Dear Wedding Women,
I need help in dealing with a divorce and a remarriage. The groom's father is estranged from his former wife and children. How are the mother of the groom and the father and his present wife to be seated? Is it okay to bend the rules and have the groom's mother sit with the bride's family? What is the feeling about not including the father in the wedding or not seating him and his present wife with the family?
Zahn99
Dear zahn99,
Naturally, the couple wants their parents to all be comfortable at the wedding. In this case, the best strategy may be to keep the former spouses as far apart as possible! Seating the groom's mother with the bride's family is one good solution. Here are some others:
During the ceremony, the groom's parents may all sit on the groom's side of the aisle. Just arrange for them to be seated in different rows. During the reception, there can be three parents' tables: One for the bride's family, one for the groom's father and his family, and another for the groom's mother and her family.
If the groom doesn't want his father to be a big player in his wedding day, well that's his prerogative. But tell the groom it's a good idea for him to express his desires to his dad ahead of time. This way, his dad will know what is (and isn't) expected of him and there will be less of a chance for a blowup on the big day.
