The Seating Chart

Why the Seating chart?

The tableau de mariage or seating charts is a notice board for the arrangement of tables and guests. Its aim is assigning a specific place to each guest in a determined table. When the number of guests is high and so the number of tables, the seating chart helps to maintain the order, to give right directions to everyone and to indicate people their seats.
In other words, it is a map to put order and to help guests finding their table.

It is not mandatory but sometimes is necessary. Letting your guests decide where to seat freely can be confusing and, in some cases, embarrassing.
This method is not used when the dinner and the cocktail do not develop at a table: in those cases, it is useful to have some tables where guests can lean. In this case, they are free to move and go from a place to another. It is a good idea for weddings with young guests, but if you have many guests of a certain age, it is better to assign the seats and avoid unrests. The alternative to the seating chart is the Escort card.

Creating a seating chart

In recent times, people played around it a lot and now there are infinite ideas. It is object of always more particular decorations: classic or more creative and original. The seating chart that once was a simple notice board where to insert the names of tables and the place cards, now it is a true creation based on its reinterpretation. Anyway, the choice is not easy, according to us. The idea of creating something original and funny is interesting, but it is also important to maintain a general coherence with the style of the wedding and with its location.

It is not necessarily a square or rectangular notice board and it does not have a precise background.

Dynamic and hung seating chart

You can decide to hang your chart in some ways, for example by hanging the cardboards of tables to threads or twines through clothespins. Otherwise, you can use old doors, windows, frames or trunks. Finally, in some cases people have chosen vintage bicycles or motorbikes, chests, furniture, flowers, plants according to the own fantasy.

Classic seating chart

You can be creative even if you would prefer the classic variation. You could choose a traditional, square, rectangular, round or oval size but adding decorations, using buttons, clothespins, magnets, ribbons, cords etc. Above all, be creative!

Little tips for the seating chart

Remember that the seating chart you are going to create will have to be coherent with the style of your wedding. You could dedicate to its realization and to the other details after having chosen the theme, the location and the announcements.
After the creation of it, you have to fill it choosing the arrangement of tables and guests. You have to be careful to relationships, families, couples, to people who are going to come alone, to the presence of possible children. Your guests would be very satisfied if you succeed in a good organization.

For example:

• Put together all the couples,
• A table for singles could be both comfortable and embarrassing. If there is not a group of friends, you could decide to assign their seats in different tables, so that they could meet and talk with new people with whom they share interests,
• If there are families with children, it is better not to divide them. In this way, parents could take care of them,
• If there are also older kids, it is possible to arrange a table for them where parents can see them but far enough from other tables to avoid possible noise. Moreover, you can provide for someone who can take care of them.

When we work with our clients, we focus on each aspect of the setting up and of the project before starting “drawing” our proposal. We do it also with the seating chart. As always, we start from the great idea of the couple and then, we make it real.