The seating chart can feel like a very stressful part of any event, so we hope that these tips will help things flow smoothly for you:

1) Assigned seating or assigned tables. Assigning tables will take some work away, as guests will be able to choose their seats at the assigned table and you won’t have to worry about name cards being placed at each setting.
2) Table Size. It’s recommended not to have less than 6 people per 60″ round table to avoid the table feeling empty. Max at that size of table would be 10, but 8 is the most comfortable number. If going up to 10 people, we would recommend 72″ rounds or possibly trying family style seating with rectangular tables in longer rows. Family style seating is great for weddings where guests know each other quite well.
3) Relationships.  Consider any guests that you will need to seat further away from each other. Sometimes in situations such as divorce, the couple has relatives/friends that may not necessarily be comfortable sitting close to one another. This doesn’t mean that you’ll need to feel stress. Just remember, the dinner portion is about 90 minutes of time in a long timeline of events, so a couple tables in between those guests will usually do the trick!
4) Floor Plan Spacing. Ordinarily your venue or rental company will do up a floor plan for you, but if you are manually creating one, try to keep tables 30″ from a wall and 60″ from each other. This allows ample room for people to pull their chairs in and out.
5) The chart prep! Personally, I love an Excel spreadsheet for seating charts. It makes for easy copy/paste changes. Another option is recipe cards with little post-it tabs with people’s names. Start with family, then closest friends, then extended friends, co-workers, and so on.
6) Table placement.  Consider when creating who will sit at each table, where the tables will be placed. If you have 24 very close friends, you can seat three tables of 8 all in a row, or two in a row with the third right behind. This way everyone is sitting together and close, even if at separate tables.
7) Final Copy.  Print your final poster 2-3 days before the wedding. This will ensure that your list is as final as possible, as there will always be those last minute RSVP changes. Some planners like to reserve that one extra table in the back for people that RSVP in those crunch time days.