Table Planning for Weddings: How to Create the Perfect Reception Seating Plan

No matter how beautiful and touching the wedding ceremony is, once the "I do's" are said and done, everyone races to the reception location, eager to get the party started. Typically, this portion of your big day is where guests share in your first meal as a married couple, followed by speeches, cake cutting, entertainment in the form of a band or disco, and a fair few alcoholic beverages. And while you could always choose to host a bit of a free-for-all, letting your friends and family sort themselves out as you gaze dreamily at your new spouse, creating a wedding table seating plan ensures things flow smoothly, especially if you're having a sit-down dinner.

But, if you're dealing with separated parents, an overly opinionated uncle, or a group of particularly rowdy friends, trying to work out where to place people can be overwhelming. After all, who should sit closest to the two of you? Do you need a  children’s table? And how do you make sure everyone gets along and has the best time possible?

With this guide, and a little diplomacy and tact, you'll learn how to keep your nearest and dearest happy, so you can let your hair down and focus on what's important — celebrating your eternal love!

What Is the Top Table Layout for a Wedding?

Most traditional weddings reserve the top table for the newlyweds, their parents and step-parents, and the best man and maid of honour with their plus-ones. If you have a larger table, you might also want to include siblings, grandparents, and other prominent figures in your life as a way of acknowledging them on your special day and showing them just how much they mean to you.

However, there's no need to stick to old customs, as this day is an expression of you and your partner, and these old ways might not apply to your unique family dynamic. Feel free to do away with the top table entirely and opt for a spot solely for the two of you or add extra chairs to all of your tables so the pair of you can flit between different groups.

Wedding Seating Plans Etiquette: Who Sits Where?

Before you start creating a table plan, either drawn out on a piece of paper or designed digitally using software like Wedding Wire or Zola, visit your reception venue and enquire about the shape and size of their tables and the best way to fit them into the room. Then start sorting your guests according to how you know them, for example, school friends, close colleagues, and your parent's acquaintances.

Again, there are no hard and fast rules about seating everyone according to a particular group. A more personalised approach is to mix tables according to people's interests, ages and backgrounds or simply who you think might click. Although, do ensure they're seated with a couple of others they know, as even the most gregarious individual doesn't enjoy feeling like a stranger.

Other wedding table plan ideas include making a children's table covered in colouring books and games to keep them entertained, seating older guests further away from noisy speakers, the youngsters near the dance floor, and ensuring those in wheelchairs have plenty of space to manoeuvre.

Designing Table Plan Cards for Weddings

Positioning a large, clear  A1 or A3 wedding table plan on an easel outside your reception area or pegging individual table plan cards to a board or hanging them from a branch is a great way to help your guests find their seats. We can also print our table plan cards in landscape as well as portrait in case you’ve opted for a different layout, such as long tables arranged in a u-shape or a square. There are many different designs to choose from, such as bohemian, botanical, and contemporary, and some are even customisable, allowing them to slot seamlessly into your theme.

To create this seating chart, you will need to give each table a number or, to avoid people perceiving this as a hierarchical list, a name. Here's some wedding table name inspiration for you to consider:

1. Your favourite types of sweets, cocktails or cakes.

2. Countries you and your other half have visited on holiday.

3. Significant dates in your relationship.

4. Titles of songs that have a special meaning.

At Vintage Prints, all of our wedding table plans are fully customisable to ensure the perfect finish and printed on top-quality card to create wedding stationery you and your guests can cherish forever.