Ever After Designs Wedding Blog

For many people, this is one of the most difficult elements of planning a wedding. It is quite normal to think “where on earth do we start!?”. Fear not because all of the information you need is right here. This is my ultimate guide to arranging your seating plan.

The Top Table

It makes logical sense to start with the top table, this is the easy part. The traditional order for the top table is as follows, from left to right (as you face the table):

Chief Bridesmaid, Groom’s Father, Bride’s Mother, Groom, Bride, Bride’s Father, Groom’s Mother, Best Man.

Although this is the traditional order, don’t feel like you have to conform to it rigidly. Some couples will have just one of each set of parents on the top table (either to save room or maybe if a parent is deceased). Some couples also prefer not to seat the chief bridesmaid at the top table. Choose whatever works best for you.

The Hard Part – The Tables

This is definitely the tricky part but by following my 8 top tips you should be able to seat your remaining guests with ease. Have your guest list at the ready and with the help of some coloured markers you will be done in no time.

1. Mix Up Big Groups – Your first instinct will probably be to seat members of a certain family/group of friends all on one table. The problem in doing this is that you end up with lots of leftover individuals or couples (who don’t belong to a group) all stuck on one table (awkward silence). Instead try to break up the groups and spread them more evenly, which brings me to my next point nicely…

2. Make Sure Everybody Knows Someone Else – I think this is THE most important thing to consider when arranging your seating plan. Try to make sure that each and every person (or couple) at a table knows at least one other person at that table. This should naturally spark conversation which will avoid those awkward silences. Also, if you seat couples (who know eachother) at opposite ends of the table, then the conversation can be heard by everyone, giving others the opportunity to join in.

3. Common Interests – Try to consider any hobbies or interests that your guests might have in common when deciding where to seat them. It is also a good idea to consider their personalities and avoid grouping together guests that you feel might clash.

4. Tradition vs Convenience – Traditionally, the seating order should be alternate genders (man, woman, man, woman etc). This is a good rule of thumb when arranging your guests but don’t feel like you have to conform to this fully. If a single male guest only knows one other person on their table, who also happens to be male, you may wish to seat them together for convenience.

5. Keep Couples Together – I would advise against splitting up couples. Most couples will agree that a wedding is an opportunity to spend some time together and be merry. It would be a shame not to be able to talk and laugh together if seated at opposite ends of the room.

6. Table Names – Instead of having table numbers, you may wish to consider table names. It could be the name of a place, person or an object that is meaningful to your and/or your guests. This can also be a great conversation starter for your guests.

7. Kids – Young children should be seated with their parents. You may want to consider placing sticker books or comics on these tables to keep the children amused. Crayons are also an option as long as you trust them not to draw all over those beautiful tablecloths. Older children could be seated together, rather than with their parents, if you feel that it would be appropriate.

8. Common Sense – For this tip it will help to visualise the room. It wouldn’t be a good idea to seat Granny at the back of the room, as she might not be able to hear the speeches. But at the same time, you wouldn’t want to put her next to a large speaker. If you have a group of friends who are known for being a bit ‘lively’, you might want to put them near to the back of the room. Consider placing children at a table that is surrounded by a bit more space, or near the exit so that they can go and let off steam outside.

So there you have it, my ultimate guide to arranging a wedding table seating plan.

Click here to view my unique range of handmade wedding table seating plans

Thank you

R xx

This may sound like a rather obvious subject but please humour me, you may even learn something new.

When choosing wedding stationery, a couple may already have a theme or colour scheme in mind. This will undoubtedly help to narrow the search. Often the chosen colour scheme will have been inspired by a favourite colour or the colour of the bridesmaid dresses. Ok so the next question is, where do I look to find the stationery of my dreams? I have detailed 5 resources below which may be of some use during the search.

1. Google/Google Images

The worlds most powerful search engine and probably the quickest way of browsing the largest number of wedding stationery designs. A bit obvious though huh!? Well, one excellent tool from google that many people overlook is the image search. This displays the search results as images only, giving you a huge amount of images to browse through, without having to navigate each individual website (very time consuming). N.B. The google image search button can be found in the top left hand corner of google.

2. Wedding Blogs

Wedding blogs are becoming increasingly popular and can be extremely helpful when planning a wedding. They can be an excellent resource not only for stationery but for other aspects of a wedding e.g. photography. Most good blogs have a category/subject list on the right hand side which can help with navigation.

3. Wedding Fairs

Visiting a wedding fair does offer one major advantage to all other resources mentioned here, especially when it comes to stationery. Having the freedom to see the cards in person allows you to judge the quality of the products, feel the textures, the thickness of the card and the print quality. These are all very important aspects of good quality wedding invites.

4. Wedding Magazines

Magazines are extremely convenient as they can be read/browsed anywhere, at pretty much any time. I think they are an excellent resource, but should not be the only resource as they can be biased towards companies who advertise with them.

5. Wedding Directories

Whether they be in magazines (usually at the back) or online, directories can be an excellent way to find new suppliers. This is a somewhat time consuming method of research but can be a great way to find that perfect wedding stationery.

Should you need any more inspiration regarding wedding resources, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you

Rebecca x