Seated Weddings – a new trend for Malta?

Due to the ongoing pandemic, current Health and Safety mitigations issued by the Public Health authorities have restricted wedding receptions to a seated plan. Whilst some couples postponed their celebration for an indefinite time, many welcomed this new ‘trend’ and went ahead with planning the perfect day of their dreams. Can seated receptions can be as much, if not more fun, than stand up receptions?

Sit-down weddings can have a natural flow to them and because of this the bride and groom can easily mingle with the guests at their table to thank them for being there to help celebrate their special day. Sit down weddings can also be fun to plan and by using some imagination, one can style table settings, venue decorations and food with everything else and at the same time have one running theme throughout.

Did you know that in most foreign countries, seated wedding receptions are more preferred than stand up ones – even prior to Covid-19?  The same thing can be said for weddings in Gozo, where most are organised as a sit-down dinner!

Here are some of the fantastic advantages that a seating wedding celebration could bring to your special day:

• A seated wedding can be decorated with gorgeous centrepieces, menus, place names and plates. The couple could also have a running theme throughout… from wedding invitations to menus and table plans. Some even make up a monogram to use on all their stationery! The table plan can be created as part of the theme and one only needs to let his imagination run wild to decide whether to use a mirror, a hanging circle or something else to serve as a table plan.

• When the reception is seated, souvenirs can be placed on the tables to complement the decorations or arranged on a separate table so that guests can take one on their way in or out, as they prefer. In a seated setup, picking up a souvenir at the beginning of the event does not matter, since guests do not need to carry them around all evening!

• A seated wedding takes away the hassle of people not finding chairs! That way you also avoid guests from coming to the venue an hour earlier to bag a chair.

• At this stage photos of the guests are usually captured. During a seated reception, guests get to eat, chat, mingle and still come back to the table when they want to.

• With current restrictions, only couples’ and parents’ dances are allowed. However, when these restrictions are lifted, the dancing can be planned in the same room as the dinner, provided that the venue is large enough. This way once food is served, those who love to dance are free to do so, while the rest can still be part of the fun even though they remain seated. Having it planned this way also means that those who get up to dance will still have a seat available when they need to rest.

• With a seated wedding you can have various types of entertainment. Albeit a band is the normal type of entertainment most couples still opt for, they can also add a magician going round the tables or dancers giving a show. Games can also be an integral part of this entertainment especially with the participation of the bride and groom, who will give this an extra amusement! And what about speeches? Although in Malta these are not yet popular, speeches can be real fun – and you get to include the people most dear to you in the celebrations, by giving them the spotlight for a couple of minutes!

• Seated weddings are longer – with some going on for 8 hours or more! It is very rare to have people leave early at a sit-down wedding. In fact, 90% of guests stay till the end! This proves how enjoyable this type of event is.

Now let us take a look at the normal course of a sit-down wedding. After the mass or wedding celebration but prior to dinner, most couples organise welcome drinks and canapes, which are closely followed by the main meal. Together, these take up to 5 hours. The speeches would take place before, during or after the meal depending on the couple’s preferences.

At the end of the meal, the couple cuts the cake, and they have their first dance together. The floor is then made available to the rest of the guests. Later on during the night, some couples opt to serve after-dinner snacks together with some dessert. One of the main advantages of this type of wedding is that the bride and groom have total control, from start to finish!

 Going forward the decision for most couples is going to be tough: should they opt for the traditional stand-up reception or would they prefer to go for a seated wedding which gives them the luxury of having a more intimate setting?

At Villa Bighi, we understand that wedding celebrations can be special and meaningful and that is why we are committed to making this unique day even more special for you! Villa Bighi prides itself in being a stunning venue that can be transformed into a wonderful background for the wedding of your dreams. All our locations can be converted beautifully to accommodate both preferences – be it a stand-up reception or else a seated wedding. In both cases, you can opt for an outdoor space with commanding views of the Grand Harbour or a stylish indoor location, steeped with historic elegance.

Experience Villa Bighi through our Virtual Tour: https://villabighi.com/virtual-tour/

For more information, call us on 2360 2200 or email on info@villabighi.com