you
If you’re providing a formal dinner for your guests, they will be looking forward to eating after making their meal choices in advance. However, if someone opts for a vegetarian option, your caterers will need to know where that person is sitting.
CONS for a wedding seating chart
It can be time consuming and an additional expense
Place cards can be expensive, adding more to your budget. But, there are ways around this as name cards are simple to DIY, even if you do not consider yourself crafty. Check out our blog: Wedding Name Cards that Don’t Cost a Fortune for great ideas!
Although it seems like creating a seating chart is straightforward, it can become a lengthy and frustrating process. After planning the entire day down to the last detail, a seating chart may not seem worthwhile. As tough as it seems, wait until your RSVP date is over to attempt creating your chart. While it’s not ideal to wait until the last minute, you will be surprised at how many guests go back and forth with their invite. Waiting until mostly everyone has committed, means you avoid making your chart more than one time.
You’re dependent on RSVPs
Before you can make a seating plan, you first need to know who will be attending your wedding. But you may be waiting until the last minute to have a concrete plan. In addition, there may be a few guests who RSVP days before the big day. So you’ll have to quickly rearrange your seating plan to fit them in.
You should also be prepared for a few surprises as your wedding day grows closer. After all, disasters happen! For example, your bridesmaid may come down with the flu, or your out-of-town cousin’s flight might be delayed. If guests are missing, you’ll want to switch up the seating plan, so tables don’t look empty.
Downstairs area at Amazing Graze Barn
Whether you have a wedding with or without a seating chart, the choice is yours! The team at Amazing Graze Barn has all the wedding seating chart advice you need to make planning your big day a little easier. Contact us today to set up a tour.
Bonus:
Before you assign your guests seats, you should think about:
● The size of the venue
● How many people have RSVP
● If there is good traffic flow to the bar and the dancefloor
● If the guests will be happier moving around