Putting together a puzzle hasn’t been this hard since pre-school. Here’s how to make a seating chart for your wedding day events.
You’ve tackled the invite list and have finally received all of your RSVPs. Now, the real work begins — putting all those people at tables together. That may not seem like such a monumental task, but when you consider family dynamics (divorced parents, anyone?) friend groups, and guests who may not know anyone else, things get a little more complicated.
Savvy brides of Long Island are using Ring Leader for their seating chart organization, so they’re all set without the stress. But in case you didn’t hop on the Ring Leader train soon enough, here’s how to make a seating chart for your reception, rehearsal dinner, or any other wedding event.
Image courtesy of Becks Bridal Boutique
Look at your guest list
We know you’ve stared at it a million times by now, but make it a million and one. This time, analyze the names on the list and any…ahem, “interesting” relationships among your guests. Is your fiancé’s best friend also your maid of honor’s ex? Probably not a good idea to sit them at the same table (unless they’re on good terms, of course). Hopefully you won’t have too many restrictions, but it’s always a good idea to keep these things in mind as you start making your seating chart.
Break out your highlighter
After you’ve thought about guests who shouldn’t sit together, pull out a pack of highlighters and start categorizing your list. Yellow for college friends, green for work buddies, blue for extended family…you get the picture. Make sure everyone on your list is assigned a color and category, and don’t forget to include plus ones!
Image courtesy of Artful Biv
Start reorganizing
Now, reorder your list so that all the various colors are together. See how many people you have in each category, and think about how many seats are at each table.
This is where some “wedding math” may come into play. Say, for instance, you have ten college friends and your venue seats ten at a table. Great! You’re all set. But if you have twelve college friends and ten seats at a table, you’ll need to figure out a split. Having one full table of ten college friends with two outliers somewhere else may make things awkward for your pals. In this case, you may want to split things a little more evenly — like six at one table and six at another.
You may also need to add some groups together, so think about people that have things in common. Your gym buddies and your fiancé’s running friends would probably get along great!
Image courtesy of MJ Event Signage and Decor
Get Visual
Make sure you get a layout of your reception area from your venue! This will be super helpful in determining your seating chart. In that same college friends example from above — if six of your friends are at table 3 and six are at table 4 right next door, they’ll all still get to socialize with each other throughout the event (and may even feel like they’re sitting at the same table).
This also comes in handy when considering those who shouldn’t sit in close proximity to each other. It might be best to put your fiancé’s best friend (and his new girlfriend) at a table across the room from your maid of honor.
Don’t forget about where you sit! Take note of the tables around you, and think about those you want close by.
Help them find their seat
Whether you go for traditional place cards, fancy mirrored table lists, or pre-scheduled text messages that can save you a lot of cash, decide on how you’d like to display your seating chart. Your guests will need to know where to go when the party starts! This is an opportunity to do something fun and creative, so check out Brides of Long Island’s Preferred Decor, Rental, and Accessories Vendors that can make custom seating chart displays for your big day!
Image courtesy of Becks Bridal Boutique