Bye-bye bridal table?

Wedding receptions are an evolving entity, and with the younger generation, we are typically seeing a move away from formal bridal tables. Let’s look at some other ways to dine at your wedding.

The bridal table is traditionally where the bride and groom (and their parents, chief bridesmaid and best man) sit separately from everyone else (usually front and centre of the dining area) for the formal, sit-down meal after the wedding ceremony. But, based on my experience, this is one tradition that’s getting a bit creaky, in favour of a more relaxed and casual approach.

The thought of a formal seating plan away from friends and loved ones may seem a bit hard to digest these days. On one of the most important days of your life, why would you want to be sat miles away from your true friends and family for hours on end while you make small talk with your parents-in-law?

Instead, I’m seeing more and more couples choose to sit amongst their family and friends rather than separate from them. It’s incredible how it changes the atmosphere when everyone eats together and there’s no ‘stage’ in sight. And with the change of atmosphere comes a whole new vibe with the photographs that I can take. 

Increasingly, couples I work with choose to go for a more buffet-style dinner or a pair of long tables to host everyone together. It makes for a more ‘free-form’ dining experience. 

When cost is a significant factor, having a ‘cocktail hour’ with canapés and nibbles instead of a sit-down three-course dinner might be a better way to go. With so many great caterers out there, it’s becoming easy to make starters the main event. Some call it the ‘floating super’ where guests can graze on finger food all evening. 

It all comes down to your priorities as a couple. Is the fine dining experience a high priority for your wedding day, or is it more important to be able to mingle with your guests for longer? Or maybe it’s a priority to get on the dancefloor early, in which case, you don’t want to be sitting for too long.

It’s your special day, so do what makes you happy. Forget about the traditions unless those traditions are important to you.