Help with tables?

missmoose

We're about to host our engagment party and we've hit a dilemma.

We have 40 people attending so it's quite small so we're trying to work out how many tables we will need.

We have one for our friends they all get along, so there's a table of 10
My friend & her family are a table of 6 her partner and hersel will move to our friends table at 9 when her family leaves.
My family are a table of 12 both sides get along and it will be fine.
My partner has his dad and his step-mums family on a table of 12 too which will be fine as they all get along
But we're not sure what to do with my partners mum, she doesn't really get along with his family and no one from his mums side can come apart from her and her partner, is a table for 2 acceptable? I don't want her feeling lonely and left out but I also don't want tension.
My mum said I can make sure their is room in their table for her but My parents are close friends with my aunt and uncle in that table so I don't want her feeling excluded.

firebird082

Why don't you mix the families up? I would have all tables of the same number, then put together people of similar ages or something, like you would do for the wedding seating plan... I would go for 4 tables of 10 with that number. By all means leave the friends together, but mix up the families.

PlymouthMaid

I think if Mum sits with other relatives surely they will include her in conversation won't they? At my daughter's wedding they put the grooms Aunty and Uncle with my parents and they had a great time chatting.

arbrighton

How many people can the tables comfortably seat?

We didn't have engagement party but when it came to the wedding reception, top table was 10 and the rest were 8.
OH's mum and dad have been apart a long time but it is still awkward, especially with dad's new partner. Fortunately tradition had them at opposite ends of the top table anyway. For the other tables, I spent a lot of time mixing friends and family members who i thought would get on.

It will look really strange with 3 big tables and one little one. And people will probably notice and comment on it.

Darksparkle

Any engagement party I've been to, people just sit where they want rather than set seating like at a wedding.

missmoose

It's not a seating plan, I just need to figure up how big to do the tables, I know that everyone will gravitate to particular groups. But we're not sure what we're doing with his mum and where to add extra chairs I don't want the tables too big because I still want conversations to go.
We have to set it all up ovrselves. So the tables can be as big as we like provided our table cloths fit

Poppy9

You cannot put them on a table for 2.

I would go for 4 tables of 10 and mix people up. Never been to a formal engagement party where people have to sit at table. If it's more informal I would make people move after each course so everyone gets to know one another and you are not stuck with someone you don't get on with all night.

missmoose

It's not formal it's not courses it's a buffet but knowing the people that are coming majority will want to have a place to sit with people they know.
They will get up and dance and what not but there will also be tables to sit at to eat drink and mingle.
I'm not doing a seating plan, so I'm not mixing people up that'll make everyone uncomfortable.
I just want to know how big I should do the tables.