What's your top table seating order?

I am seriously considering just having me, OH and my 2 boys as my family will murder each other! My mum is refusing to sit any where near my dad same with having photos done so this is probably best all round. I would have liked a top table though xx

Such a personal thing and you have to do what works for you but I think the mothers are usually more towards the centre - so you'd swop the MOG & FOB. And I don't know why but I think I've seen it before with the MOH & BM on opposite sides - but yes I think they are usually at the ends. But if this setup works for you then ?

I have been panickin about this since we got engaged! my H2B's parents split years ago and both have new partners! aparently the brides dad and grooms mum sit with each other but my dad wont sit with his mum (great!) and his mum wont sit any where near his dad (great again) so god knows what we will do!!

I worried about it for ages too, my dad doesn't speak to anyone in the family, let alone my mum, and I didn't know what to do with regards to all of their partners. My dad remarried 18 years ago, my mum's been with her partner for about 4 years and OH's mum has only been with her new partner a few months, so it was all a bit confusing as to who should go where. I thought of just having ourselves, the kids, BM and MOH and then decided that I'm my mum's only daughter, this will be her only chance to sit at a top table so it's only right that she should be there. So this is what I came up with, and the partners and my dad will just need to like it! I'll think about swapping MoG and FoB around though.

We are having

Best man OH dad OH Me Mum Bridesman

Or possibly the other way right to left, not sure yet. We didn't feel right doing the thing where you have groom next to bride's mother etc, as our best man and bridesman would then be really stuck out on their own at the end making awkward convo and to be honest I want to be sat next to my mum during the meal not OH's dad who never knows what to talk to me about! I imagine OH and I will be circulating as well though, so this way is better as OHs best man knows his dad well, and my bridesman and mum get on like a house on fire.

I was debating a sweetheart table but as OH's mum and OH's dad gf will be there it would be awkward trying to seat him without causing any probs, plus my mum won't have my dad, so a top table does help us out with that one.

It's family politics like this that sweetheart tables are perfect for! We're in a similar situation but have decided to still have a traditional top table, MrApples dad needs to grow up or ***k off!!!

I *think* ours is:

Best Man --- Mother of Groom --- Father of Bride --- Bride --- Groom --- Mother of Bride --- Brother of Groom --- Sister of Bride

Though it may be reversed if I'm meant to sit to Mr BV's left, rather than right...

Brother of Groom is in lieu of father of groom, as it's more appropriate in our circumstances.

We're having:

FOTG --- MOTB --- DS1 --- OH --- Me --- DS2 --- FOTB --- MOTG

Each of our parents are divorced and remarried so they'll be having a table each as the family top table, and then we'll be having the bridesmaid and groomsmen on our actual top table. so it will be laid out like this:

Usher - BestMan - Groom - Bride - MOH - Usher

FOB family ------ MOG family ------ MOB family ------ FOG family

My family is thankfully uncomplicated, so we did the traditional:

Best Man - MoG - FoB - Me - OH - MoB - FoG - Chief BM

Our parents know each other reasonably well though - I can imagine this might not work so well if they'd not really met before.

We didn't have a top table as such.

Both sets of parents are divorced and Mr. LS's parents are both remarried so it was started to get very confusing.

We decided to have all round tables and on our table we both had our 2 best friends and their partners. Saved all the hassle,,,,,

ha ha thats what i said. if my dad had to then he would but id rather my mum and dad sat together so they all feel comfortable and able to strike up a convo without not knowing what to say to each other! Ive never heard of a sweetheart table ??!!

We have decided that as my OH's parents are divorced we are going to have three 'top tables' - his mum hosting one table with her relies, his dad hosting one table with his rellies, and me & my OH sitting with the best man, MOH & my parents. It seems like a good compromise..there's sadly no way we could have his parents together sitting with us. Easy life all round now I'm not fond of tradition anyway. I once sat at a top table on the end nect to the groom's father and nice as he was, I'd rather have been sitting with my friends.

Mr. LoveSka's mom, dad, step-mom , step-dad , 2 aunts and 2 uncles all sat at the same table quite happily, , but we just didn't want the hassle sorting a top table with the risk of upsetting someone.

We're thinking...

Bridesmaid Best Man OH Me MOH Usher

my mum, my dad and OH's parents will all have 3 tables closest to the top table with their own 'important' people on.. thought it would save arguements this way!

Mine was a round table and only had me-oh-dad-mum-oh's dad oh's mum and bm.. bridesmaid was on diff table with her hubby and kids

A sweetheart table is a table just for you and your husband (as he will be then ?) then you could have your parents hosting their own tables and his mum and dad hosting their own. MrApples step mum and step dad (hate that term!) will do that with their kids and relations. People won't generally cause murder on your wedding day because people want the day to be perfect... At least that's what I'm telling myself anyway!!!

ETA - for a sweetheart table think posh and beaks without the thrones!!

We are having..

MOH bf .. MOH .. Brides dads Gf .. Brides dad .. Bride .. Groom .. Grooms mum .. Grooms dad .. Best man .. Best mans gf whos also a BM

We dont like the idea of sitting the MOH and Best man away from thier partners and as one is a BM anyway and the other a close friend we are having them join the top table ?

See I wondered about this too for a bit but then decided it wouldn't be right for me to have their partners and not our parent's partners (and there's no question that I would even consider having them there, for a variety of reasons!!) so we're pairing up BM's wife and MOH's husband and they can be a temporary couple for the purposes of the meal, lol! They know each other and get on well, so it should work out fine!

Mine is a nightmare! They all want to be on the top table but I have to make sure my certain people aren't next to each other so I have decided.....

Best Man Head BM MOG FOG Bride Groom MOB StepFOB StepMOB FOB

Might have to move them around a bit.....

Jeeeez... this is definitely making me lean towards abandoning a top table. Sounds far too complicated! In fact I might abandon the whole idea of a seating plan and let everyone sort themselves out!

Oh my days, i've not even thought about this..

Best Man No1 - MOG - FOG - Bride - Groom - MOB - FOB - Best Man No2

Bridesmaids and their partners have their own table.

We have decided not to have the traditional seating plan due to families divorced and remarried - it would make for 1 long and VERY awkward table as most of them don't get on!

We are going to have a round table with me, OH, our DD, 1 best man & BM (husband & wife) and usher with poss 1 other couple. These are our friends and we feel we would enjoy ourselves more by doing this than having family that dont like each other! hth x

Know more about the seating order from your post.

We're putting our two boys between grandparents:

MOH OH dad Son1 Mum OH Me Dad Son2 OH mum BM

Actually, that's the mirror image of what we're having but you get the idea. My logic behind doing this is that I don't want the constant interuptions (can you cut this up/why is the sky blue) but also because I don't want sticky finger prints on my dress!