Wedding Seating Chart Template: Free Download and How to Use It

A seating plan is easier to build when the maths is done for you. This template keeps your guest list, your tables and your chart in one file: choose a table for each guest and the chart fills itself in, with a warning if a table has too many people.

How it works

1. On the Seating tab, set how many seats each table has. There is a top table and fifteen others, and you can rename them.
2. On the Guest list tab, add your guests, one person per row. Add each plus-one as their own row.
3. Choose a table for each guest from the drop-down in the Table column.
4. Look at the Seating tab. It shows how many guests are at each table and how many seats are free, and says Over by 1, Over by 2 and so on when a table is too full.
5. Open the Seating chart tab, which lists each table's guests automatically. Print it, or send it to your venue.

Guests who have said no to your invitation are left out of the counts and the chart, so you only seat the people who are coming. Leave the RSVP blank until someone replies and they are included for now. The chart shows up to twelve guests per table.

Using it in Google Sheets

Upload the file to Google Drive, then right-click it and choose Open with, then Google Sheets. The drop-downs and formulas carry over. You and your partner can then edit the seating together, which is handy when you disagree about where Uncle Pete should sit.

A seating checklist

Print this list, and tick items off as you work through your plan.

Before you start

• Wait until most replies are in before you build the plan
• Agree who must sit together, such as couples, families and children
• Ask the venue for a floor plan, the table sizes and the layout they recommend
• Decide what you want for the top table, and who sits there

While you place guests

• Start with family and the people who matter most to you
• Seat people with something in common near each other
• Think about who gets on well and who is better apart
• Place anyone with access needs near the entrance, the toilets or the step-free route
• Put children near their parents, or at a table of their own with an adult
• Seat guests who arrive alone with friendly company
• Keep guests who prefer a quieter spot away from the speakers

Final checks

• Count the guests against the seats at every table
• Check dietary needs and meal choices match the right names
• Give the final plan to your venue and caterer by their deadline
• Print the table plan, the table names and the place cards
• Keep a spare copy of the plan

If you would rather lay it out visually

A spreadsheet gives you counts and a list. If you want to see the room, the seating planner in Wedding Planner by Stridivo lays out your tables, saves each guest's table to your guest list and lets you export or print the plan.

Frequently asked questions