Start after the RSVP deadline, not before
A seating chart built on maybes gets rebuilt three times. Wait until your RSVP deadline has passed and you have chased the stragglers, then work from a list of confirmed guests only. Many venues and caterers also ask for a final headcount around the same time, so the two jobs tend to line up.
If you want an early look, sketch the room first: how many tables fit, what shapes they are, and where the head table, dance floor and buffet sit. You can place those before a single guest is assigned.
Build the guest list with groups
Put every confirmed guest on one list, one person per row, and give each a group: a family, a friend circle, a work team, a plus-one pair. Groups are the real unit of seating. People rarely care which table number they get, but they care a lot about who is next to them.
Paste the list into the tool or import a CSV. Include children and plus-ones as their own names so every seat is counted.
Set up tables and place anchors
Add tables to match the venue floor plan. Place the people who are fixed first: the couple, parents, the wedding party, and anyone with a mobility need who should sit near an aisle or exit.
- Seat the couple and immediate family first.
- Put guests who need easy access to restrooms or exits near them.
- Leave one or two spare seats per table if you can, for late changes.
Auto-assign, then adjust by hand
Use auto-assign to fill the rest. It keeps each group together and fills tables in order, which gives you a sensible first draft in seconds. Then drag guests to fix what a program cannot know, such as two cousins who should not share a table or a grandparent who wants to be near the music, or away from it.
Read each table aloud as if you were a guest: would these six or eight people have something to talk about? Mix a few outgoing people into quieter groups.
Check, print and keep a backup
Before printing, confirm that no table is over capacity, no guest appears twice, and spellings match the invitations. Print the chart or save it as a PDF through your browser, and export a CSV for your caterer, planner or the person making escort cards.
Save the file somewhere you can reach on the day. Last-minute changes happen, and an editable copy is faster than starting over.
Have a correction or a suggestion? Tell the studio.