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By Forever Farrah Published 2026-09-12, last updated 2026-10-17.
Traditionally the bride sits on the groom's right. See who sits where at a head table and a sweetheart table, and how to choose between them.
A sweetheart table seats just the two of you; a head table seats you with your wedding party, traditionally in a row facing the guests. At a head table the couple sits in the middle, with the maid of honor and best man beside you and the rest of the wedding party alternating outwards. Traditionally the bride sits on the groom's right, but there is no rule that matters today. Choose whichever side keeps you both in the best light for photos.
Once you have picked one, you can lay it out with the rest of the room in our free seating chart app: drag guests onto tables and the head or sweetheart table sits where it will on the day.
| Sweetheart table | Head table | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sits there | The couple only | The couple and the wedding party |
| Room needed | One small table | A long table, often on a riser |
| Partners of the wedding party | Sit with them at nearby tables | Traditionally at guest tables, which can leave them alone |
| Best for | Couples who want a moment together; large wedding parties | Small wedding parties who are close; a formal feel |
| The catch | You may feel separated from your friends | Long tables are hard to talk across, and partners notice being left out |
Choose a sweetheart table if your wedding party is large, if its members bring partners who don't know other guests, or if you want the only quiet twenty minutes of the day together.
Choose a head table if your wedding party is small and close, or if you want your friends beside you in the photos. If you do, consider seating their partners at the head table too, even though it makes the table longer.
When you are ready to seat your own guests, the wedding seating chart maker fills every table in one tap with Matchmaker, which seats everyone automatically and keeps families together.
The classic arrangement comes from Emily Post's Etiquette (1922), which is now in the public domain and free to read on Project Gutenberg. The bride sits "on his right", beside the groom, with the maid of honor on the groom's other side and the best man on the bride's other side. Bridesmaids and ushers then alternate outwards from there.
| Position | Who |
|---|---|
| Far left | Bridesmaids and groomsmen, alternating |
| Next to the couple | Best man |
| Centre left | Bride |
| Centre right | Groom |
| Next to the couple | Maid of honor |
| Far right | Bridesmaids and groomsmen, alternating |
"On his right" means the groom's own right, which is the guests' left when they look at the table.
Most modern couples adapt it:
A head table is usually a row of rectangular banquet tables with everyone seated along one side, facing the room. Nobody sits at the ends or with their back to the guests. So the size is set by how many of you there are. Our guide to how many people fit at a wedding table has the full capacity figures. For a one-sided head table, allow about 2 feet of table per person.
| People at the head table | Approximate length | Built from |
|---|---|---|
| 2 (sweetheart) | 4 to 6 ft, or a small round | One small table |
| 6 | About 12 ft | Two 6 ft tables |
| 8 | About 16 ft | Two 8 ft tables |
| 10 | About 20 ft | Two 8 ft tables and one 4 ft table |
| 12 | About 24 ft | Three 8 ft tables |
Past about a dozen people the table gets long enough that the two ends can't hear each other or the couple. That's the point where many couples split the wedding party into a head table and a reserved table beside it, or switch to a sweetheart table.
If the venue has a riser or stage, check its length before you plan a long head table. The table has to fit on it with room to walk behind the chairs.
The awkward part of a head table is who isn't at it. The wedding party's partners traditionally sit at guest tables, which can leave someone at a table of strangers for the whole meal. Three fixes, in order of how often they're used:
Parents traditionally host their own tables rather than sitting at the head table, which also solves the question of how to seat two sets of parents with equal honour.
The same tradition puts the bride on the groom's right. The more useful question is practical:
Centre it along the long wall with the best view of the room, and put it where every guest can see you during the speeches. Keep the parents' tables closest to it, at equal distances if parents are divorced (see where divorced parents sit). The rest of the room is planned around it, and the wedding table calculator removes the head or sweetheart table's guests from the count for you.
Several of the ready-made wedding seating chart templates start with a sweetheart table, so you can try both arrangements in minutes.
The couple and the wedding party, traditionally the maid of honor and best man beside the couple and the other attendants alternating outwards. Some couples add partners of the wedding party, or parents.
Traditionally on the groom's right, which is the guests' left. Today most couples decide based on photos and how the room is laid out.
Not traditionally. Parents usually host their own tables near the couple. Some couples with a small wedding party seat parents at the head table instead.
About 20 feet if everyone sits on one side facing the guests, which is usually two 8-foot banquet tables and one 4-foot table in a row.
No. It's a common choice, especially with a large wedding party or when the attendants have partners who don't know other guests. Seat the wedding party at the tables nearest you so they're still close.
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