Table plan for wedding
uk, usa and western world
The key to being a gracious bride is to be genuine,
thoughtful and courteous if you can pull this off making sure you have a
good time as well as everyone else the day should be memorable.
The mixture of personalities from crazy aunt Martha to
your best friends new artist boyfriend and your husbands Architect boss
make weddings difficult to pull off and wonderfully fun at the same
time. So apart from turning into the 1950s hostess of charm how do you
make it work.
Be yourself and don’t struggle to impress people, a
party can be simple or elaborate but its graciousness is clearly
reflected through its genuineness. Think of all the little things that
make everyone comfortable. Leave your favorite scented soap in the
guest’s room, a pitcher of lemonade and some home made cookies for the
stressed out guest who has traveled miles to get to the venue. The more
personal touches you add to the party the closer and more relaxed the
guest will feel towards you, it will become more intimate rather than a
formal affair.
Set out your favorite flowers around the venue, don’t
be afraid to lay out your local hometown recipies if you’re from the
south why not lay out some southern fried chicken and cornbread.
Incorporate humor into the day by being creative with
your table names, why not seat all your girlfriends at the “sex and the
city” table or your work colleagues at “The Office” table this can be an
icebreaker for the guests sitting together. Another good idea is to use
baby photos of yourself and the groom as seating cards with each guests
name on the back this will remind the guest throughout the evening the
name of the people they are sitting beside, lets face it that first
introduction never sticks in your mind.
Making sure you are having a good time as well as your
guests is a priority . It is difficult to look after all the guests and
still have time to relax and enjoy the evening. This can be achieved by
delegation. Ask your best friend and family members to help out with
your concerns, why not ask your brother to look out for an elderly
relative who will need assistance occasionally, your friend can assists
with an out of town guest who will need help with directions.
To encourage mingling plan an activity. Mary Cleaver a
New York caterer, who specializes in organic foods, tells of one wedding
where a Polaroid camera was set up on a tripod so guests could take
pictures of themselves and write something for the album. Or maybe do
some funny characters of the gusts and have them as placement cards,
which can double as favors this, can lighten the atmosphere and
stimulate conversation. You can do some strategic seat planning and sit
maybe an artist next to an accountant and so on to create diverse
couples and spark conversation. It’s important to mix the guests up a
bit and to combine different families and different age groups.
Allow your self at least a week to arrange the seating
plan, it’s a good idea to make a seating chart comprising of large
circles representing each table add pink and blue tags to easily
distinguish between the male and female guests making sure they are
evenly mixed throughout. These tags can have a few details about the
guest on the back and the tags can be moved around each time you change
your mind.
These seating arrangements should be carefully thought
through between you and your fiancé to make sure everyone has the best
possible seating partners and the dynamics of the area are correct
setting for fun and a stimulating atmosphere.
You will need to consider if you are going to place
husbands and wives at the same table, at sophisticated parties they are
always seated separately and if you are going to keep the bridal party
together or split them up. Use your own initiative on this one but don’t
be afraid to mix you want people to meet each other and for both
families to integrate.
It is a good idea to set aside a lounging area
separate to the dinning room, this will cater for older guests that will
be retiring from the festivities slightly earlier, it will also give
other guests a break from their table allowing them to chat to each
other over tea or coffee and get away from the music for a while if
desired. Make sure this area has plenty of comfortable couches and that
the speakers are turned away from this direction.
The success of a great wedding comes from all the
thought and detail that goes into it, from the small welcoming gifts, an
efficient coat check, the quality of the food, the beauty of the room
and flowers, to the lulling music but more importantly what will be
remembered is the friendly atmosphere and warm welcome received from the
bride and groom. It is the giving of yourself that makes a gracious
bride.
