The three common setups
- The traditional head table. The couple sits at the center, with the wedding party seated along the same side so everyone faces the room. It looks classic and keeps your closest people beside you.
- A sweetheart table. Just the two of you at a small table facing the room. Increasingly the most popular choice, because it gives you a moment together and frees the wedding party to sit with their own dates.
- A King and Queen (family) table. A larger table that seats the couple with both sets of parents, and sometimes grandparents or the wedding party. Good when you want to honor family up front.
Where the wedding party sits
At a traditional head table, the wedding party sits in the order that keeps closest friends nearest the couple, often alternating with their partners if there is room. If you choose a sweetheart table, seat the wedding party at the guest tables closest to you so they are still in the middle of things. Either way, give a quiet heads-up to anyone whose partner will be seated separately, so no one is surprised.
Where the parents sit
With a sweetheart or traditional head table, each set of parents usually hosts a table near the couple, seated with grandparents, the officiant, and close family friends. With a King and Queen table, both sets join you up front. There is no wrong answer, only what feels right for your families.
Divorced or remarried parents
Give each parent their own table to host rather than seating exes side by side. Seat each with the people they are most comfortable around, their partner, their side of the family, their close friends. The goal is for every parent to feel honored and at ease, not to enforce a symmetry that creates tension. This is squarely a matter of seating etiquette: kindness first.
Decide the head table first
Your head table choice sets the tone for the whole room and changes how much space is left for guest tables, so settle it before you seat anyone else. Then work outward from the front.
See it before the big day
Seatful lets you place a head table or sweetheart table, then seat everyone else around it by dragging names onto chairs, keeping families and groups together and flagging anyone who needs accessible seating. You can try it free in your browser. When you are happy, print a chart, place cards, and table numbers that match, and let guests find their seats with a QR page at the door.