Yesterday I discussed the difference between escort cards and place cards, but you may be wondering if you even need assigned seating at all. I’m a big advocate for assigned seating, for the following reasons.

1. Less guesswork. Your guests aren’t going to magically seat themselves into perfect groupings of 8-10 per table, so you’ll need additional tables, chairs, linens, centerpieces etc. to accommodate for the randomness. This increases your cost, even though some of the chairs will go unused.
2. Comfort. There will be no OMG-Junior-High-School-Cafeteria moment for your guests if you tell them where to sit rather than let them fend for themselves. You’re bound to have a few guests who may not know many others, and assigning them a seat saves them from an awkward moment. Also, without assigned seating, it is entirely possible for a couple or family to end up split between two tables if they are amongst the last to find a seat.

That said, there are of course situations where assigned seating is truly unnecessary, such as for small parties (think under 50 guests) where it would appear overly formal. But for most weddings and larger events, assigned seating is thoughtful to both your guests and your budget. Now that you know why you should assign seats, tomorrow I will give some tips and tricks on how to go about creating your seating plan.

The Hall of Mirrors at the Hilton Netherland Plaza, set for approximately 150 guests