PLANNING Take Your Seats! 5224 views

Have fun planning where your guests are going to be seated with our five top tips from the wedding planning experts at UKAWP (UK Alliance of Wedding Planners).

1. Sometimes pen and paper are best! When you start thinking about where your guests are going to sit, Kay Carey from headinguptheaisle.co.uk suggests using an A1 piece of paper and 'post-it' notes so that you can easily move guests around before finalising the seating plan.

2. Which guests remain seated? If you are using the same room for the sit-down meal as the dancing afterwards you'll probably need to take some tables down to create space. Carrie Watkins from todayandforever.co.uk advises making sure that you do not seat elderly relatives on the tables that will need to be removed.

3. Table with a view... To be sure that the right guests can see you on the top table, Andrea Swift at fabulousday.co.uk says, 'my tip is to think of each table as a clock face with 1 o'clock having the best view of the top table and then 4, 5 or 6 o'clock (depending on the number of guests) having the most obscured. It helps to number the guests accordingly so that you can quickly identify where they are to sit. It also provides useful information for the venue or caterer to see where guests are seated that have special dietary requirements.

4. Middle is the tops. Anne Savage at vowperfections.com says, 'long gone are the days of everyone placing the top table being at the top of the room. We find our couples much prefer to feel part of the room with a centred bridal party table, this not only makes them feel like they can mingle more with their guests, it also means no guests feel like they are at the back of the room!'

5. Getting to know you. As well as a table plan at the entrance to your reception, Carrie Watkinks at todayandforever.co.uk suggests writing a name list for each table onto a pretty tag, tied with a ribbon to indiviual's chair or place setting. Carrie says, 'Highlight each guest name, together with a sentence about them. For example, Astrid Tompson, sister-in-law of the bride, made the flowergirls' dresses, Margareta Johns - old school friend of the groom etc. It creates a starting point for conversation and is a lovely way to introduce guests that don't know one another.

Photos © Mikaela Morgan Photography, Freeman Photographics, Mary Hennessy Photography

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