Tips for Creating Your Wedding Seating Chart
HOW TO MAKE A SEATING CHART | WEDDING PLANNING TIPS | WEDDING SEATING PLAN
The dreaded seating chart.
Just when you think that you’ve finished your wedding planning and can sit back and enjoy the last few weeks before your big day, you realize that you have to make a seating chart for all 100 of your guests. You may be tempted to just let people sit where they want, but this will create way more chaos than it’s worth. Even though it’s time-consuming and can be a bit tricky, creating a seating chart for your wedding reception doesn’t have to be a nightmare. We’ve put together some tips and tricks to make sure you can create the best seating plan possible without breaking a sweat.
Talk to your venue (and/or rental company) about their tables and standard setup.
Your venue coordinator is going to be one of your best resources when creating your seating chart. You’ll want to check in with them about the size of the tables, how many people they can comfortably seat, and how the tables are usually spaced out. Are half of the tables on either side of the dance floor? Where will the DJ, the bar, and the food be located? These are important things to know before you start planning everything out.
2. Draw it out.
Whether or not you’re a visual learner, it’s a good idea to draw out your floor plan so you can have an idea of where things are. You can then label individual sticky notes for each person so you can easily move them around! Or, if you prefer to do this digitally, Zola has a great online floor planner.
3. Decide who you want to sit with.
Talk to your partner and decide who you two want to eat with on your wedding night. Do you want a sweetheart table for just you two? What about a head table with all of your wedding party? There’s no right or wrong answer for who you want to sit with, just make sure you agree!
4. Do the math.
Now it’s time to take your total number of guests, subtract anyone sitting at your table, and divide by how many tables you have. That’s how you’ll get a rough figure of how many people should be seated at each guest table. Keep in mind, these numbers are flexible, but they will give you an idea of how to clump people together.
5. Try to seat everyone with at least one person they know.
It’s time to use that visual planner we talked about! Start by grouping people into sets of 8 (or 6, or 10 - whatever your guest number per table is). If you end up with a perfect amount on the first try, incredible! But more than likely you’ll have a handful of people that you just can’t quite figure out where to place. Try to always seat people with at least one person they know, even if that means breaking up a larger group into two tables. This will ensure that no one feels awkward and excluded.
6. Seat kids with their parents.
At first glance, a kids' table might sound like a fun idea, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’re having kids at your wedding, you’ll want to make sure that their parents are keeping an eye on them throughout the evening, and that they’re on their best behavior. When too many kids are in one spot without an adult supervising, things can get a little crazy!
7. Do your best to navigate family dynamics.
It’s not always possible, but if you can, we suggest seating people in a way as to avoid conflict on the day of the wedding. If you have a cousin and an uncle who haven’t spoken in a few years, it’s probably best if they don’t sit next to each other. After all, you want your wedding day to be totally drama-free. It’s also a good idea to consider what table is closest to the bar, and who might want to be near the door so they can sneak out early if necessary.
8. Make final decisions after the last round of RSVPs.
Possibly the most important part of your seating chart — don’t get too attached until you have your final RSVPs. If you’re like me and you tried to get everything done as early as possible, this might be really hard! But a whole group of people could end up RSVPing no and it will throw a wrench into your plan. So do your best to be flexible with the seating chart until about two weeks before the wedding, when everything should be set in stone.
There is no such thing as a perfect seating chart for your wedding. But you can do your best to create sure that people feel comfortable and welcomed on your big day! And most importantly, your guests will have a designated seat at which to enjoy the reception.
