The first thing you need is a seating plan for your Wedding. It makes sense that your guests will feel more comfortable knowing where they will sit. Creating a seating plan in advance will also help prevent awkward seating encounters. If you're planning a Christian wedding, the Bride's family will sit on the left while facing the altar. The Groom's family will be on the right. If you're Jewish, just do the reverse. The first four or five rows of your Wedding gallery should be reserved for immediate and extended family. This includes parents of any children in the wedding in addition to special guests.
• The parents of the bride and groom sit in the first row. Place grandparents (and don't forget great-grandparents) in the second row.
• Siblings who are not in the wedding party are always seated in order before the grandparents in the first or second row.
• Before the ceremony begins, the immediate family of the couple to be are seated, beginning with the groom's family.
• Note: the Mother of the Bride is always the last person seated and proceeds just after the Groom's mother.
As tradition holds, the ceremony does not start until the Bride's Mother is seated.
• Divorced parents of the bride or groom usually sit in the 1st and 3rd row. It gets tricky here. The parent who was the primary caregiver for the bride or groom will then sit in the 1st first row accompanied by his or her ex-spouse. Th other parent and their spouse sits in the 3rd row.
• Or if they prefer, all the Divorced parents sit together in the 1st row. Assuming everyone is getting along of course.
Addl rows are reserved for step-relatives who are seated before birth relatives and behind the immediate family. To avoid unforeseen conflicts, its always a good idea to discuss your seating plan in advance.