~ SPECIAL PROMOTION! ~

Confirm your booking with us for custom designed wedding invitations by

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

and we will design and create an elegant custom

seating charts for weddings

to match your one-of-a-kind custom wedding invitations!

(minimim order to qualify for this special promotion is $500 before taxes)

Do I really need assigned seating?  Um… YES!!!

Shouldn’t guests choose where they sit? After all we are all adults?

In fact, guests often prefer assigned seating, particularly guests 50 years of age and older. Unassigned seating sounds great in theory and is one less thing to do for the event’s organizer, but unfortunately, rarely works out so well for several reasons:

-    There may be a rush for the “good” seats
-    It will take a lot longer for your guests to be seated as they may still be milling around while the food is being served
-    Your beautiful décor will be spoiled by guests leaving their coats on chairs to reserve them
-    The last few guests end up walking around looking for seats
-    Couples can be split up
-    Elderly guests may end up seated where they can’t see or hear anything

It can be a pretty miserable experience for guests. The larger the event, the bigger the risk you are taking with unassigned seating.

Assigning Seats or Tables With Seating Charts For Weddings?

Guests can be assigned to a table (where they can choose any seat) or assigned to a specific seat. If they are assigned a specific seat a place card is placed at the table.

Seating Arrangements

You might want to put people next to people they know, or you might want to split them up a bit so they meet new people. Try to put each person next to at least one person they already know. People are more likely to get on well if they are similar ages or have similar interests. It might not be a good idea to put your ‘alternative lifestyle’ friend with the piercing and tattoos next to your 80-year-old grandmother. A little common sense goes a long way.

Generally, when planning your seating charts for weddings, you should try to put families together and work colleagues together. But if you know people don’t get on, try seating them separately. It is worth breaking with tradition to have a stress free event.

Avoid mixing age groups too much. Young children should be seated with their parents. Older children can be seated with their parents or at a table together.

Try to create balanced tables, with even numbers of males and females. It is traditional to alternate male-female-male-female guests in some cultures.

Try to avoid putting guests on the same table as ex-partners, unless you are sure this is OK. Remember that every room has 4 corners!

Resist the temptation to have a ‘leftovers’ table of all the people who didn’t fit on other tables. It is probably better to distribute such guests evenly.

Seating Charts for weddings, Escort Cards, Table Numbers and Place Cards

Guests will need to know which table they are seated at so they do not have to walk around to find their place. This is done by displaying a seating chart or escort cards prominently at the entrance to the venue. Whether you prefer a seating chart for weddings or escort cards is a matter of personal preference.

Escort cards show the name and number of the table a guest is seated at. They are normally placed on a table, in alphabetical order, at the entrance to the venue.

Table numbers are placed on tables to display the number or name of the table. They should be large enough to read without having to walk right up to the table. Table number cards are usually large tent fold cards, or flat cards in a holder. Make sure they aren’t so tall that they prevent guests seeing each other over the table.

If you are feeling creative you can give tables names instead of numbers. Named tables add a bit more atmosphere and a personal touch. Possible table naming themes include: flowers, gemstones, countries, colours, actors/films/TV programs, bands/songs, cocktails, sweets/candies, a word or a phrase in a different language such as “I love you”.

Place cards are placed at each setting to ensure guests sit in the correct seats.

If you have assigned guests to seats you will need:

-    seating chart, table numbers and place cards; or
-    escort cards, table numbers and place cards

If you have assigned guests to tables you will need:

-    seating chart and table numbers; or
-    escort cards and table numbers

In So Many Words can help you out with all your Wedding Seating Plan requirements with our seating charts for weddings.  We will also help you design and create matching table numbers, menus, place cards, seating cards and escort cards!