Seating Plans for your Reception

Organising the Bridal Table – the Top Table – is probably going to be the easiest part of organising your seating plan for your reception. At a traditional top table the usual seating arrangement appear to be rather simple and straightforward: a long table situated in full view of all guests, the Newlyweds sit in the middle, her parents either side of the couple, his parents either side of them with the chief bridesmaid and best man at the ends. This is usually organised by alternating genders along the table.
In the case of divorced parents, however, you may wish to have extra chairs at either end of the table for step parents, or you could choose not to seat parents and their partners at the top table at all. The top table could be made up of only the bridal party. This could get tricky, however, if you have ten bridesmaids and ten groomsmen!
In a perfect world, the next part should be relatively easy. Closest family and friends who weren’t part of the bridal party are seated at the tables nearest the top table, and then the remaining guests distributed in order of familiarity with the newlyweds from the front to the back.
The easiest way to avoid offense can be to arrange your reception tables in a U shape around the top table, attempting to give everyone an equal standing. Alternatively you may wish to mix your guests tables up, really encouraging the merging of the two families and friends.