I'm in seating chart hell...

Do you have your heart set on a seating chart? What about just having open seating. I don't know your guest count or situation, but it is a possibility that would relieve stress. Just reserve a few tables for the bridal party and close family.

Sorry - the coworkers don't want to sit with management? Honestly - TOO BAD.

You'll make it work. And people wont' care if they're at a random table. It's inevitable to have at least one table of randoms. Your friends will still mingle even if they're not all sitting at the same table ... Put them next to each other if you can!

Don't overthink! Just do!

(Please someone remind me that I said this in about 6 weeks. Thanks.)

I got a poster board and mug and drew my tables on with a permanent marker in the same layout as my room.

Got a bunch of different color stickies and wrote EVERYONES names on them in a color coded way. One color my fam one color fhs fam one color friends etc.

That way you can take off, replacs, move around as mych as necessary without your hand cramping and wasting a ton of paper.

Ill post a pic in a second

You need to do what works for you! people will have to suck it up. it sucks doing this crap but you have to fill up the tables. I am in the same boat. Also, people will only really be sitting for dinner. Then they can move around and be with the people they want to hang out with!

^^^Awesome idea Abby. I will be using that!

Do you have a set table size? Can you do some 6 tops, some 8 tops, some 10 tops, etc? That way you could work around odd sized groups a bit better.

It is a pain and I'm very thankful that I'm having such a small wedding.

Don't stress about people having fun, they WILL and it's only dinner they have to sit down, the rest of the time they will be standing/dancing anyway. I sat next to a 10-year old at a wedding at the head table and I made it work, it was fun and then dinner was over and I joined FH at his table. Alcohol makes friends out of even the weirdest combinations.

My venue requires a seating chart with a place card for each guest with their meal selection on it.

The tables are 60 in rounds that can hold up to 10. Currently, I have some with 6 and some with 9. Was trying not to cram in 10 for comfort unless I have to. I think 6 would be too few.

I used the WW seating chart. It worked very well with my guest list b/c it integrated the list, let me know who was seated where and who as yet needed to be seated.

I ran into that problem sort of especially towards the end and then I just said to heck with it. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to figure it out. Once the party starts people will be up dancing and table hopping anyway. Just make sure they have somewhere to plant their butt when they are tired :-)

I dont have a pic of the full board and im not home but i do hve a picture of one of the corners because i had to show my mom something. Hope this helps!

I agree then with PP, they will get over it! Don't stress too much about it, people will get up and mingle anyways afterwards

I meant will your venue give you smaller tables?

@ J&B unfortunately not :-(

Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions everyone. I probably am stressing over it too much right now and will eventually get to the F it point

I took my family and set the seating got reserved, then I took the difficult guests and put them at a table and worked around those (the aunt that drinks too much, the cousin whose rude to everyone) and set people I knew they'd be okay with. This made it easier.

I had. 6 at some and 9 at others, just the way it worked because I didn't want people uncomfortable

@Abby - great idea!

I also used the sticky idea but instead of a poster (I have too many tables) I used styrofoam plates. I put numbers on all of them and made lines for the amount of seats. I also tried to color code the stickies so it would be easier to group people & seat them.

We also used the seating chart on WW. So easy and convenient. It's all on the computer so (1) can access it from multiple places and (2) one less thing I had sitting around among all the other wedding stuff. Highly recommend it!

I just sat down on my floor to do this a little while ago. What I came up with was to reserve a few tables for immediate family and the bridal party and their families. I am doing escort cards and will assign tables for these people. The rest will just have their names on the cards, and I will have the balance do open seating. They can use their name cards to reserve their own seat when they pick it. I will have a sign on the tent card table that says:

Eat, Drink and Be Married!

Open Seating

Please be advised there is no assigned seating.

Look around and find a seat wherever you would like

There are plenty of seats for everyone.

Please be mindful of tables with "Reserved" signs.

Use your tent card to reserve your seat if you chose

Enjoy the company of our friends and family, and have fun!

I had the same problem with half empty tables and random people. It will be easier for people to just pick their own seats, and this way our families and bridal party will be close to us.

I am mixing people together so they get to know each other. I am making sure they are personality's that will get along and not ones that will clash.