Wedding Tip Wednesday - Alternative Ceremony Seating
When I met with one of my couples recently, they shared something from their marriage commissioner, and it was too good not to share!
Congratulations! You're engaged! You've probably signed up on a wedding website, put together a planning binder, and googled "where to start wedding planning". That is a WHOLE lot of planning! Well, we are here with some advice and tips and an alternative ceremony seating idea, to help with this new, exciting, and at times, the overwhelming chapter of your life.
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Quick Disclaimer before you read on… I try to be very inclusive with my vocabulary, but explaining this seating arrangement is a whole lot easier if I use “bride/groom”, “he/she” and “his/her”. I want to be inclusive with the LGBTQ+ community, I am not trying to offend anyone, or leave anyone out, but it is easier when using these pronouns.
My couple’s wedding officiant shared this seating arrangement with them and I can’t believe I never thought of this, and in 8 years, have never seen this.
So here we go!
Typically, when you are facing the altar, the bride and bridesmaids will be standing on the left hand side and the groom and groomsmen on the right hand side. ((It doesn’t matter what side you are standing on, so if you have a preferred side of your face for photos (my bestie did and switched sides) stand on that side!)) When guests are seated, the bride’s family will then sit on the same side that the bride is standing on, and the same goes for the groom’s family.
But here is where we switch it up…
If we keep the bride and groom standing on the left and right sides respectively… the bride’s family would sit on the RIGHT hand side, the opposite side the bride is standing. Then the groom’s family would sit on the LEFT side, the opposite side that the groom is standing.
This way, when the couple is facing each other, as the bride/groom’s family, you would see their faces rather than the side of their face or the back/side of their head.
I know a lot of couples will put up signs at the ceremony that say “Choose a seat, not a side” or something along those lines, and I think these are great! Especially when one person in the couple may have more family or friends attending on their side. This way one side isn’t heavily seated with guests, and the other side is uneven. Parent’s (re: immediate family) of the couple will generally sit on the same side as their child, so this is why I make the suggestion for them.
I hope this helps if you are thinking about ceremony seating! If you have any questions or comments for future posts, send me a message here or at info@katlynjane.com
Here is the link to the video for my IGTV.
And the link to YouTube.