Know Where to Sit at a Wedding

Weddings are always beautiful. Children learn that marriage is the ultimate sign of love between two people. A wedding also brings with it the question of who sits where and on what side.[1]

Steps

Christian Weddings

  1. Learn that the bride and groom's parents sit according to whether they are parents of the bride or groom.
    • Seat the parents of the bride on the left side, in the front pew of the church, if the bride is given away, or at Catholic weddings. The groom's family will then sit on the right side, also near the aisle. This may be reversed for cases in which the couple enters the church down the aisle together (which is customary in many Protestant denominational churches). In this case, the bride will probably walk on the right side and the groom on the left.
  2. Continue seating with the immediate family in the next few pews, on their appropriate side depending on the relationship to the Groom or bride. This will include Celebrate Grandparents' Day, siblings, aunts and uncles, and cousins.
  3. Understand that friends will sit at the back, behind all family members.
    • Seating for friends is not designated, the only requirement being that they sit on the side of if they are friends of either the bride or groom. When they are friends of both the groom and bride they can sit on either side.

Jewish Weddings

  1. Synagogue seating is reversed, where men sit on the left and women sit on the right.
  2. Both sets of parents remain standing under the Chuppah (Marriage Canopy) throughout the wedding ceremony. The Chuppah (Marriage Canopy) is on 4 poles - one for each corner - and is adorned with Hebrew writing, embroidered designs, and flowers.
  3. Understand that if they are divorced, parents' partners will be seated in the second and third rows.
  4. Seating for immediate family, relatives and friends are designated in the front rows of the sanctuary.
  5. At Orthodox Jewish Weddings, men and women sit separately. In some old Orthodox synagogues, women sit on a balcony above the men.

Traditional Hindu Weddings

  1. Hindu weddings usually take place outside, on the earth, under a canopy known as a mandap.
  2. Guests will sit under the mandap on the ground or on chair.
  3. Notice that under the mandap there is a sacred fire, that can be small and confined to a brazier or dish to be safe.
  4. The groom's party usually arrives at the wedding location in a procession so usually a convenient assembly location is nearby.[2]

Traditional Chinese Weddings

  1. Prior to the wedding itself, there are very many traditional rituals performed by the bride and the families of both the bride and groom.[3]
  2. Know that once the rituals were finished, the wedding is usually held in a church.
  3. Realize at that time,there is no set seating plans concerning seating the parents or other family members or friends. Everyone just finds their own seats and the processional begins.[4]

Same-Sex Weddings

  1. Understand that in same-sex weddings, the families of one groom or bride will sit on one side, and the other groom or bride on the other. Ushers will be able to direct you appropriately.
  2. Know that the seating closest to the front is reserved for the closest family members.
  3. Learn that it is customary to applaud after the minister or officiate pronounces the couple 'spouses for life.'

Tips

  • The job of the ushers is to ask guests if they are friends, or related to the bride or groom and sit them accordingly.
  • People are excited at weddings, but they should keep their voices down to a whisper. Low voice talking is allowed among guests, but should cease once the procession begins.
  • Guests who arrive after the mother of the bride is seated should just take a seat in the rear, without disturbing anyone.
  • Flash photography and applause in a sanctuary may be objectionable.
  • In Chinese Culture, getting married becomes the joining of families. Because of this, both parents get involved in planning the wedding from the moment the wedding date is decided. The wedding cake ceremony takes place after the engagement is announced. At this time wedding cards are given to the bride's family by the groom's family, as a proposal gift.
  • Seating for parents who are divorced, and not remarried, or widowed is an individual preference depending on their relationships to each other, and to the bride or groom. Usually the bride will sit with the parents who raised her if this circumstance should arise.
  • It is advised to never take a gift to the reception because there is no way that you can know that the wedding couple will ever see the gift. Send the gift to the home of the bride, the return address on invitations, or the shipping address on the registry. Cash gifts can be given prior to the reception, or when greeting the new married couple on the reception line.[5]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.hoptechno.com/wedseating.htm
  2. ↑ http://aprendizdetodo.com/wedding/
  3. ↑ http://www.chinabridal.com/etiquette/guide.htm
  4. ↑ http://pesona.mmu.edu.my/~ianchai/wedding/ggc.html
  5. ↑ http://womentodaymagazine.com/relationships/weddinggifts.html
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