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Traditional Seating at a Wedding Ceremony

Some traditions for weddings can make your head hurt!  There are so many elements to get right and to make sure you don't offend anyone, we have put together our guide on where your guests should sit at your wedding ceremony if you want to play by traditional rules.

Front Row Left - The bride's family and friends should be seated in the front left row.  Traditionally, this would include the parents; unless the bride's mother and father are divorced and don't want to sit together.  In this case, the father would sit in the third row back from the front and the mother would sit in the front row.

Front Row Right - The groom's family and friends should be seated in this row.  As with the bride's parents, the mother and father should be seated together unless there is a reason they refuse to be seated in the same row.  If this is the case, the father will sit two rows back in row three and the mother in the front row.

Second Row Left - The bride's grandparents and siblings should sit in this row. 

Front Row Right - The groom's grandparents and siblings should sit in this row.

Next Two to Four Rows Left and Right - These rows should be reserved for special guests such as the parents of ring bearers and flower girls, anyone reading at the ceremony and other important friends and family members.  Deliniate this area with a special ribbon so other guests know not to sit in these seats.

Further back - Ushers should seat guests from front to back as guests arrive in the other rows.  Generally, guests of the bride's family sit on the left and guests of the groom's family on the right, but ushers can ensure that the rows are equally filled if one side has more guests than the other.

Final Guests to be Seated - Once all the guests have arrived and the groom and groomsmen are waiting at the front, the ushers should seat in order: firstly the grandparents of both sides, then the mother of the groom (with the father walking behind) and finally, the mother of the bride.

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