Who Should We Sit With? 6 Great Ways to Arrange Your Head Table at Your Wedding
By: Margaret Brower
Every couple comes to a point in their wedding planning when they approach the dreaded feat of their floor plan. Who to sit where, next to whom, in what part of the room. Some couples have to play wedding guest checkers or chess in the logistical mapping; which can quickly turn into let’s make a deal, all to avoid being called to come on down in next episode of wedding family feud.
NOTE:: This is where you pour your glass of wine.
But a fun part of the floor plan can be deciding who will sit by YOUR side.
1. A Table for 2 with Your Favorite Date for Life
You already have the best seat in the house- right next to your #1. Do you want to sit with anyone else?
Image by Katiegh & Ben Photography
Head tables most often look the best when it is only the wedding couple. The table is shorter so no wide angle shots are needed for that perfect photo of the head table set up. While you are up dancing and talking to wedding guests, your table is neat and empty; a pretty focal point when you aren’t seated.
Image by Monica Mendoza Photography
2. Just the 4 of Us
Photo by Majestic Studios
You can always sit with your two best buds. Maids of Honor and Best Men are perfect picks to join you front and center. That is a wonderful option as you can actually talk to them when you are seated, making lasting memories. Functionally, they are already next to you when comes time for the toasts. And it always makes for fabulous photos.
Image by Studio 1 Photography
3. A Dining Table for Your Little Family
If you have children, having them join your head table can be very special. It puts a time stamp on how tiny they were when you had your first meal as a married couple. Pro Tip: If you have an infant, also set a place setting at a close family member’s table so you can tag them in if the baby needs some special TLC you can’t immediately attend to, if wedding festivities are pulling you away.
Image by Little but Fierce Photography featuring Anthony’s Pier 9
4. Just Ask Everyone to Join You: Choose a Dias
Ryan Connelly, Sales Coordinator at The Grandview, has some insight on a large dais table.
“My wife and I decided on a dais for our wedding, but in hindsight we were rarely at our seats! It might have been a better idea to put them all at tables together or with other guests. We felt like we left them behind.”
Image by Arielle Doneson Corrigan Photography
Ryan wasn’t in the wedding business when he got married and now advises couples, “Our wedding party was on the larger side, and having all 14 of us up at the front of the room was more than we had bargained for.”
5. Stadium Seating
“The More the Merrier” is a great motto. You can ask not only your wedding party, but also their dates to join you for dinner. It makes for a big party atmosphere. Your wedding party is happy because they get to sit with friends and their guest. Plus side: You have so many people to talk to- no matter who is dancing or hanging at the bar, someone is bound to be seated at any point of the night. Down side: Some relationships don’t last forever, so if your bridesmaid or groomsman brought a guest, and then they break up, their relationship will live in infamy in your wedding album. Oofa!
6. Just Ditch the Head Table
Another thought is forgetting the head table and sitting where you want in the room. Kate & Craig (below) decided to sit with their siblings at an oval dining table. They placed their wedding cake at the front of the room, and they sat at table 2. As a couple who was not thrilled about being the center of attention, and more focused on spending the night as part of the celebration, this was a wonderful way for them to really enjoy the night comfortably.
Image by Kelly Vasami Photography
When you are making your final decision, I’d ask you to put yourself in the shoes of your wedding party. Who would you want to sit with if you were in a wedding? Your date for the evening? Your college friends? Your family? How about simply with the people you know at the wedding?
Your wedding party actually has a better time when you put them with the people they want to party with. They laugh more, dance more, and have an overall better time.
Photo by Owl’s Eye Studios Photography
