Age Old Debate That Has Finally Ended In My Head

I use to go back and forth on suggesting assigned seating at events – but this article really put things into perspective when they mentioned the “junior -high lunchroom” feel!  Regardless of what type of event you are throwing - regardless if you are having a plated, buffet, food stations or butlered hors d’oeuvres- regardless if you are serving banquet style, a la russe or family style – you always want your guests to feel welcome, at ease, and taken care of, especially if they do not know many of the other guests, and are not accompanied by an escort. Giving them a “home” for dinner, can achieve your goal. Side note – ff you decide to go with assigned seating, I do strongly lean towards guests being assigned a table, but not a specific seat!

Enjoy an excerpt from the article – I think you will like it!

Assign Seats When You Have Food Stations?
Posted by Talley Sue Hohlfeld, Etiquette Expert

The magazine is generally a fan of assigned seating at weddings—we hate the “junior-high lunchroom” feel that comes from hunting for a seat among tables that are partly filled with people you don’t know (or worse, ones you *do* know who are “saving this seat for someone else”). And we love the idea of care fully chosen dinner companions.

The beauty of assigned tables is that everybody knows they have somewhere to sit. And as the hostess, you can have exactly the right number of tables (less furniture in the room, and less $$ sometimes).

But the beauty of food stations (besides that they’re really yummy) is that they make for a very fluid conversation. Your aunt goes to try the Chinese, and ends up in line next to your groom’s college roommate. Then she heads for the fresh fruit, and she’s in line behind your second cousin on your dad’s side. Lots of friendliness, lots of casual conversation, lots of interaction and movement.

So, do you want her to discover a new dining companion each time she goes to try a new food? Or do you want her to have a safe haven where she can shelter between adventures? I think I’m answering my own question here—I think I’d still vote for assigned tables. (But if you opted not to have assigned tables, you need to be sure you have extra tables, so that there is always likely to be an empty one. That will reduce the likelihood that your guests will do what the aunts and uncles did at the last such wedding I went to, with no assigned seats—they staked out tables and made sure never to leave them unattended. They might as well have been assigned.)

For some, planning an event can be a time-sucking, frustrating, overwhelming, daunting and stressful process. Not to push my services, but if any of these emotions are starting to surface, I highly advise calling in an expert – let me know if you need a name:)

For seasoned event planning professionals, we have a few tricks of the trade that allow us to keep our cool, have fun and embrace the adventure of designing, coordinating and managing your special event!  Over the next few months, I will share with you some tricks of the trade I have learned over the past 15 years.

Trick #1 – Stick with your monthly planning calender

One of the first things I do with my clients after the date has been set, it to bring out the monthly planning calender.  I breakdown the event planning process into date blocks. 9-12 months, 6-8 months, 4-5 months, 2-3 months, 6 weeks, 3-4 weeks, 1-2 weeks, day before the event and day of the event. Within each date block, you have a list of tasks that should be accomplished within the designated time frame. If you have less then a year to plan your event – NO WORRIES!  Just count back how how many days, weeks or months you have, and combine the date blocks to fit your specific time frame.

Here is the trick – focus on the date block that you are in, while looking ahead one to two date blocks. When I say look ahead, I mean make a mental note about what lies ahead, but don’t fully engross yourself with tasks that lie in the upcoming date blocks. When you focus on your current list of tasks, you can manage your time and energy effectively and effeciently.

Example #1

Do not worry about the seating chart at your event until you know what guest are planning to attend.

Example #2

Securing your caterer should be one of the first things on your list, but don’t stress over what appetizers you are going to serve 9 months out from the event date.

Example #3

Begin gathering the contact information for your guests early on in the planning process, but don’t worry about addressing the envelopes until the invitations have been designed, printed and are sitting on your doorstep.

When you focus on what needs to get done today, versus what needs to get done 6 months from now, the event planning process is manageable…and for some geeks like me, down right enjoyable!