Photo Credit: Lane Dittoe Photography
Bridal Party Seating Etiquette
Creating a wedding seating chart is said to be one of the most difficult parts of planning a wedding. One group of guests you’ll want to give priority seating to is your bridal party. There are several different options for bridal party seating at a wedding. A bride and groom will first need to determine where they will sit at their wedding reception. All of that depends on the event planner, and it is a great advantage if he/she has event planning certification.
Photo Credit: Meaghan Elliott Photography
If a bride and groom are choosing to sit at their own sweetheart table, there are a few options for bridal party seating. They can place a table on both sides of the sweetheart table. The bridesmaids, plus their dates, can sit at one table and the groomsmen, plus their dates, can sit at the second table. If your bridal party isn’t close friends with one another, bridesmaids and groomsmen can be seated at different tables throughout the reception based on who they are closest friends with.
Photo Credit: Maxwell Monty Photography
Couples choosing to have a traditional head table would have the bridal party seated only on one side of the table facing guests. Back in the day this type of table setup was meant to include only the bridal party and not their dates. The bridesmaids would sit on the bride’s side of the table, with the groomsmen sitting on the groom’s side of the table. However, this tradition is mainly ignored today, with most couples including significant others at the head table.
Photo Credit: Bethany Phalen Photography
A recently popular bridal party seating arrangement is to have what is called a king’s table. This is a long rectangular table where the bride, groom, bridal party and their dates all sit around the table facing one another. It encourages conversation amongst the bridal party and creates a fun atmosphere for the bride and groom to socialize with those closest to them during the meal.
If you’re looking for more wedding reception tips, check out our other blog posts!
