Which Head Table Style is Right for Your Family Dynamics?
A wedding is a celebration and a union of two families. Blending families sounds wonderful in theory. However, once you get to the seating chart, you start to run into family dilemmas and clashing personalities. Just because the two of you are in love, doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone in your blended families is going to like each other. The more complicated your family dynamics, the more complicated the seating chart and table layout will be, especially the head table.
Head Table Styles
There are aesthetic and cultural reasons for new wedding trends, but sometimes new trends spring from past conflicts. Let’s look at some of the hottest head table wedding trends and styles, from the traditional head table to the sweetheart table.
Traditional Head Table
The traditional head table placed perpendicular to the rest of the tables.
The traditional head table will seat the entire wedding party. The head table is usually placed at one end of the venue or wedding tent, with the entire party seated on the same side of the table facing the rest of the wedding guests. A long rectangular table is a traditional choice for a head table, with matching long rectangular tables set up perpendicularly to the head table with guests seated on all sides.
Family Only
A twist on the traditional head table is to have a head table with family only. For couples that have a large immediate family, as is becoming the new normal with blended families, it will make sense to keep the immediate family at the head table and move the rest of the wedding party to another table.
Kings Table
The sweetheart table will allow you to be in the spotlight while giving you a chance to breathe.
When you only include your wedding party at the head table you are typically splitting up couples. Many couples are expanding the traditional head table and allowing everyone in your wedding party to sit with their partners and significant others at the head table. That means that you have people sitting on both sides of the long rectangular table. Consider leaving the two seats across from you empty so that you aren’t blocking your view of the guests – or blocking the guests’ view of you.
Sweetheart Table
If the thought of having to decide who gets to sit at the head, kings, or family table is too daunting a task, then the sweetheart table is a brilliant new trend that allows you to avoid the conflict. A sweetheart table will have a separate two-person table – maybe even on risers – putting you and your partner center stage. The sweetheart table will keep the spotlight on you while giving you and your partner a bit of room to take in the wedding and have a few minutes to yourselves.
Talk to the wedding specialists at Colorado Party Rentals to decide which head table style is right for your wedding.
