Well we always told you we tackle the big topics here in the Friday Fight-out on Bride Vs Groom and today is no different as we delve into one of the world’s greatest heavyweight geometry based debates! Squares Vs Circles, which is better? Curvy vs angular, pointy or… not so pointy, Mr Strong Vs Mr Bump, some other form of square thing vs something else that’s more circular. But what does this have to do with weddings I might hear you cry if this wasn’t a type based conversation and you were possibly very interested in geometry?! Well I’ll tell you. When it comes to the wedding breakfast one of the most important factors (and the one that caused us the most headaches as we couldn’t find out what ours was going to be until the night before the wedding) is how you layout your seating plan and what type of layout you choose… i.e. Round tables vs Square tables. WOAH WOAH WOAH stay with me!! Yes I know this sounds about as stimulating to read as the extended version of the Conservative party manifesto but honestly, we reckon we’ve learnt a few things about it lately and, in the interests of…well…interest, we will be describing all wedding guests in the form of Mr Men characters. See, something for everyone! Except those who don’t like table plans, geometry or Mr. Men perhaps. But then let’s face it, that would just make you Mr Wrong wouldn’t it!
.jpg "Mr Wrong")
In the Red Corner fighting, as King Arthur once did, for the Round Table, she came out from our sophisticated “Which Mr Men character are you?” computer simulation with the title “Little Miss Bossy”. Can’t imagine why, it’s Dom “The Tog” Bride.
In the Blue corner preferring traditional banqueting tables where you can bang your mead tankard on the table without the fear of spilling it on all the people surrounding you, he’s reliably informed by Dom that his Mr Men character was “Mr Bloody Smart Arse” …perhaps it’s one of the special new anniversary characters! He’s also known as Matt “The Gormless” Groom.
BRING IT ON!!
Dom: Round tables are more sociable than square ones. Everyone can see everyone else, it’s easier to talk to someone who isn’t sitting next to you and much easier to make eye contact with anyone you don’t know to help you make friends. Body language is, after all, just as important as what you say to someone.
Matt: But are they that sociable really? Most round tables are designed to seat around 8-10 guests and with a table that size you’re miles away from the people opposite anyway, and you can only really see the people on your table. Using square tables in long rows makes it easy for guests like Little Miss Chatterbox and Mr Noisy to speak to both the people next to them and at least 3 or 4 people opposite.
Dom: With round tables you can get them closer to each other and you end up with everyone close to another table so they can talk to each other more easily. Square or rather rectangular tables are much harder to get close together.
Matt: They may be close but they’re also back to back… hardly the most comfortable position for a conversation! If they do want to talk they’ll end up straining their necks and doing themselves an injury like Little Miss Whoops!
.jpg "Mr Happy")
Dom: Round tables just naturally look very elegant. We associate them with restaurants and fine dining, whereas long tables are subconsciously connected more with street parties and informal events.
Matt: But that’s part of the charm! Weddings should be fun, like Little Miss Fun! Making everything too formal can sometimes stifle people’s enjoyment and the atmosphere can end up like a conversation between Mr Uppity and Mr Grumpy! (Wow there really is a Mr Men character to illustrate every point isn’t there! THIS MAKES ME MR HAPPY!!)
Dom: The Bride and Groom usually like to go and see everyone at their tables and when it’s long banqueting tables this can feel a little awkward. At a round table it’s easy to just stand by the table and start a conversation with a few people whereas on long tables it’s like some sort of procession where everyone has to sit and wait for the bride and groom to reach them! It’s almost like meeting the Queen, or Little Miss Princess!
Matt: I find that with round tables people often feel obliged to stay on their table and only speak to the people around them. With long banqueting tables you can see everyone up the length of the table and people make eye contact and go over to speak to them. With people moving around more you can avoid the ‘processional’ feel and make sure Little Miss Giggles and Mr Silly can get around and talk to everyone, even Mr Quiet!
Final Remarks:
Dom: Round tables just as a layout look very appealing. They’re very elegant, very easy to put beautiful centre pieces in the middle (with candles also lighting everyone at the table rather than just the person that it’s in front of) and there’s something appealing about the round shape rather than the jagged edges of square tables. They look sophisticated and beautiful and (apart from the top table which maybe should be a long table) look great in photographs as you can get amongst them more easily.
Matt: Long banqueting tables (or even arranged in a horseshoe shape for smaller weddings) look really festive. It’s a celebration and a party, not an evening out at a restaurant. Long tables can be made to look equally classy with beautiful table cloths and flowers etc. and are just as social. Some of the best long table layouts I’ve seen have also had bunting or lanterns hanging above along the length of the table which is very effective but much harder to do with round tables. When they’re all decorated they can also make really cool photos as you can get a picture across the entire length of the table with everyone enjoying themselves and having fun!
So what do you think? Square or Round? Leave your thoughts in our comments section or catch us on Twitter!
