Mom Drama

klroach12

My mom is refusing to sit next to, or anywhere near, my dad's girlfriend during our ceremony and reception. I don't want to hurt anyones feelings, and I definately don't want to cause any problems at my wedding, but I don't know what to do about this problem.

jamiekbarto

I would put Dad and his girldfriend at one table, your mom at another.

Seat your mom in the first chair in first row and put dad/girlfriend a few chairs down from your mom with other family in between. If you have a singer/reader at ceremony you could seat them in between your parents too.

lharri12

The reception problem is very easy: put them at different tables that are not adjacent to one another, and if you are assigning specific seats, don't have them facing one another.
For the ceremony, I assume you want them both to be in the first row.  If so, just make sure there are several seats in between them, with grandparents, singers, readers, siblings, or whoever in between.  If your mother is not satisfied with that, then she needs to grow up and accept that you are not going to make him sit in the back row on the opposite side of the church (or outside the church).  Both of them are your parents, and they both need to be honored by sitting in the front, on the bride's side.
I feel for you.  My parents split up about 6 years ago, and my dad has remarried, while my mother is still single.  If she had it her way, my dad and his wife would not even be in attendance.  Maybe you need to talk to your mom and explain that you understand it is difficult to be in their presence, but if she can suck it up for your sake on your wedding day, just for the duration of the ceremony, it would make you very happy.

Butter Cookie

Also: don't sit at either table, so as not to appear to be taking sides. 

Heffalump

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_wedding-woes_mom-drama?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:47Discussion:caca7df4-e397-4411-8eb0-a2f48e392683Post:e580285e-cc93-47ca-9948-7f381a5b5e7c">Re: Mom Drama</a>:
[QUOTE]Also: don't sit at either table, so as not to appear to be taking sides. 
Posted by Butter Cookie[/QUOTE]

This.  I did a table for DH and me w/WP (incl. their SOs), put my dad and his wife at a table with some of his family, and my mom at a table with my grandma (her mom) and more of that side of the family.  It worked really well.