There are so many things to do in the planning of a wedding. Some tasks such as choosing a wedding gown can be fun, while the organisation of transport and other plans can be time-consuming. The guests' seating plan can be key to a big day's success and also requires careful organisation. Event and wedding planners Kim Williams-Waaijer and Michele Li first focus on the head table.
When a couple has a large extended family, some brides and grooms honour their relatives with three head tables instead of just one or two, Li says. 'Having only two head tables is quite difficult. If you have the aunt and uncle from the groom's side then the bride's relatives, they might not have that much in common,' she explains. 'By giving the relatives a head table each, everyone should be happy.'
Most head tables vary from 12 to 16 people. Li says she has organised a wedding where one huge head table had 24 seats, but she says she would rather split them up into two tables.
Li says there are three ways to seat guests at the other tables: for each person to be assigned a specific seat at a table; for guests to be assigned a table but not a seat; and where guests can sit wherever they choose.
Instead of numbering the tables, Li says the newlyweds can name them after different themes such as emotions (love, happiness and joy), adjectives to describe a marriage (trust and respect), flower names or cities that the couple have visited together.