to ask why people bother with wedding seating plans?

[AnnHedonia]

Not being snidey about those who choose to do so, btw - I just genuinely have never understood the necessity. At my own wedding we let guests sit wherever they wanted (aside from the top table, which we did the traditional way) and it felt so much easier than trying to plan it all out.

A relative is currently wrangling with the seating plan for her own wedding - mustn't put this person next to that person as they don't get along, etc - and it got me wondering why people bother.

Am I missing something? (Not trying to say either way is right or wrong, btw, just saying DH and I found it easier to not have one.)

Maybe you don't have people in your family who need to be kept apart in the interests of world peace.

I went to a friend’s wedding recently and found it really helpful to be seated next to the one other person there that I knew, and a lot of other people that we had a lot in common with so we could chat away, I was grateful for her thoughtfulness.

To make sure the people with dietary requirements got the correct food

I had a relatively small wedding so we did the same let people sit where they liked , but I can see it being an advantage to do seating plans it saves people faffing about looking for a seat least if guest know where they are sitting it's not as awkward.

Because people who knew each other would all want to sit together and some people could feel left out. Maybe family issues mean certain people can't sit close together?

Yes, I think wedding seating plans are a good thing overall.

But only if you are sat with your actual friends/people you want to talk to and have a good time with. Nothing worse than the 'let's mix things up and sit people with people they don't know so people can make new friends at our wedding' seating plan!

I don't want a bun fight, sitting down in a spare seat only to be glared at because that was being saved for someone's aunt.

The aim of a searing plan is to make sure people from both the bride and the grooms side mingle during the meal or else people would just sit beside their own family which would possibly cause a divide between the two families.

also a seating plan comes in handy when not everyone gets on to keep those people apart,

So you don't end up with a random spare seat on each table splitting guests up from everyone they know

Personally I prefer allocated seating. I find it easier and far less awkward as guest. It stops a situation where every table gets half full so a bigger party can’t sit together.

Most weddings I’ve been to have been very good at sitting people together who want to be next to each other. Didn’t find the seating plan difficult at all at our wedding, it just fell into place.

People chose what they wanted to eat in advance from a selection, so it would have made no sense to have a free for all.

Our venue insisted. We were happy to go for a free for all. They reckoned they had seen one too many dispute over seating and it caused issues for the food/kitchen if they had to delay while it was sorted out.

Imagine the mortification of being the single friend who doesn't know many people there and finding yourself with nowhere to sit 😮

Personally I seated families together. Someone's wedding is not a reason to insist introverts like me are forced to make small talk with complete strangers, thanks.

Lots of reasons.

if guests have pre ordered meals.

to avoid random spare seats

to avoid the drama of where to sit/who with.

to avoid anyone feeling unwanted

...

This was one of the main reasons we did it too.

Also it meant there was never any chance of someone being left unable to sit with the people they wanted to because there was only 1 or 2 chairs left on a table.

We had quite a few people at our wedding who didn't know anyone else or many others - it allowed us to put them them next to people they had something in common with.

This. It's crap having to quickly bag a seat and inevitably some people end up split from the people/person they'd rather be with because there are only random seats left.

Seating plans are a headache (especially when you have drop outs for various reasons at the last minute) but it saves those coming by themselves from discomfort as they hover to find somewhere to sit. Weddings - broken up by speeches, toasts, arrival of food etc - aren't a great place to make eternal friendships with people you don't know or are unlikely to see again, so much better everyone sits at least with some people they know.

So you're not splitting groups up.

I much prefer a seating plan. I went to a close friend's (the bride) wedding overseas and because of the cost, I went alone. I'd met the groom once and the bride's parents once but that was it (they all live in Australia - I was the only non-Aus guest), I didn't know any one else. No seating plan made it really awkward. I'm an extrovert and can get along with most people but I felt so uncomfortable all day. I was so glad when it was over. A seating plan would have made a huge difference!

We didn't have one. But ours was a relaxed affair with buffet food. So that worked OK for us. Plus we had plenty of space inside and out so not tight for seats.

We didn't want to do one for our wedding but the venue requested it so they could accommodate dietary requirements more smoothly, it's not always that the couple wants to do it!

A lot of the weddings I have been to it has been helpful for a number of reasons - in particular making sure that people who don’t know many there aren’t left out, and also to spread out extra rowdy bunches eg rugby club friends

I think they're a good idea so at least people know where to sit otherwise people would be faffing wondering where to sit and it makes life easier for the caterers for serving food.
However, I prefer to sit with people I know. It's often a good opportunity for a catch up.
I overheard someone talking (loudly) on a train about her upcoming wedding. Her seating plan was couples on the same tables but not next to each other and mixing people up. It sounded hell! Also no kids as apparently people only want to take kids to weddings to show them off. She also said people should be grateful to have been invited!!!!