Seating tips that make the day easier

A seating chart feels big until you break it into steps. Here’s an order that works for most couples, with the app features that help at each stage. For the full etiquette, see our wedding seating chart etiquette guide.

A calm order of work

1. Get RSVPs in. Mark guests Attending, Maybe or Declined. Auto-Seat only seats Attending and Maybe guests. See track RSVP status.
2. Group your people. Put couples and families in households, and add groups like “College Friends”.
3. Write down the must-nots. Add Keep apart from only where it truly matters. See keep guests together or apart.
4. Set up the room. Add tables, the dance floor and the bar. Tag tables that are near the entrance, quiet or wheelchair accessible under Table attributes.
5. Seat the important people by hand. The head table, parents, grandparents, and anyone who needs a particular spot.
6. Run Auto-Seat. It fills the remaining seats around the people you’ve placed. See how Auto-Seat works.
7. Fine-tune. Drag and swap until each table feels right, then check the health check on Overview.

Etiquette that saves headaches

• Head table: the couple, plus the wedding party or your parents. A sweetheart table for just the two of you is a popular alternative. Mark it with Head table so Auto-Seat puts guests marked VIP there. For a traditional top table where everyone faces the room, set Seats on to One side (facing guests) in its Table settings (new head tables start that way).
• Parents and grandparents: close to the head table, with a good view.
• Older guests: away from the speakers and near the restrooms. Use the Away from speakers and Quiet area seating needs.
• Guests with mobility needs: give them Wheelchair space or Near entrance/exit, and tag a table Wheelchair accessible. See age and accessibility.
• Kids: with their parents, or at a kids’ table near them. A High chair need goes to a table tagged for one.
• Vendors: a table of their own near an exit. Mark it Reserved — keep empty so Auto-Seat leaves it for you to fill.
• Singles: seat them with people they know or share interests with, rather than at a “singles table”.

Practical tips

• Mix wisely. Everyone should know at least one or two people at their table.
• Leave breathing room. A spare seat or two across the room makes late changes painless.
• Watch the red rings. A dashed red ring around a table on the floor plan means a keep-apart pair is seated there.
• Check declined guests. If someone declines after being seated, the table’s panel shows them as “Declined” with a button to free their chair.
• Give guests a way to find their seat. An alphabetical chart at the entrance, or a QR code that opens your Find Your Seat page.

For more inspiration, read how to make a wedding seating chart.