Escort Cards/ Assigned seating

MCCRARYSCOTT

I'm debating doing a seating arrangement. We are having 250-300 people and i kind of feel like they should have the option to sit where they want. Advice?

Roo726

I tend to agree that people should just sit where they want and with whom they want to.  What seating can do is control people from squeezing a bunch of people at one table and leaving one table with 3 people etc, but at the end of the day I think people just do what they want anyway. 

HeyBrittany04

Perhaps do an assigned table, and then they could choose where to sit? This way you don't have a table of like one or two people, and are using the space efficiently.

Are you having a buffet or sit down dinner?

em01092

I say base it off of your crowd. If everyone will know everyone, you can get by without arranged seating of any kind. I have a feeling with a guest list that big, this is probably unlikely. 

If you're going to have some loners (OOTs, old friends, coworkers, etc) who may not know your closer friends and family, I think you should do escort cards/a chalkboard/framed table lists. Assign everyone to a table where they will know someone. If they won't know a soul, put them with someone you think they'd mesh with (play matchmaker!) and let them pick specific seats. 

Finding a seat at an event where you know few people is kinda awkward for some. Yeah, I have done it and I can if I have to, but it's just a nice gesture.