How to make your seating chart
- Add your guests. Paste the list, one name per line. Add a group and a note after commas, such as “Mia Chen, Friends, Vegan”, or paste columns straight from a spreadsheet. A line like “Bride’s family:” sets the group for the names under it, and “+1” after a name adds a plus-one.
- Set up the tables. Choose round or long tables and the seats at each, from 1 to 24. Drag the tables on the room plan to match your venue.
- Add rules for anyone who must sit together, such as a couple who are not plus-ones, or apart, such as divorced parents.
- Seat people. Press Auto-arrange for a first draft, then drag guests to swap seats. Tick “Keep guests I have seated” to place the top table yourself and let auto-arrange fill the rest.
- Print the floor plan, the table lists for the caterer, the find your seat list for the entrance and the place cards.
Worked example: a wedding of 20 guests
Amy and Dan invite 20 guests: 7 from the bride’s family, 7 from the groom’s family and 6 friends, including three plus-ones. They set up three round tables of 8, which gives 24 seats, and add two rules: keep Rob and Jean Hughes apart, and seat the two grandmothers, Grandma Rose and Nan Pat, together.
Auto-arrange seats all 20 guests without breaking a rule. Table 1 has six of the bride’s family with both grandmothers, Table 2 puts Rob with six of the groom’s family, away from Jean, and Table 3 holds the 6 friends, leaving 4 empty seats. Each plus-one sits next to the guest who brings them. At 6 per page the 20 place cards print on 4 pages; at 4 per page they take 5. This is the example that opens in the tool.
How auto-arrange follows your rules
Keep together means the same table, and keep apart means different tables. A plus-one is always kept with their guest. Auto-arrange first joins everyone who must sit together into small parties, then tries tables for each party in turn, largest families first, and steps back to try another table whenever a rule or the seat count would be broken. It prefers tables where the same group already sits, so families and friend groups stay together where the numbers allow.
It never breaks a rule to squeeze someone in. If there are more guests than seats, or the rules leave no valid chart (three people who must all be apart with only two tables, say), it seats everyone it can, lists who is left over and explains why. Each press gives a different valid draft, so press again if you do not like the first one.
What you can print
- Floor plan: one landscape page with every table, seat and name, laid out the way you arranged the room.
- Table lists: each table with its seat numbers and notes such as vegetarian or nut allergy, which caterers and venue staff ask for.
- Find your seat: every guest in alphabetical order by surname with their table, to display at the entrance.
- Place cards: folded tent cards, 4 or 6 per page. Each name is printed twice, once upside down, so the card reads from both sides when you fold it along the dotted line. Cut on the dashed lines.
Choose the same paper size, A4 or US Letter, in your print dialog, and save as PDF if you want a file to send to the venue. A CSV download gives the whole chart as a spreadsheet.
Your guest list stays private
Guest names, family groups and dietary notes are personal details, so nothing is uploaded. The chart is worked out in your browser and saved on this device, so it is still there when you come back. To carry on from another computer or share the plan with your partner, use Save plan file and open the .json file on the other device. Open a plan file also reads a CSV with Guest, Table and Group columns, so a list from a spreadsheet or another planner comes straight in.
Frequently asked questions
Is the seating chart maker really free?
Yes. There is no account, no limit on charts and room for up to 400 guests per plan, and no fee to print or export. Every printout is free and has no watermark.
Does drag and drop work on a phone?
Yes. Drag a guest by the dotted grip on their name, or tap a guest and then tap a seat, which is easier on a small screen. Zoom the room plan with the buttons above it; the plan scrolls inside its own box.
What happens if my rules cannot all be met?
Auto-arrange tells you in plain words which rule or which seat count is the problem and who is left unseated. It never breaks a rule to seat someone. Add seats or a table, remove a rule, or seat that guest by hand.
Can I seat the top table myself and let the tool do the rest?
Yes. Drag the couple and the wedding party to the top table, tick Keep guests I have seated, and press Auto-arrange. Everyone you placed stays put and the other guests are fitted around them.
How do I move my plan to another computer?
Press Save plan file to download a small .json file, then open it on the other device with Open a plan file. Otherwise the plan is saved only in this browser, so clearing site data removes it.