Wedding seating etiquette: the tricky cases

Most of a seating chart is easy. It is a handful of tricky cases that cause the stress. Here is how to handle the common ones.

Divorced parents

Give each parent their own table with their side of the family or close friends, rather than seating them together. If relations are warm, one table is fine — but never force it.

Plus-ones and single guests

Seat single guests with people they will click with, not at a "leftovers" table. A single friend placed with a lively, welcoming group has a far better night than one seated with strangers by default.

Kids

For a few kids, seat them with their parents. For many, a supervised kids’ table with activities can be a gift to everyone — parents included.

The head table

A traditional head table seats the couple with the wedding party; a sweetheart table seats just the two of you. Both are correct — choose what feels right and seat the wedding party nearby.

Whatever you decide, you can rearrange in seconds in the planner until the room feels right.