Is a seating plan necessary for my wedding?

Being in the industry for years, I have often been asked if a seating plan is necessary and my answer is always a confident YES! There is no need for individual place cards, but table allocation is a must. This question often comes up when planning Indian weddings, however, it is definitely a must for all weddings.

I understand how time-consuming it is to go through the process of determining which guests to seat together but on the day, this allows for a smooth entrance into the reception area. Let’s take a quick look at some of the pros and cons.

WITHOUT A SEATING PLAN:

Guests tend to take longer to find a seat
Guests start moving chairs to tables to sit with family
Couples and families can get split up

WITH A SEATING PLAN:

Order when entering the reception area.
If you have 150 guests and more, have two seating plans on the side of the entrance. This will prevent all your guests gathering at one point looking for their names.
It allows staff to coordinate a meal service with specific requirements

You don’t have to spend hours adjusting your seating plan. Allocate a single day/evening to compile and re-look at it in a few days to finalise.