How to Make a Wedding Table Seating Chart

Carefully planned seating arrangements enhance the fun at a wedding.

Assigning seating can be one of the most stressful parts of planning a wedding. You may need to balance seating guests with people they know, keeping certain guests apart and satisfy seating requests from family members and friends. Additionally, your seating assignments will be influenced by the shape and size of your tables. You will need to consider the location of each table because some of your guests, usually family or close friends, should be assigned more geographically desireable tables. Planning a seating chart in advance will help you arrange seating so it satisfies most guests.

Instructions

1. Contact the wedding coordinator at your reception hall and request a diagram of the room with the table layout. Confirm the size of the tables and how many guests sit at each table. If you are unable to obtain a diagram, create one using an online seating chart and print it. Wedding Wire offers one that allows you to select the size of your tables, and you can move the tables on the chart to replicate your room layout.

2. Draw the location of the band, buffet table and cake table on your chart with a pencil. This is important because you may have guests who will not want to be near loud music or may have difficulty walking to the buffet table if it is far.

3. Look at your list of guests. Divide your guests into groups of eight, 10 or 12 depending on the size of your tables. Make note of guests you could put at more than one table.

4. Select your head table and write the names of the guests who will sit there in pencil. Next choose the tables for your close friends and family members. These table are likely to be in a prime location of the room. As you determine the guests at each table, pencil them in the seating chart.

5. Identify guests that do not need a prime table. These might be relatives your barely see, neighbors or guests you were on the fence about inviting. Select a table near the outskirts of the room or near the band for these guests.

6. Assign other groups of guests the remaining tables. Once the tables are assigned, check to make sure that guests are not near anyone they dislike.

Tips & Warnings

• If in-laws or parents invite more than one table of guests, consider letting in-laws and parents arrange their own tables.

• Do your best to seat guests with one person they know.

• Avoid making final table cards too early. Often you will have a last minute cancellation that can change the composition of a table and require you to rearrange table seating.

References

• Wedding Wire: Wedding Seating Chart
• Perfect Table Plan: Seating Arrangements