Build your wedding seating chart free in your browser. No signup to start: arrange your tables, add your guest list, and make a plan you can print.
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The free 40-guest wedding template, ready to edit
The editor opens right here. Your chart stays in this browser until you save it.
Start with a round, long, or mixed table layout, then move tables to match your reception room.
Add names one by one, paste a list, or import your guest spreadsheet. Drag guests into seats as you decide who sits together.
Download a PDF to print or share with your venue, or send the chart to your caterer.
| Feature | Free | With an Event Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Without an account | 5 tables, up to 8 seats each, kept in this browser | Needs an account: the pass is applied to your chart |
| With a free account | 5 tables and up to 40 guests | Higher limits for your wedding |
| Watermark on PDF | Small SeatPlanning watermark | No watermark |
| PNG export | Yes, with a free account | Yes |
| Excel export | Not included | Yes |
| RSVP collection | Yes, with a free account | Yes |
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By Ovidiu, founder of SeatPlanning · Updated October 21, 2026
To make a wedding seating chart, wait for your RSVPs, then count your tables: about 8 guests per 60-inch round or 10 per 72-inch round. Place the head or sweetheart table first, then family, then friends, and seat children with their parents. Finalize about 1–2 weeks before the wedding, and check your venue contract for its deadline.
I planned our own wedding for 180 guests. Three separate guest lists (ours, my parents' and hers) never quite matched, and every late RSVP or cancellation meant reshuffling the seating by hand. That is why I built SeatPlanning, and why this guide covers the problems you are about to solve. Read how our wedding went.
Divide your guest count by the seats per table. A head or sweetheart table seats guests too, so take its seats off the total first. For a rough room size, multiply the guest count by 14.4–16 sq ft (the Seating only column), then add about 1.8 sq ft per guest for a dance floor sized for 40% of guests dancing at 4.5 sq ft each (the Seating + dance floor column). For 100 guests that is 100 × 14.4–16 = 1,440–1,600 sq ft, or about 1,620–1,780 sq ft with a dance floor. These are estimates; see how many guests fit a venue.
| Guests | Tables of 8 (60" rounds) | Tables of 10 (72" rounds) | Seating only | Seating + dance floor | Template layout | Template |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 5 tables | 4 tables | about 576 to 640 sq ft | about 650 to 710 sq ft | 4 rounds of 8 + an 8-seat head table | 40-guest layout |
| 60 | 8 tables | 6 tables | about 864 to 960 sq ft | about 970 to 1,070 sq ft | 7 rounds of 8 + a 4-seat sweetheart table | 60-guest layout |
| 100 | 13 tables | 10 tables | about 1,440 to 1,600 sq ft | about 1,620 to 1,780 sq ft | 11 rounds of 8 + a 12-seat head table | 100-guest layout |
| 150 | 19 tables | 15 tables | about 2,160 to 2,400 sq ft | about 2,430 to 2,670 sq ft | 14 rounds of 10 + a 10-seat head table | 150-guest layout |
| 200 | 25 tables | 20 tables | about 2,880 to 3,200 sq ft | about 3,240 to 3,560 sq ft | 19 rounds of 10 + a 10-seat head table | 200-guest layout |
Table counts round up and assume everyone sits at rounds. The templates seat the head or sweetheart table's guests inside the guest total, so they have fewer rounds than the count (see the Template layout column). The 60-guest sweetheart table has four chairs, two of them optional. The 3-ft clear border around the dance floor, a stage or band and a buffet come on top. For comparison, the building code (IBC Table 1004.5) counts 15 net sq ft per person at tables, a legal minimum rather than a comfortable plan.
Wait until your RSVP deadline has passed before making firm assignments. That gives you a reliable list of who is attending, including plus-ones and children, and lets you account for meal or access needs people shared. You can sketch the room and table count earlier, but leave open seats for late replies. Finalize the chart typically 1–2 weeks before the wedding; check your caterer's deadline for the final headcount.
A head table usually seats the couple with some or all of the wedding party, while a sweetheart table gives the couple a small table of their own. The right choice depends on your room and relationships: a head table can make the wedding party feel included, while a sweetheart table avoids deciding which family members or partners sit beside you. Consider sightlines, conversation, and who you want nearby during dinner. Read about head tables and sweetheart tables.
Start with the people whose comfort matters most, then place relatives and family friends around them. Keep close relatives together when they enjoy one another, but do not assume every branch of a family needs the same table. If parents are divorced, give each their own table at an equal distance from the couple, as covered in our head table guide, and ask each privately about new partners. Avoid making the chart announce or explain family history.
Seat children with their parents unless you have a separate kids’ table that suits their ages and needs. Put that table close enough for parents to help, and check whether the venue provides high chairs or child meals. Give invited plus-ones a place in the plan even if you do not yet know their names; update the assignment when the couple confirms. Seat single guests with people they have something in common with, rather than grouping them together simply because they are single.
A 60-inch (152 cm) round seats 8 comfortably and 10 at most, and needs about 100 sq ft with clearance. A 72-inch (183 cm) round seats 10 comfortably and 12 at most, in about 121 sq ft. Leave 60 inches between round table edges and 36 inches from a table to the wall, and keep a 36-inch accessible route (ADA 403.5.1). An 8-ft rectangle seats 8, or 10 with ends. See banquet table sizes and capacity, table spacing standards and the table capacity calculator.
Once the assignments are settled, export a print-ready PDF and check it at the size you plan to display. Use large, high-contrast names and sort guests alphabetically or by table so they can find their seats quickly. Ask someone who has not seen the chart to test it, and send a copy to your venue team. Place the display near the reception entrance where guests can pause without blocking the doorway, and keep a backup copy with your coordinator.
Choose a sample chart close to your guest count, then adjust the tables and seats for your venue. Each one shows what it needs to open.
Yes. Open the editor with no account and build a layout of up to five tables. A free account holds one chart with up to 40 guests across five tables, plus PNG export and RSVP collection; free PDFs carry a small SeatPlanning watermark. For a bigger wedding, a one-off Event Pass raises the limits, removes the watermark and adds Excel export, with no subscription.
Yes. Export a PDF, then print it at the size you plan to display or send it to your venue.
Yes. Paste names from a list or spreadsheet, or import an Excel file and map its columns to guest details.
Round tables make it easier for a group to talk and suit many rooms, while long tables suit banquet-style rooms and larger family groups. Check your venue's capacity and walkways before choosing.
Need ideas for your layout? Wedding seating chart ideas · Common seating chart mistakes · Table capacity calculator