Wedding Bridal Party Seating...??

[muffindowd]

Hi ladies!!

Our wedding is in a very short 11 days and we are working on our seating chart. Right now, including us, with hopefully no changes, we are at exactly 100 people for our wedding which was our original goal (huzzah!!). We are sitting at a sweetheart table and intended to have 10 tables of 10 people. I just realized that our bridal party (including their dates of course) adds up to 15 people. What do you do in this situation? Have a table of 10 of the bridal party, another of 5, plus 5 other close friends of ours? Have two bridal party tables (one of 7 and one of seating 2 or 3 people less than the other tables, which would require another table (and another flower arrangement), or have a table with 7 of the bridal party along with 3 close friends and another table of the bridal party (the remaining with another couple of friends? I really don''t want to have a whole extra table just because of bridal party and date overflow. What would you do??

Thanks for your opinions!!

 

[brooklyngirl]

We are not having a special table for the bridal party. Some of the bridal party will sit with our friends, and some will sit with their families.

For your situation, if your bridal party and your friends are from the same group, and know each other, why not just mix up the tables? Is there a particular reason that you need to have a special table for the bridal party?

 

[muffindowd]

Thanks so much for your input! There isn''t a specific reason that we were having the bridal party sit together other than the fact that we just thought it was done that way. They aren''t exactly from the same group...my sister is my MOH, I have a girlfriend from college as a BM and another from high school, and another who is a good friend through my FI. My FI''s best man is his brother and his groomsmen consist of old friends who all know each other. I just thought the bridal party always sat at a table together...closer to the front of the room, closer to the bride and groom and immediate families. So you''re just seating them wherever you feel they''d be happiest? That seems like a great solution too...I didn''t even really think of that as an option. I guess the other solution would be similar to that anyway, mixing in a few of our close friends with the bridal party at the bridal party tables...

 

[muffindowd]

OK solution............
We''re just going to put people where they are most comfortable, like with their family/friends, as brooklyngirl suggested. I don''t know why I thought there was a bridal party table, but my FI did too, so obviously we don''t know as much about weddings as we thought, haha! This is a perfect solution and I just talked to one of my BM''s who was married two years ago. They did it this way and it worked perfectly.

 

[Octavia]

I plan to have a small bridal party, and I'm going to seat them with people they are friends with, not at one particular table. At this point, I will probably have my two best friends as bridesmaids, and FI will have his brother and another close friend as groomsmen. My BMs have met each other once before, and neither has met either GM. It would be wierd, IMO, to force them all to sit together when they could be sitting with people they're friends with but have few chances to see anymore. It would probably be a different story if they were all good friends with each other, though. So, I say do what works best for you and what will make your attendants happiest -- after all, it's supposed to be a happy occasion and most people aren't happy trying to drum up awkward dinner conversation!

ETA: while my computer was being super-slow, you posted again -- glad it worked out!!

 

[Gwyn]

Date: 9/22/2008 3:20:17 PM
Author: muffindowd
OK solution............
We're just going to put people where they are most comfortable, like with their family/friends, as brooklyngirl suggested. I don't know why I thought there was a bridal party table, but my FI did too, so obviously we don't know as much about weddings as we thought, haha! This is a perfect solution and I just talked to one of my BM's who was married two years ago. They did it this way and it worked perfectly.

I think it was customary to have a head table kind of deal, and then when sweetheart tables became more popular, people started doing tables with the bridal parties too. But I dont see anywhere that says it has to be done that way


None of my bridal party (maid of honor and two bridesmaids) will be sitting at the same table. My FI's groomsmen (though they have all been friends since elementary school, will also be seated at different tables. Actually one of them is at a different table then the others). it is just how our seating worked out. We went the place people where they would most likely chose to sit option. I dont think there will be any issue with it either.

Enjoy crossing "seating chart" off your list

 

[Sabine]

You already decided, but I would agree to just put them with who they would want to sit with. But I also just wanted to say that if you actually end up with 10 tables with 10 at each, I will be infinitely impressed!!! Our tables sat 8, and we had TONS of tables of 6, 7, and a few of 9!

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 9/22/2008 1:58:17 PM
Author:muffindowd
Hi ladies!!

Our wedding is in a very short 11 days and we are working on our seating chart. Right now, including us, with hopefully no changes, we are at exactly 100 people for our wedding which was our original goal (huzzah!!). We are sitting at a sweetheart table and intended to have 10 tables of 10 people. I just realized that our bridal party (including their dates of course) adds up to 15 people. What do you do in this situation? Have a table of 10 of the bridal party, another of 5, plus 5 other close friends of ours? Have two bridal party tables (one of 7 and one of seating 2 or 3 people less than the other tables, which would require another table (and another flower arrangement), or have a table with 7 of the bridal party along with 3 close friends and another table of the bridal party (the remaining with another couple of friends? I really don''t want to have a whole extra table just because of bridal party and date overflow. What would you do??

Thanks for your opinions!!

I would maybe do the girls and their dates for one table and the men and their dates for the other. Any empty seats can be filled with close friends.

 

[Izzy03]

I really don't see a need for a bridal to all be seated at one table. Just position them in tables near each other. I really think your bridal party and guests will enjoy themselves more if they are seated at a table with their friends.

You have a lot to worry about, so don't fret over this. I promise, no one (but you) will really pay attention to whether the bridal is all at one table or spread around the room!

 

[MsSassy]

you dont have to have to sit together, but i think its nice to have them close by...that way if you need to get their attention or help with something your not looking all over the place or tripping over people to get to them.

 

[muffindowd]

Update!

My fiance and I worked on our seating chart last night and it worked out perfectly!! We put the bridal party where we thought they''d like to sit (and most of them ended up at one of two tables anyway, which we''ll put toward the front of the room) and all of the tables worked out perfectly!! I guess my math was a bit off because it looks like we have 97 people (excluding us), so there are a couple of tables of 9, but every other table worked out PERFECTLY into 10!! My family takes up two tables, my fiance''s family takes up 3, and our friends take up a hefty 5 tables......
But it feels amazing to have this large of a task crossed off my list!! We''re getting married next Friday so I obviously have a lot on my plate. I feel really lucky how well the seating chart is working out!!

Thanks again for all of your input...I can only imagine myself struggling last night attempting to fix it so that all of the bridal party sat together. This way, my MOH (and sister) can sit with my parents, grandparents, and immediate family...my BMs can sit with friends, and the groomsmen all ended up at one table anyway since they are all old friends!! Perfection.

Thanks again ladies!!