Last updated · Written and tested by the Seat Chart Generator team, who plan seating for real weddings, dinners and classrooms.
The wedding seating chart is usually the last big planning job, and the most political. This wedding seating chart generator works like a wedding seating planner template that rearranges itself: load the reception layout, add your RSVPs and let auto-seat build a first draft. Then fine-tune by dragging names between tables.
How to make a wedding seating chart in 4 steps
- Load the reception layout. Start from a head table plus round tables of 10, then move tables to match your venue’s floor plan.
- Import your RSVP list. Paste or import your guest list with a group (Bride’s family, College friends) and a meal choice for each guest.
- Auto-seat, then fine-tune. Auto-seat keeps households together. Add rules such as “keep Uncle Bob away from Aunt Sue”, then drag guests to finish.
- Print everything. Download the seating chart, an alphabetical find-your-seat list, place cards, escort cards and table numbers.
Wedding seating plan timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks before | Get the floor plan and table sizes from your venue. Build the layout. |
| 6 weeks before | RSVPs arrive. Import the list with groups and meal choices. |
| 4 weeks before | Run auto-seat, add keep-apart rules, review with your partner and parents. |
| 2 weeks before | Lock the chart. Send the meal summary to the caterer and the PDF to the venue. |
| 1 week before | Print escort cards, place cards, table numbers and the seating chart sign. |
Head table, sweetheart table or king’s table?
- Head table: a long table for the couple and the wedding party, facing guests. Classic and great for photos.
- Sweetheart table: just the two of you. It frees the wedding party to sit with their partners.
- King’s table: one long table that also seats the wedding party’s partners. It works best in long, banquet-style rooms.
The reception layout includes a head table of 10. Click it to change the seat count or the shape.
How to group wedding guests
Give every guest a group when you paste or import (Bride’s family, Groom’s college friends, Work, Neighbours). Auto-seat keeps each group together and fills tables from the largest group down, so families aren’t split across the room. Then add rules for the tricky cases: divorced parents, feuding cousins, or a couple who must sit together even though they’re in different groups.
Escort cards, place cards and the seating chart sign
Guests look for their own name, so an alphabetical list beats a table-by-table poster at the entrance. The free PDF includes both. With the Event Pass you also get folded wedding place cards (four per US Letter sheet, name on both sides), flat escort cards sized for standard 2×5 business-card sheets, large table numbers and a meal summary for your caterer.
Sign sizes: 18×24 inches suits up to about 120 guests, and 24×36 inches suits 120–250. Ask your print shop for foam board, and order a few days early.
Not a wedding? The main seating chart generator has dinner-party and banquet layouts, and teachers can use the classroom seating chart generator.
Wedding seating chart FAQ
When should we start our wedding seating chart?
Start a draft once about 80% of RSVPs are in, usually 4–6 weeks before the wedding. Finalise it 1–2 weeks out so the venue, caterer and stationer have time to print.
Who sits at the head table?
Traditionally the couple and the wedding party sit at the head table, facing the guests. Many couples now choose a sweetheart table for two, or a king’s table that also seats partners of the wedding party.
Where do parents sit at a wedding?
Parents usually sit at the tables closest to the head table, often with grandparents and the officiant. Divorced parents can each host their own table nearby, which is simple to set up with a keep-apart rule.
What is the difference between escort cards and place cards?
Escort cards sit at the entrance and tell each guest their table number. Place cards sit on the table and mark each guest’s exact seat. You need escort cards (or a seating chart sign) either way, and place cards only if you assign specific seats.
Do we need assigned seating at a wedding?
For more than about 50 guests, or any plated dinner, assigned tables help a lot. They speed up dinner service, make meal choices easy for the caterer and stop guests from hunting for space.
Can we use this as a wedding seating planner template?
Yes. Start from the reception layout, which works like a ready-made template, and save it in your browser. The free plan handles up to 40 guests; the Event Pass ($19 once) covers the whole wedding with no guest limit.