Your Guide to VIP Table Seating!

Planning the seating chart for your wedding can feel like a strategic game sometimes. For some couples, it is as easy as grouping their friends together, while for others, it is a fine balance between etiquette, relations and visibility.

Couples may be so focused on the seating arrangement for their guests’ tables that they forget the very own table they are sitting at. Zooming in on the Bridal a.k.a. the VIP table, this article will bring you the ultimate guide to your very own VIP table seating.

Round Tables

If you only have or wish to have 1 VIP Table –
Some families are small enough to be seated in a single table of ten, which makes it easy for the couple to just put everyone in the immediate family at this table.

For some couples though, just their immediate family alone can come up to quite a number especially if there are also nephews and nieces. In this case in order to fit everyone in a single table, request for a bigger table from the venue. Some hotels have tables that could sit twelve or even up to twenty persons!

Facing the front of the room, typically, the groom’s guests will occupy the left side of the space while the bride takes up the right side.

At the VIP table, the bride and groom will sit facing their guests. The groom will then be on the side where his guests are while the bride takes the other side. Next to the couple would be their parents, followed by grandparents, siblings and/or important relatives, respectively.

If you have or wish to have 2 VIP Tables –
This is the more traditional approach in which the bride sits with her new family.

At the first VIP table, sometimes known as the Bridal Table, the bride and groom sit with the groom’s immediate family. Together with the couple at this table will be the groom’s parents, grandparents, siblings and/or important relatives. This table is usually on the left side of the room along with the rest of the groom’s guests.

Consequently, the bride’s guests will take up the right side of the ballroom. The second VIP table for the bride’s immediate family members will then be here on the right side as well. This table will be occupied by the bride’s parents, grandparents, siblings and important relatives.

Long Tables

Long Horizontal Tables –
For long horizontal tables, the couple and family are seated typically facing the guests. The couple takes the middle seats and have their family respectively on their sides.

Have a family too big to be housed at a single long horizontal table? Consider having your bridal party sit with you instead! This way, family can get an entire table to themselves and you won’t need to worry about seating management on the VIP table.

If you’re not keen to have anyone seated with you or if there are space constraints, choose to go with a sweetheart table instead. Though not a common arrangement, the sweetheart table is accommodated by the couple only and they will sit facing all the guests.

Long Vertical Tables –
For smaller celebrations and/or celebrations that take place in a venue that is more rectangular in shape, how about eliminating the use of VIP tables entirely?

Or if you consider all who are in attendance at your wedding to be your VIPs and wish to do away with the idea of setting aside “head tables” or “important tables” for a select few, then choose to sit with your guests instead!

This sort of arrangement is typically made up of three long tables. In this case, you may start to wonder where does the couple sit? There are two spots a couple can zoom in on depending on their priority –

For couples who wish to be surrounded by their guests, they can sit right in the middle of the centre table. This way, no matter which way they turn, they see their guests!

For couples who have plenty of reception programs and speeches planned out, then they may want to place themselves closer to the stage area by sitting right at the front of the middle table.

Arranging seats can be a pain sometimes but we hope this gives you a better idea of who sits where. If you have any questions or unique scenarios that isn’t addressed with the above, send in a reply below. The Wed Mag Team and our community could probably come to your aid!

^{Feature image – Photo by Feldberyl}