How to make a wedding table plan (step by step)

Most couples say the table plan is the fiddliest job of the whole wedding. It doesn't have to be. The trick is doing things in the right order, so you only make each decision once.

1. Wait for (most of) your RSVPs

Set your RSVP deadline 6–8 weeks before the day and start the plan once around 90% of replies are in. Starting earlier means redoing it every time someone drops out.

2. Get the room facts from your venue

Ask for three things: how many tables fit, what size and shape they are, and whether there's a top table. A typical 5ft round table seats 8–10; a 6ft round seats 10–12. Long trestle tables usually seat 6–8 per 6ft section.

3. Do the top table first

It's the table everyone notices, so settle it before anything else. See our guide to UK top table order for the traditional line-up and modern alternatives.

4. Group your guests

Put everyone into groups — bride's family, groom's family, uni friends, work friends. In Tidy Tables you can add a group when you add a guest, and each group gets its own colour on the tables so you can see at a glance where everyone sits.

5. Fill tables group by group

Seat the biggest groups first and keep couples together. Mix smaller groups onto tables where they'll have something in common. Leave the "difficult" seating — separated parents, the friend who knows nobody — until the end, when you can see the gaps.

6. Check capacities and dietary needs

Make sure no table is over its seat count and that the caterer knows about every dietary requirement by table. Tidy Tables flags over-full tables in red and produces a venue sheet listing dietary notes per table.

7. Print it

Order the sign about two weeks before the day, after final numbers. Most UK foam-board printers accept a PDF at A1 or A2 — see which size to choose.

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