Seating charts go wrong in two ways: a table with eleven people and ten chairs, and a guest who is on no table at all. Both are easy to miss on paper and trivial for a spreadsheet to count. This template does the counting.
Download it
- Wedding seating chart template (.xlsx) — guest sheet, tables sheet and a summary. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers.
Free, no sign-up and no email.
What is in it
Guests
First name, last name, group, table, meal and notes. One person per row. First and last name are separate on purpose: it is what lets you sort the list alphabetically.
Tables
Table number, a label if you want one ("Head table", "University"), seats, and three columns that fill themselves in:
- Assigned — how many guests have that table number.
- Free — seats minus assigned.
- Check — shows Over when a table has more guests than chairs.
It starts with fifteen tables of ten as an example. Change the seats to match what your venue actually has.
Summary
Guests on the list, guests with a table, guests still to seat, seats available and tables over capacity. When the last two are zero, you are done.
The order that works
- Close the RSVPs first. Seating the provisional list means doing it twice.
- Fill in the group column for everyone: bride's family, groom's family, friends, work. It is what you seat by.
- Place the fixed tables: the head table, close family, anyone who needs to be near an exit or away from the speakers.
- Seat by group, then fix the guests who do not belong to any.
- Check the summary until no table is over and nobody is left unseated.
The alphabetical list for the entrance
The board or the escort cards at the door work best in alphabetical order by last name: guests look for their own name, not for a table. In the Guests sheet, select the data and sort by Last name (Data → Sort). Print name and table only, in large type.
Meals on the chart
The meal column is there so the caterer knows which plate goes where. Print a version per table with name and meal, and mark allergies clearly. How to collect those answers in the first place is in how to ask about dietary restrictions on your RSVP.
We do not make seating charts
To be clear about it: our product does not do seating. What it does is the step before, the one the seating chart depends on — guests RSVP with their meal and allergies, and the list builds itself. That is our online guest list, €49 once, and you can download it and paste the names straight into this template.
If you keep the list in a spreadsheet instead, the guest list template uses the same layout, so the names copy across.
Frequently asked questions
When should you do the wedding seating chart?
Once RSVPs are closed, not before. A seating chart built on the provisional list gets redone: every decline means moving the whole table, and often the ones next to it.
How do I make an alphabetical seating chart?
Keep first and last name in separate columns, as the template does, and sort the guest sheet by last name (Data, then Sort). That gives you the alphabetical list for the board at the entrance, with each guest's table next to their name.
How many guests per table at a wedding?
It depends on the tables your venue has, so ask them for the size and the seat count of each. The template starts with fifteen tables of ten as an example; change the seats column to match your venue.
How does the template catch a table that is too full?
The Tables sheet counts how many guests have that table number and compares it with the seats you set. If there are more guests than seats, the Check column shows Over, and the summary counts how many tables are over capacity.
Should plus-ones and children have their own row?
Yes. Every person who needs a chair gets a row, including plus-ones whose name you do not know yet and children. Otherwise the table counts come out short.
Does the template work in Google Sheets?
Yes. It is a normal .xlsx with standard formulas, so it works the same in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers.
Template by the Wedding30s team. Free to use however you like, including if you are a planner and pass it on to your couples.