Wedding Seating Plan Arrangements

You might be asking yourself do I really need to develop a seating plan for my event. Shouldn’t guests choose where they sit themselves? After all we are all adults.

While unassigned seating sounds great in theory and it is certainly one less chore for the organizer. Unfortunately it rarely works out so well in practice.

Some of the reasons why people generally choose to spend that extra time putting together a table plan are set out below:

• There may be an unseemly rush for the ‘good’ seats.
• It will take a lot longer to get guests seated. They may still be milling around while the food is being served.
• Couples can get split up. It is not unknown for guests to end up eating outside the venue because they couldn’t get a seat together at a table.
• Elderly relatives may end up seated where they can’t see or hear anything.
• If people turn up uninvited they may take seats intended for your invited guests.

The larger the event, the bigger the risk you are taking with unassigned seating.

Here are some helpful tips for planning your seating arrangements:

• You might want to put people next to people they know, or you might want to split them up a bit so they meet new people. But try to put each person next to at least one person they already know. People are more likely to get on well if they are similar ages or have similar interests. For example, it might not be a good idea to put your “alternative lifestyle” friend with the piercings and tattoos next to your 80-year-old grandmother. A little common sense goes a long way.
• Generally you should try to put families together and work colleagues together. However if you know people don’t get on, try seating them separately. It is worth breaking with tradition to have a stress free event.
• Avoid mixing age groups too much. Young children should be seated with their parents.
• Try to create balanced tables, with even numbers of males and females. It is traditional to alternate male-female-male-female guests however you can change this to suit your guest list and to add variety to you table plan.
• If it is a group of people that know each other well you could try splitting up married couples for extra variety.
• Resist the temptation to have a ‘leftovers’ table of all the people who didn’t fit on other tables. It is probably better to distribute such guests evenly.

Guests will need to know which table they are seated at so they don’t have to walk around every table to find their place. This is usually achieved by displaying a seating chart prominently at the entrance to the venue. If you are having a drinks reception prior to the main meal it is a good idea to display a copy of the table plan in this area so that your guests can find out where they are sitting at their leisure. This will help to avoid delays at the entrance to your main reception room.

Table number cards are placed on tables to display the number or name of the table. These should be easily visible when you enter the room to avoid confusion for your guests. If you have a large number of tables you might also want to display a floor plan to show where the tables are.

Place cards are placed at each setting to ensure guests sit in the correct seats. Again it is important for these to be clearly displayed so that your guests find their seats quickly and effortlessly.

Seating Plans

A seating plan shows each guest which table they are seated at. The seating plan can either list guests by table or alphabetically by name. Listing by table is more common and shows who else is on the same table. Please see below for an example of a table plan. Whether you choose to use your guest’s first name or opt for the more formal Mr or Mrs is entirely up to you.

Table Plans

A table plan will show your guests the actual layout of your room. This will help them identify where in the room they will be sitting. By displaying this beside your seating plan it will help your guests identify where exactly in the room they will be sitting. This will reduce the time they spend wandering around the room trying to locate their table. Please see below for an example of a table plan. It is important to ensure that your table names on your plan match what will be displayed on the actual tables.

Table number cards

Table number cards are placed on tables to display the table name or number. They should be large enough to read without having to walk right up to the table. Table number cards are usually large tent fold cards, or flat cards in a holder. Make sure they aren’t so tall that they prevent guests seeing each other over the table. If you have decided to name your tables you can theme the table number cards appropriately.

Place cards

Place cards are placed at each place setting to ensure guests sit in the correct seats. They are only required if you have assigned guests to seats (not tables). If you are using tent-fold cards, write the guest’s name on both sides so that other guests on the table can also read it.
Usually place card names will be in the format “John Smith”, but you can use “Mr J. Smith” depending on the level of formality you feel happy with. Using just the first name is obviously not recommended if there is more than one person with the same first name. As an alternative to place cards guest names can also be written on personalised favours or menus.