A good seating plan makes a good wedding

Daily Mail columnist Bel Mooney and her daughter Kitty Dimbleby have been charting the progress of the wedding planning for the latter's nuptials this October. This week they have started drafting the seating plan for the big day and have run into some snags over where to seat whom.

This should hardly come as a surprise to bride and grooms-to-be who are currently finalising wedding venue and reception details for their big day. People from different generations will always lock horns on this subject. The parents of the bride and groom might think it appropriate to mix up the two families, placing an equal number of males and females at a table along with a good mix of age groups. But, the happy couple might have different ideas.

They may not be as acquainted with stuffy old relatives quite as well as their parents, but when it comes to their friends, they know them better than anyone else, so seating them with people they are most likely to get along with is important. Happy guests make for a good atmosphere and therefore a great wedding.

Among the most important things I think are worth considering are the age of your guests, whether they are single or married and of course, their personality. I would mix both groups of friends and family members together, provided I was confident the individuals would get along.

Are you planning to mix the two families together or is it more important that everyone knows each other at their dinner table?