A Guide to Table Plans

If there’s one element of planning a wedding almost certain to cause high levels of stress it’s the table plan. Deciding who should sit where, and with who, when half of your guests probably haven’t met before and having to factor in the inevitable family tensions (“auntie Doreen isn’t speaking to cousin Paul”)…well it’s a minefield and causes so many couples additional stress, worry and even tears!

Whilst we can’t sort out Auntie Doreen and cousin Paul’s quarrel we can certainly help breakdown some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to table plans and offer some guidance as to how to go about organising them.

Do I need a table plan?

First things first – do you need a table plan? Well in our opinion yes! Your guests know exactly where they’re sitting without having to ask anyone and it removes pressure for them of having to sort where best to sit themselves. It also help immensely with the serving of food. Your planner / caterer will know exactly where anyone with food allergies or special requests are seated.

And perhaps above everything else you can control who is sitting where. If you have a matchmaking plan for two of your single friends you can ensure they’re sat together (please do check with said friends first that they want to be set up!) and if you have elderly relatives you can ensure they’re sat close to the top table so they can see and hear everything.

Who do I put with who?

One of the best things about your wedding is seeing everyone you love in a room together – there’s not many other times that happens in your lifetime so use the opportunity to mix friends and family up. Don’t keep everyone who already knows each other altogether. By the end of the wedding you want new friendships to be formed!

Start the sorting process by grouping everyone into categories, for example university friends, family and work colleagues. Then within those groups, think about who has similar hobbies and what age groups might work well together and you’ll soon have an outline of a workable plan.

First name only or full names?

We get asked this a lot and our advice is to always use full names on a seating plan. It avoids any confusion and just makes it an easier process for your guests to find their names.

Table names or numbers?

This is completely personal choice! We love it when couples get creative with their table names – it really adds a personal touch – but equally classic table numbers are stylish and simple.

Size does matter

Be realistic when it comes to the size of your table plan and the size of your wedding. If you’re having a large wedding with 10 or more tables there is no point trying to squeeze everyone on an A2 size board – it will just be too crammed and nothing will be legible. If your guest list is 100+ we recommend opting for an A1 size plan allowing adequate space to fit everything in clearly and stylishly.

What design should we go for?

As well as being super practical your table plan should complement your wedding theme and venue. You can opt for a board design, displaying it on an easel or maybe hanging from a tree if you’re having an outdoor celebration, or you can create your own design by choosing the individual cards and getting creative with displaying them. Perhaps stuck onto a mirror or displayed using vintage glass bottles as Pure Invitation couple Charlotte and James did at their wedding (check out the full post here).

Do we go alphabetical or lay out by table?

Again this boils down to how large your wedding is. If your guest list is 100 or more guests we advise using the alphabetical format – where your guest names are listed in alphabetical order with a table name / number next to it – as it will be fair easier for your guests to find themselves as opposed to scanning 10 or more tables not really knowing where to start.

If you have a smaller guest list using the table design format – where your guests names are shown around round or banquet style tables – is absolutely fine.

One of my guests has cancelled!!

Hopefully you’ll have realised by this point in your wedding planning journey not everything is going to go quite to plan and there will be some hiccups along the way including maybe 1 – 2 guests not being able to make it due to unforeseen circumstances. If this happens and your table plan is already printed don’t go into panic mode thinking you need to get another printed. You don’t. If another guest is attending instead just tell them who they’re sitting next to.

We hope we've helped to answer some of the commonly asked questions when it comes to table plans for weddings, but we're here to help so if you do have any further questions don't hesitate to get in touch.

We offer a wide range of table plan designs, in multiple sizes, shapes and colours and all with our bespoke printing service - click here to start browsing.