Seating Chart

We split the wedding party among a few tables, where they were each sitting with people they already knew. We did not separate by bride's friends and groom's friends - we kind of mixed everyone together, especially since many of our friends all know each other. Our immediate families each got their own tables. For those who didn't really know anyone else at the wedding, we put them at tables with people who are similar in age to them and who'd they most likely get along with.

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The seating chart seems like the most daunting part of planning so far. Thanks for the advice

View Quoted Comment The seating chart is definitely a logic puzzle lol. I would honestly wait until after you've received all RSVPs before doing the seating chart. Otherwise, you might end up spending a lot more time having to redo it, based on the final attendance count.

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It CAN be daunting! Us this site , under "planning" and go to 'seating chatt'. It's really easy, and you can move people around, change the table size and everything. I loved using it!! Plus, you can then print out the diagram, or convert it to list view. I did both, so now we are already to do our escort cards! (12 more days!!!)

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Thanks for the advice!

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Thank you for saying this, I was going to ask when is probably the idea time to start doing a seating chart. Is one necessary?

View Quoted Comment I think having assigned tables is definitely helpful! You don't necessarily need to assign specific seats at that table, but by having assigned tables, you can group guests with other people they may know. When left with open seating, guests do not seat themselves efficiently, so some people may drag extra chairs over to one table so they can sit with their friends, or people may leave empty seats open at other tables, etc. You'd also likely end up with couples having to sit at separate tables, or people end up at tables where they know nobody, etc. Assigned tables prevents those issues.

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I don't think is necessary to have one but my venue shows people to their tables so it is required

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OK, that make sense! Thank you!

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That's interesting, but at the same time I imagine will be nice. Are you planning on having a designed seating chart that people will see?

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No the venue uses a spreadsheet that lists the guests names and the table they are assigned to. Since guests aren't finding their own seats we decided to save money but not buying or creating a fancy seating chart for people to look at

We gave our BP of 8 a +1 no matter what the relationship status was. We sat each of them at a table for 2 with 4 tables on each side of our table. We started our seating chart early into the planning and used our seating chart to check off guests as they RSVP'd. We kept our immediate family together, but mixed our family members together and our friends together so they can meet. We didn't have anyone at our reception who didn't know 4 - 5 people, but we made sure to mix everyone around pretty good.

Put each individual guest’s name on a post it that you can move around as needed while you are figuring out the layout. Don’t finalize anything before you get final tally of rsvps, after you track down anyone who missed the rsvp deadline. Put their names on the individual cards but don’t put table numbers on until you get everyone at the table they need to be at. This is why posters and other large displays such as mirrors and walls are a bad idea and expensive to redo each time there is a typo or someone has to be moved. Making the list wasn’t as difficult as we thought.


If you are having plated meals that guests pick beforehand, use solid colored tent cards to differentiate, which is 1000x easier on waitstaff than tiny ribbons and rubber stamps that cannot be seen easily.
There is no reason to separate the bridesmaids and groomsmen from their families/partners during dinner. Singles tables or tables for dates rarely work out and people who are assigned there don’t enjoy themselves at all. After the post-ceremony pictures, the bridesmaids and groomsmen are released from all duties so they don’t need to sit with the couple.
If you want to sit with them, do a king’s table or rounds. The issue with head tables is that you put people on display while they are eating and you also eliminate any opportunity for conversations, because they can only speak to one or two people max.
Make every effort to seat guests with people they may get along with if they don’t have a partner or family in attendance. Mix up guests based on who they get along with. Separating them by one side and the other is not a good look when they are now connected.
We decided to have a king’s table and combine everyone with their dates. We didn’t want a sweetheart table because we had no plans to be on display while eating and we wanted to sit with friends we don’t get to see often when we will have the rest of our lives to have private dinners.

I love the logistics of creating the seating chart. I may have made one years prior to getting engaged just for the sheer joy of making one and rearranging based on different parameters lol. I'm a crazy person, I know! But I've found the seating chart on here and the form super helpful.

I started by just putting in everyone who was invited. Once I had my list, I just added a bunch of tables. Then, I started with people I KNEW were going to be sitting together (grandma with parents, friends and their SOs, coworkers, etc.). I was originally going to do a head table and had the seating chart based off of that, then changed once we got our venue and I saw the layout. A sweethearts table makes more sense and then all the friends could be together. We have the bridal party sitting with friends since we're not inviting all of their families. The families we do have coming, we're sitting them together. Most of my girls and I have been in the same friend group for years so our parents all know each other.

We still have some time, but moving forward, I plan on just doing some minor adjustments based on who can actually come. As for layout, I have an idea of the tables I want in the front (and back lol) and everyone else is just somewhere in the middle. I have it roughly separated where half the room is my side and half is his, but I have more family so it's not going to be a totally even split.

We don't have anyone who just knows us and their date only; however, I would try to put them with maybe other people who didn't know anyone and/or other people around their age.