How to Make a Seating Plan for Your Wedding Dinner

If you're planning a seated meal for a large number of people, it's best when your guests can find their seats easily. They will also enjoy dining with compatible and stimulating people. Here's how to assign pleasant dining companions to all your guests.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Place Cards
• Markers
• Notebooks
• Pens
• Rulers
• Pens
• Markers
• Notebooks

1. Go through your response cards and make sure everyone is accounted for, including those who responded verbally and members of the wedding party, as well as their spouses and children.

2. List the names of couples and their small children in groups, so you can seat the family together.

3. If you are having a bride's (or head) table, list those who will sit there. You will want their spouses or partners seated at a table nearby.

4. Decide who will sit at the family table or tables: parents, siblings and their families, the officiant and his or her spouse, godparents, etc.

5. Draw a diagram of your reception venue, indicating the locations of the tables, the band or DJ, the cake, buffet tables and so forth. Keep in mind that elderly people or those with hearing problems probably won't enjoy sitting next to the speakers; pregnant women may want to be close to the bathrooms; and disabled people will need appropriate access and accommodations.

6. Number the tables in a logical order so they'll be easy to locate.

7. Write down each table number, followed by lines equal to the number of seats available at the table (usually 8 or 10).

8. List the names of everyone who will be assigned to a particular table. Assign people to tables rather than actual seats, as this system is easier for you and allows for friendly mingling.

9. Assign one table where your wedding service providers can eat and rest. This table need not be located among your guest tables.

10. Arrange for an extra table to accommodate those who respond at the last minute.

11. Make signs bearing the number for each table and assign someone to place the signs as you have indicated on your diagram. Someone should have the diagram and the list of assignments at the reception in case there is a question.

12. Prepare place cards for the head table and the family tables.

13. Write each guest's or couple's name on an individual card, along with the appropriate table number, and place these cards near the entrance to let people know where they should sit.

Tips & Warnings

• Singles should be seated among couples and families.
• Couples should be seated with their spouses or partners.
• Mix both sides of the new family at the family and guest tables. This arrangement helps everyone get to know each other.
• Small children (up to age 7) should sit with their parents. A children's table might include kids from ages 7 to 14. Older teens should be seated at the regular guest tables, not necessarily with their parents.
• Be sensitive: Divorced people should not be seated with their former spouses, same-sex couples should not be seated with people who may hurt their feelings with insensitive remarks, and elderly people generally should not be seated with very young children.

[sporkman]

on 1/29/2009 You could also use this free, web-based seating planner:

http://sporkforge.com/opt/event_seating.php

It will figure out the seating for you.

[distad]

on 5/9/2007 If you work with Excel, it really gets easy. Ctrl-X (Cut) and Ctrl-V (Paste) make moving people around your chart particularly fast and painless. Plus, if you put all of the people on the Excel sheet when you invite them, you can easily hit Ctrl-B (Bold) or Ctrl-(One) to adjust the Font for "Strikethrough" to mark both "Yes" and "No".

[sparklygirl]

on 2/27/2007 Definitely use your pc so you can rearrange people without covering your lounge in a paper snowstorm! Either excel or a word doc will do, but I found www.easytableplanner.co.uk better for seeing the layout and making a few scenarios.

on 8/8/2006 Cut out circles for tables and write out names of guests on Post-it strips (sold as 2" x 1/2" strips at places like Office Depot). Then you can play around with who sits where and arrange similar tables close to one another without pages and pages of scratch paper. You can even color code (groom's family, bride's family, parent guests, couples guests). A little OCD, but a lot of fun and a lot more helpful than my fianc and I ever expected!

on 6/30/2006 Cut out circles for tables and write out names of guests on Post-it strips (sold as 2"x1/2" strips at places like Office Depot). Then you can play around with who sits where and arrange similar tables close to one another without pages and pages of scratch paper. You can even color code (groom's family, bride's family, parent guests, couples guests)! A little OCD, but a lot of fun and a lot more helpful than my fiancé and I ever expected!