How to make a seating chart from a guest list
A seating chart answers one question for every guest: where do I sit? The slow part is not the drawing. It is keeping families together, keeping two people apart, and not leaving a table with one empty chair while another is full. This planner does that part for you. Start with the guest list you already have, press Seat guests, then move names by hand wherever the automatic result is not what you would do.
The plain definition, from Wikipedia’s article on the subject:
“A seating plan is a diagram or a set of written or spoken instructions that determines where people should take their seats.”
What to paste: one guest per line
Paste from a spreadsheet or an RSVP export, one guest per line, or upload a CSV. Only the name is required. Extra columns are matched by position, or by title when the first row is a header.
| Column | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Name | Printed on the poster, the list and the cards. | Ruth Okafor |
| 2. Group | Guests with the same group are kept at one table where they fit. | Okafor |
| 3. Tag | A free label such as a side or a team. It is kept in the project and the CSV; it does not change the seating. | Bride side |
| 4. Meal | Printed on place and escort cards with the Event Pass, and kept in the CSV. | Vegetarian |
The sample list under the paste box shows the format with 24 guests. A template CSV is one click away.
Seat guests at round or long tables in three steps
- Set the tables. Choose how many tables, how many seats each takes and whether they are round or long. Most venues use rounds that seat 8 to 10, but check your venue’s numbers. You can rename any table or change its seats.
- Add rules if you need them. “Must sit together” and “Must not sit together” take two names each.
- Press Seat guests. If the tables are too few, the planner adds tables of the same size so that everyone has a seat, and tells you how many it added.
Then adjust by hand. Drag a name to another table, or use the Floor plan view to place the tables where they stand in the room and move names between them.
What you can print from the chart
The poster on screen is the same layout the PDF prints: your event name, the date line, and every table with its names. The other tabs preview the other pieces.
| Piece | Sizes | Free | Event Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seating poster | 18 × 24 in, 24 × 36 in, A2, A1 | 18 × 24 in, with watermark | All four sizes, no watermark |
| Find your seat | A to Z by surname, Letter or A4 | Yes, with watermark | No watermark |
| Table numbers | 4 × 6 in, 5 × 7 in | Yes, with watermark | No watermark |
| Place and escort cards | Letter or A4 sheets: 4 folded or 10 flat cards per sheet | Yes, with watermark on each card | No watermark, meals printed, sheets without crop marks, four styles |
Change the list and press download again, or, with the Event Pass, build every print file again with one click as one ZIP. Cards are made from the same list, so a name changed once is changed everywhere.
When the automatic seating needs your help
- A group that is bigger than a table cannot sit together. The planner splits it, and the split shows under “Needs a look”.
- Rules can contradict each other, for example two people who must sit together and each must be away from a third. The ones that cannot be met are listed.
- Guests who do not fit anywhere stay in the “Not seated” tray, and guests without a table are left off the printed poster and cards.
- Two guests with the same name look alike to the rules. Give them different names, such as “Chris A.” and “Chris B.”.
- Letters that none of the included fonts cover, such as Arabic or emoji, are left out of the PDF. The CSV keeps them exactly.
- The extra rules in the rail (closeness scores, neighbouring tables, head and kids tables, table traits, seats side by side) come with the Event Pass and apply when you press Seat everyone. Tap a name to see which of its rules the seat meets and which it does not.
Seating chart generator or a spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet is fine for ten guests. At a hundred, the problems start: moving one person means retyping two columns, and nothing warns you when a rule is broken. Here a move is one drag, the broken rules are marked at once, and the poster, the A to Z list and the cards come from one list. There is no account, nothing is uploaded, and you can use it as long as you like without paying. For a class, which needs rows and not tables, use the classroom seating chart.
What stays free and what the Event Pass adds
Free: unlimited guests, automatic seating, dragging, the together and apart rules, the floor plan, the A to Z list, the CSV, and every download with a small watermark. The Event Pass is US$14.90, paid once, no automatic renewal, 90 days from purchase: it takes the watermark off and adds the other poster sizes, meal markers on cards, pre-cut sheets, four styles and the one-click rebuild of the whole pack. See pricing, including the 14-day refund.
Frequently asked questions
Is the seating chart generator really free?
Yes. There is no guest limit and no account. Pasting a list, seating it automatically, dragging guests between tables, the together and apart rules, the A to Z find-your-seat list and every download are free. Free downloads carry a small “Made with seating-chart-generator.com” line. The Event Pass removes it and adds the print pack.
Does my guest list leave my browser?
No. The list, the tables and the PDFs are made on your device and saved in this browser. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no account. Save a project file to move the chart to another device.
How many guests and tables can it handle?
There is no limit on guests. A project can have up to 100 tables of up to 40 seats each, round or long.
Can I change the seating after it is generated?
Yes. Drag any name onto another table on the poster or the floor plan. On a phone, tap a name, then tap a table, or use the move bar. You can also press Enter on a name and move it with the arrow keys.
How do I keep two guests apart, or together?
Open “Add a rule” in the rail, choose “Must sit together” or “Must not sit together” and pick two names. Seat everyone again and the rule is applied. Names that break a rule are underlined and listed under “Needs a look”.
What can I print?
A seating poster (18 × 24 in is free; 24 × 36 in, A2 and A1 come with the Event Pass), an A to Z find-your-seat list on Letter or A4, table number cards in 4 × 6 or 5 × 7 in, and folded place cards or flat escort cards for every guest on Letter or A4 sheets.
What happens when the Event Pass ends?
The Event Pass works for 90 days from the day you buy it. After that the site goes back to the free version. Files you already downloaded stay as they are, and your chart is still in this browser.
Can I use it for something other than a wedding?
Yes: dinners, banquets, fundraisers and reunions work the same way. For a classroom, use the classroom page, which has a grid of rows and seats instead of tables.