Assigned Tables vs. Assigned Seats

Knottie1450651724 · April 2016

I'm having a plated meal, where guests will be asked when they RSVP to pick 1 of 4 meal options. I'm going to use this to let the caterer know exactly how much of each is needed, obviously. My issue is, how do the servers know who to serve what to without assigned seats? With assigned seats it's easy to give them a printout of the layout with labels of who has meal 1, 2, 3 , and 4, but with just assigned tables, it wouldn't be clear.

I want to avoid assigned seats and just do assigned tables, but I don't understand how that would work with a plated lunch. All the weddings I have been to were buffets, so I've never seen this done. I'm sure there is a simple solution that I just don't see, so I would appreciate any help.

[Deleted User] · April 2016

Knottie1450651724 said:

I'm having a plated meal, where guests will be asked when they RSVP to pick 1 of 4 meal options. I'm going to use this to let the caterer know exactly how much of each is needed, obviously. My issue is, how do the servers know who to serve what to without assigned seats? With assigned seats it's easy to give them a printout of the layout with labels of who has meal 1, 2, 3 , and 4, but with just assigned tables, it wouldn't be clear.
I want to avoid assigned seats and just do assigned tables, but I don't understand how that would work with a plated lunch. All the weddings I have been to were buffets, so I've never seen this done. I'm sure there is a simple solution that I just don't see, so I would appreciate any help.

You will make cards that will be set up at the front table that says, "Katie Smith - Table 4" Katie has selected the chicken, so you put an Orange sticker at the top right corner of the card. Each selection has a different color sticker. People put their cards down at their places when they sit and the servers can see them. If, for some reason, someone puts their card in their pocket or it falls onto the floor, the servers can just ask. If all but two of the people at the table have their cards in proper view, the servers can just ask about the last two people. "I have one chicken and one beef left, who had what?"

Ghostie625 · April 2016

^^This.

A variation of the same idea is to print the cards on colored paper. (You can use your wedding colors if you're concerned with how it will look.)

AddieCake · April 2016

Yeah, I hear all the time about people doing the cards and stickers, and that seems to work just fine.

SP29 · April 2016

adk19 said:

Knottie1450651724 said:

I'm having a plated meal, where guests will be asked when they RSVP to pick 1 of 4 meal options. I'm going to use this to let the caterer know exactly how much of each is needed, obviously. My issue is, how do the servers know who to serve what to without assigned seats? With assigned seats it's easy to give them a printout of the layout with labels of who has meal 1, 2, 3 , and 4, but with just assigned tables, it wouldn't be clear.
I want to avoid assigned seats and just do assigned tables, but I don't understand how that would work with a plated lunch. All the weddings I have been to were buffets, so I've never seen this done. I'm sure there is a simple solution that I just don't see, so I would appreciate any help.

You will make cards that will be set up at the front table that says, "Katie Smith - Table 4" Katie has selected the chicken, so you put an Orange sticker at the top right corner of the card. Each selection has a different color sticker. People put their cards down at their places when they sit and the servers can see them. If, for some reason, someone puts their card in their pocket or it falls onto the floor, the servers can just ask. If all but two of the people at the table have their cards in proper view, the servers can just ask about the last two people. "I have one chicken and one beef left, who had what?"

This, exactly what we did. Guest picked up their place card, which stated their table, and brought it over. We colour coded the place cards to signify which meal the person ordered. Or, the staff will ask. Our venue asked us to provide a master list for the table with total numbers of each meal (i.e. 6 chicken, 4 beef). Thus, the serves would know how many plates of each to bring out, and they can always ask if they can't read the place card.

ILoveBeachMusic · April 2016

Ask your caterer. Our DDs caterer didn't want us to put dots or anything on the place cards. The servers just asked the guest what they ordered.

Knottie1450651724 · April 2016

Thank you! I like the idea of color coding the cards. I knew there was a simple solution, but I just couldn't see it. You saved me a lot of time, doing assigned seats would have been awful.

ernursej · April 2016

I love that you aren't doing assigned seats. I really like to be an adult and sit in the seat (at my assigned table) that I want to sit in. I've been to a few weddings where FI and I decided to sit apart so that we could easily chat with people we hadn't seen in a while. Happy planning!

MandyMost · April 2016

Knottie1450651724 said:

Thank you! I like the idea of color coding the cards. I knew there was a simple solution, but I just couldn't see it. You saved me a lot of time, doing assigned seats would have been awful.

Have you asked your caterer? They may have a preferred method that they always use, and may be unwilling to switch to something different.

But regardless, the caterer should be completely used to this!

thisismynickname2 · April 2016

MandyMost said:

Knottie1450651724 said:

Thank you! I like the idea of color coding the cards. I knew there was a simple solution, but I just couldn't see it. You saved me a lot of time, doing assigned seats would have been awful.

Have you asked your caterer? They may have a preferred method that they always use, and may be unwilling to switch to something different.

But regardless, the caterer should be completely used to this!

My only caution with caterers that would prefer to ask each guest is that the guest may totally forget what they put down and request what they're in the mood for. This could screw up the counts.

I strongly favor a color code, or small elegant script in the corner that just says "beef" or "chicken" or whatever.

My all-inclusive venue did the cards for us; we just had to provide our table assignments and the choice for each guest. Use caution- my friend had to do her cards herself and screwed up her own color coding. The caterer ordered 50 beefs and 100 chickens when it should have been 50 chickens and 100 beefs.

msuprincess04 · April 2016

We did as others suggested, but instead of color coding or using dots, we used the art from our invitations. A stingray meant fish, coral meant beef, and starfish meant chicken.

[Deleted User] · April 2016

I worked as a server at a wedding where they had a photo booth. They got clear acrylic frames for the photo booth print outs & put the seating assignments in them. Each insert had a little pig or cow sticker on it. Each guest had their own card holder, not like the usual combined card for a couple. Basically same concept as others suggested with doing a color coded system.

banana468 · April 2016

I'm also a fan of the color coding.

And as someone who witnessed her MIL rearranging the seats at their table so she could sit BETWEEN BIL and his pregnant wife, don't do assigned seats. Just let your guests figure out where they want to sit as long as the table is a basic 60" round.

MesmrEwe · April 2016

AddieCake said:

Yeah, I hear all the time about people doing the cards and stickers, and that seems to work just fine.

I much prefer just having this than an assigned table/seat... DD's First Communion venue had us do this with an assigned color to each meal option (they assigned it)... I'm NAF in general of assigned seating in general above the VIP's, and even then if I could have convinced DH we'd have just had a "Sweetheart" table and let everyone else sit with whomever they wanted to.

Assigned Tables vs. Assigned Seats

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