Welcome to another part of White Emotion’s miniguide on how to plan a wedding in Italy. After tips on choosing the right accessories and on the factors to consider before making a decision regarding the bridal veil, we would now like to focus on an issue that may pop up relatively later on in the planning process but is also one of the most feared.
HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING IN ITALY – THE DREADED SEATING PLAN
To begin with, we feel a good word should be put for this basically mandatory stage. Sure, arranging wedding table plans certainly can’t be defined as one of the most fun tasks involved in planning a wedding; however, the true drama does not reside in arrangement itself. The core issue here is that the final outcome does not depend on the bride and groom as much as it does on guests, who need to confirm their attendance within required timings – something that is all but granted!
This does not mean things will not get sorted! Here are a few tips on how to plan your wedding in Italy… And you get your seating plan right!
First, prepare a list of all guests who confirmed their participation (including fiancés/wives/relatives’ sons & daughters, friends and colleagues) and classify them into groom’s relatives and friends on one side and bride’s relatives and friends on the other; do the same with colleagues and think about which friends do you have in common. This will provide a general overview of people who will live together your day.
Then gather maps and measurements of the spaces of your chosen venue and determine the number of tables you will need by considering the number of guests and keeping in mind that, generally, there should be no more than 10 people seating at the same table (example: 100 guests = 10 people per table, so 10 tables).
Now that you have a clear, general picture before your eyes, with a good dose of patience and wit, start arranging guests at their tables. For this stage, you can use whatever works best for you – a board, post-its or even a computer program – but keep in mind the following rules of thumb:
- Never have former couples sit near or at the same table
- Never split current couples
- Mix relatives from the two families: avoid any situation in which bride and groom’s families sit as two separate factions
- Try to mix groups of friends and colleagues, taking care to have people with common interests that might become topics of conversation sit together
- When possible, have the shier sit near more – more, not extremely! – extroverted guests
- If foreign guests are going to be present, do not isolate them at one table: try to have a table where they can sit with who is an extrovert and polyglot, or who can easily communicate or get the message through with gestures and a pinch of creativity
Last but not least, we would like to end this chapter of White Emotion’s guide on how to plan a wedding in Italy with advice on… The table itself! This is sometimes not a choice – many simply adapt to what is available at the venue – but if you do have an option, always remember: round tables stimulate conversation between guests; a rectangular table is significantly less “social” but unquestionably more scenic.
In our experience planning weddings abroad and in Italy we have let loose creativity and used the best our wedding planner imagination can offer to mix and match round & long, circular, and even serpentine tables – ones that snaked between columns!
To find the perfect inspiration, all you have to do is ask us!