Seating Guests Who Need Easier Access
Where to put guests who use a wheelchair, walk slowly, do not hear well, or need to leave early, and what to tell the venue before they arrive.
Somewhere on your guest list is a grandparent who does not walk far, an uncle who has lost most of his hearing on one side, and a friend who is 7 months pregnant and will want to leave before the dancing. Some will tell you what they need. Others will not want to make a fuss on your wedding day, which is why it is worth asking rather than waiting to be told.
They are not being difficult. Nobody wants to be the guest who made the couple move a table.
So this is one of the few parts of a seating plan you have to work out without being asked.
Who to think about
Run down your list and mark anyone who fits one of these. It takes about 10 minutes and it is the whole job.
- Uses a wheelchair, a walking frame, or a stick. Needs a route in and out that is not between two chair backs.
- Walks slowly or tires quickly. Distance to the door, the bar and the toilets matters more than the view.
- Does not hear well. Loud speakers, a live band and a hard floor are the problem, not the seat.
- Is visually impaired. A consistent route matters more than a short one.
- Is pregnant, or has a small baby. Wants an exit that does not cross the dance floor.
- Is likely to leave early. A taxi at 9pm should not need 12 people to stand up.
- Has a carer or companion with them. They are a pair. Seat them as one.
Where they actually go
Near the door they came in by, not the nearest door. Venues often have a service door that is closer and locked.
On the end of a table, or on the outside of the room. Both mean a person can get out without asking anyone to move.
Away from the speakers, and not directly under them. Someone with hearing loss at the table nearest the band will spend the evening nodding at things they did not catch. If the speakers are not marked on your floor plan, ask where they will be. It is the single most useful thing to know about a room and it is the thing venues forget to mention.
With people they can hear. A quieter corner is worth more than a good view. Someone who cannot follow the conversation at their table has been given a nice seat and a long evening.
Not at the top table just because they are family. The top table is often the furthest from the door, the closest to the speakers, and the hardest to leave. If a grandparent would be more comfortable at table 2, that is not a demotion.
What the venue needs to hear from you
The room is set up before you arrive, usually the morning of, by people who have never met your guests. What they can act on is specific and boring.
Tell them:
- how many guests need step-free access to their seat, and which tables those are;
- whether any of those guests use a wheelchair, because a wheelchair needs space left at the table rather than a chair pulled away on the day, and your venue will know the gap it works to;
- which tables should be nearest the door;
- where you would rather the speakers were not pointed;
- whether anyone needs a chair without arms, which is a real thing that gets missed.
You do not need to explain why, and you should not have to name anyone's condition to a stranger. "Table 4 needs step-free access and room for a wheelchair" is enough, and it keeps the detail with you rather than with the venue.
The bit nobody plans for
Ask the venue where the accessible toilet is before you finalise the plan, not after. If it is through the bar, or up a step, or on the other side of the building, that changes which table somebody should be at, and it is a 2 minute question that only gets awkward if you leave it until the day.
Every one of these notes has to reach somebody on the day, which is the job of the handover. What each supplier actually needs is set out in what your suppliers need from the seating plan.