The seating scheme you decide on for your wedding can come in so many shapes and forms. Whether you choose rounds tables, rectangular tables or even squares, don’t forget to think about where you and your beloved will sit during the dinner! Couples often have two options – an intimate sweetheart table or a head table.
Sweetheart Table or Head Table?
A sweetheart table is often a small, 3-4′ table and can be round, semi-circle, or even a small rectangle table. It provides seating for only the couple during dinner. One the other hand, at a head table the couple is seated with either their immediate family or wedding party. The head table can be a large round table, a long King’s table with seating on both sides, or a rectangular Captain’s table, where people are only seated on one side. Both options have their pros and cons. Which is right for you?
Table for Two
A sweetheart table is right for you if:
- You want some one-on-one time with your spouse during the reception. The wedding day will fly by in a snap, and even though everyone is there to celebrate you, you might find yourselves not actually spending time with each other as guests vie for your attention. In the Jewish wedding tradition, the couple often has a yichud, or a brief time by themselves, but if your schedule doesn’t include that kind of break and you haven’t planned a “first look”, the sweetheart table can give you some quality time together and bask in your newly wedding bliss.
- Your wedding party wants to mingle. A sweetheart table frees your wedding party to sit with and converse with people they know. Depending on the size of the table, a head table might not have enough room for your bridesmaids and groomsmen to bring their dates. At a sweetheart table, no one will have to choose between being with you and being with their own loved one.
- Sweetheart tables make mingling easier. Once you have that dedicated “you” time at your sweetheart table, you’ll be energized to go mingle with your guests at their table – and you’ll be able to do so with out your seat mates keeping you from going. Guests will appreciate the special attention they receive.
Pro Tip
Sweetheart tables can be a cost effective! The bouquet can serve as the centerpiece, and if your ceremony and reception are in the same place, ceremony décor can double as a back drop.
The More the Merrier
On the other hand, a head table is right for you if…
- Honoring your closest with a seat at the table of honor. One small way to ensure your wedding party feels special at the reception is to make sure their seats are seats of honor. Being seated at the head table show cases
- You love a crowd of loved ones. The reception is the start of a day of festivities. If you can’t imagine not having your wedding party and family members close at hand, then a head table is a great way of keeping your loved ones close.
- Guests feel less separated from you. Because the head table already includes several people, it can make you and your new spouse seem less far away and more welcoming for them to come visit you.
Pro tip
Having a head table doesn’t mean you disappear into the crowd. A little something special on the back of your chairs makes your seats at the table of honor extra special! And if you’re trying to economize, use your wedding party’s bouquets (interspersed with candles) to adorn the table.
Sweetheart table or head table – there’s no wrong answer. But once you decide, sit back, be happy with your decision, and let the rest of the planning commence!
