Anyone who has ever drawn up a guest list for a large celebration will know that seating guests at the tables is actually a complicated logistics. Especially at a wedding, when everything should be neither more nor less than ideal. However, how do you choose which guests to sit next to and which not to?

What should be taken into account so that there are not too noticeable groups of guests of friends and relatives at wedding parties, and in the end, is it acceptable to work as a matchmaker at your wedding? These are all questions that Līgavām.lv sought answers to!

1. SEATING OF GUESTS ACCORDING TO SPECIFIED PLACES - YES OR NO?

There are couples who choose long, not round, tables for their wedding, without particularly specifying specific places for the guests. This is also possible, but probably only if there are less than 50 guests at the wedding, otherwise unnecessary confusion could begin.

2. WHO IS NEXT TO WHOM?

No matter how unusual the guest seating policy may seem, business etiquette dictates that couples (unless newly engaged) are not seated next to each other, so that the guests can talk not only to each other, but also to others at the table. Regardless of whether you agree with the etiquette or not, representatives of the fairer and stronger sex should be seated alternately at the tables.

But if the principle of the round table is not observed, then at least it should be observed that a lady does not sit at the end of the table! In any case, when choosing where each guest will sit, the placement should be planned so that only separate groups of friends and relatives do not form, which will not communicate with each other during the evening.

3. KNOW THE PERSONALITIES OF YOUR GUESTS!

Who else will know the guests' personalities better than you? this knowledge must also be used when planning the placement of guests at the tables. If there are people who don't understand each other very well, then you shouldn't sit them right next to each other, while those who don't know each other yet, but you think they could find a common language, be sure to sit at the same table.

Likewise, if your wedding will be attended by foreign guests, understand which of the guests would feel free to communicate in another language and seat them at a common table, so that guests who do not already understand the wedding in Latvian do not feel even more uncomfortable.

4. PARENTS AT ONE TABLE

Traditionally, parents, grandparents, as well as sisters and brothers of the bride and groom are often seated at the same table. If one of the parents is divorced and would not feel comfortable sitting next to each other, then, of course, traditions can also be broken. it is always possible to discuss this issue with the parents themselves beforehand and understand their opinion and position on it.

5. START THINKING IN TIME!

Guest seating plan is a time-consuming process. You should start thinking about the arrangement of the guests at the tables in advance, without putting it off a couple of days before the wedding. Although it may not seem like such a difficult process at first, it is almost guaranteed that there will be challenges. Where to seat long-lost schoolmates?

At which table will the cousins sit? What about the children? These are just some of the questions that will have to be answered, so to save yourself unnecessary worries shortly before the big event, you should find answers to these questions in advance. It is worth remembering that if there are several children at the wedding, it would be worth seating them at their own table - it will be more interesting for them.

6. THE NEWLY MARRIED AS MATCHES?

Perhaps your wedding can be a great event for some of your unaccompanied friends to see each other. If not partners for life, then it is definitely possible to get one for the dance floor at a wedding!

True, before playing matchmakers, make sure that the personalities of the two people could match and it would not be a burden rather than a pleasure to sit next to this person all evening.

7. NEWLYWIDE TABLE

Variations on the table for the newlyweds are really different - only the newlyweds can sit at it or together with the ushers and parents. As a rule, the newlyweds' table is placed so that all guests can see them. If the bride's sisters and groom's brothers are also present at the wedding, then at the principle of round tables, they most often sit near the new wife and husband.

Author of the article: LIENE PÁLĆA

Photo: LAURKEN KENDAL