How to Draw Floor Plans for Weddings

A floor plan ensures your tables are in the right spot.

The way you set up your wedding reception venue sets the tone for your wedding. For example, if you want to maximize guests' comfort, you might choose to set up a lounge area on one side of the venue complete with sofas and comfortable chairs and end tables. If you want guests to have fun and stay active, the dance floor should serve as the focal point of the room. A cocktail reception calls for high-top tables and bar stools, allowing guests to mingle. Regardless of the reception style you choose, it is important to draw your floor plan before your wedding so that your vendors know where to set up and your guests know where to sit.

Instructions

1. Obtain a basic floor plan from your venue, showing the dimensions of the room and location of doors and other physical attributes. This floor plan will serve as the basis of your wedding floor plan.

2. Determine the size and number of reception tables you need for your guests. For example, your venue might offer only 60-inch round tables, which normally seat eight to 10 guests. For a 100-person reception, you would need at least 10 round tables to seat your guests. Alternatively, you might choose to use a mix of rectangular banquet tables and round tables for some variety. Make sure there are enough seats for every guest.

3. Place your tables on the floor plan by drawing shapes to reflect the shape of the tables. Place them in the locations you want them to be in your venue. Indicate on your floor plan how much space you want between tables---for example, Perfect Table Plan recommends spacing tables 2 to 5 feet apart, at a minimum.

4. Label each table. Some couples simply number tables, while others use creative phrases, like movie titles, to guide guests to their tables. Write the table names on each table on the floor plan. This will help you when you develop your seating assignments, and your wedding coordinator when she places signs or placecards on the tables.

5. Draw the other tables and stations you will set up during your reception. This includes the sweetheart table or head table (where the bride and groom will sit), cake table, space for a DJ or band and space for a buffet tables if you are serving food on a buffet. Keep these tables, especially those where vendors like a DJ set up, at least 10 feet away from where guests sit. Again, indicate the distance between each of these elements and the closest table, wall or door.

Tips & Warnings

• If your venue does not have a basic floor plan you can use, a blank 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch sheet of paper will work. You can draw any physical attributes, like a fireplace or columns, that you need to consider when organizing your reception.

• You can recreate the floor plan on a large piece of poster board so that you can provide more details. For example, you can write guests' names on each table so that you know where everyone will sit. This floor plan can double as a seating chart.

References

• Perfect Table Plan: Seating Plan Hints and Etiquette