Wedding head table ideas
Where the two of you sit shapes the whole room. These are the five layouts couples actually use, with what each needs from the rental list.
Sweetheart table
Just the two of you, at a small table — a 48-inch round or a 4 ft rectangle — facing the room. Your wedding party sits with their partners at the nearest tables. It is intimate, photographs beautifully, and solves the problem of partners left at another table.
Long head table
The traditional choice: you in the middle, the wedding party either side, all facing the guests. Two or three 8 ft banquet tables end to end seat a wedding party of eight to twelve along one side. Leave the front of the table bare so everyone can see you.
Round head table
A 72-inch or 84-inch round seats the two of you with your closest eight or ten people, and everyone can talk. Put it centre stage, slightly raised or simply at the front of the room.
Family table
You and both sets of parents, sometimes grandparents too. Works when the wedding party is small or when family is the point of the day.
King's table
One long table running down the room, with you at the centre and guests along both sides — the feasting look you see in barns and tents. It needs a long, narrow room and works best for 60 guests or fewer on a single run of tables.
Where to put it
Facing the entrance or the centre of the room, close to the dance floor, with your parents' tables nearest. Make sure the photographer can get a clear angle on you during the toasts — and that you are not sitting in front of a bright window.
More guides
Put it into practice
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Questions
What is a sweetheart table at a wedding?
A small table for just the couple, usually at the front of the room near the dance floor, instead of a long head table shared with the wedding party.
How many people sit at a wedding head table?
Anything from two at a sweetheart table to twelve or more at a long head table. A long head table of three 8 ft banquet tables seats about twelve along one side.
Where should the head table go?
At the front of the room, facing the guests, close to the dance floor and with the parents tables nearest to it.