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For some reason, when I think of reception seating, the idea of being front and center and on display makes me reeeeally uncomfortable. It’s fine during the ceremony if people are staring at me (and kind of the point, no? 
), but I don’t want them to watch me eat too! For this reason, we are having neither a head table nor a sweetheart table. We’re just going to mingle with our guests and sit where we see a spot (they won’t have assigned seating either) because, hey, enough attention will already be on us!
However, for our Chinese banquet, chances are we’ll have a more traditional setup (and we’ll definitely have assigned tables there), so I’m not sure what we should do. As much as I want to spend time with my new husband, it seems a bit of a waste (to me) to have all those guests there and then sit at our own private table, so a head table it is! But who should sit with us? Bridal party? Bridal party plus dates? Family? Who knows! Luckily, I’m thinking this is one decision that I can safely push off for a loooong time more. 
Well, because our wedding party consists of two people other than us, it would be silly to have a table for the just party. Not to mention there will be their spouses, children, our parents.. So it’s just easier to have our own in the middle of it all. 
We sat with our bridal party and their dates but at just a regular table mixed in with our guests. We also didn’t want to be the center of attention.
i like the sweetheart table idea b/c a) it gives the couple some time to be together and chit chat, b) the bridal party gets to sit with their SO’s and group of familiar friends, and c),,,i guess its just my personal preference 
if we did a chinese banquet then i would not do a sweetheart table but do a head table instead. but. since we are doing a western style reception, i’m doing a sweetheart table. heh.
we didn’t want to choose between our two families since they were sitting at full tables with immediate family and family friends, so we sat at a mixed table of relatives. i think it was a good compromise.
My only suggestion would be not to do a table with BP without their dates. I went to a wedding once with my DH and he was the best man. He sat at the table with the BP and bride and groom, and I sat at a table with no one I knew (not assigned seats, but I was out of state and knew no one else at the wedding!) and it was very uncomfortable for me and for him.
I second Jennifer’s comment–as someone whose DF was in THREE weddings last spring (and I wasn’t in any of them–they were all his friends), I got stuck by myself or with people I barely knew, and it was a serious downer to the wedding for me. It made me swear that if I couldn’t seat my bridal party with their dates, I’d just do a sweetheart table. Sitting alone at a wedding is no fun for anyone!
I believe in traditional Chinese weddings the head table has both sets of parents, maybe a few other important relatives, and depending on the size of the bridal party, the BM/GM as well (usually there’s just one each). Also in traditional weddings, the newlyweds, along with both sets of parents, go to *every* table to toast all the guests (instead of a receiving line). This pretty much ensures you get to mingle with all your guests, and that you actually spend very little time at the head table. Oh, and for toasting - they usually have separate bottles - one for the guests, and something non-alcoholic for the bride and groom (LOTS of toasting - and you have to make it to the end!).
oh! you know i didn’t read everything.
for my cousin’s chinese banquet, she put the bridal party with her at the head table but there were two other head tables next to ours that seated both sides of parents and senior family members. this way the younger group can socialize and the older group can talk to each other and get to know each other. and she and her hubby, once done eating, mingled with everyone.
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Mrs. Bluebell, New York Age and Occupation in 07: 26, Finance Manager Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Playing with the cat and/or Consulting Engagement Date: December 25, 2005 Wedding Date: June 2007 Venue: Bride's family summer home in the Adirondacks About Me: Trying to find the perfect balance between family tradition (marrying at the house everyone else in my family gets married at), making our's modern, interesting and different from everyone else in my family's, and incorporating some Chinese tradition for my Chinese fiance. I really have no idea what it's going to end up looking like! Also, I picked Miss Bluebell for my name because I have blue eyes and I'm a loser like that.
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