Traditionally, the bride’s family and guests sit on the left and the groom’s on the right. If one of you are expecting more guests than the other, you should ask guests to sit evenly distributed throughout the church or ceremony site.
You should reserve seats for your immediate family. Seats can be reserved by marking them with ribbons, flowers or other distinctive creative touches.
The first and second rows are reserved for immediate family, parents, siblings and grandparents. If your parents are divorced, the parent you lived with sits in the first row with your stepparent. Your other parent and their family sit in the second row. The third through six rows are usually reserved for uncles, aunts, cousins, godparents and any other special guests.
John Lyons Photography, Will Travel
In a Christian ceremony, the mother of the bride’s family is seated on the left (when the guests enter from the back). The groom’s family is seated on the right. For a Jewish wedding, it is reversed. If either the bride or groom have a much larger family than the other, it is a good idea to seat the guests on either side so it looks balanced.
If it is a formal wedding, the ushers will escort the female guests to their seats while her male escort follows them. If your ceremony is informal, the ushers can greet your guests at the door and say, “Please follow me”. For every 50 guests, you should have one usher.
