Seating is 20% spreadsheet and 80% diplomacy. Most couples don't get stuck on the tool, they get stuck on the decisions: who sits with whom, how many per table, and what to do when an aunt cancels two days before. So here's a method that works for us.
How many people per table
It depends on the table size the venue provides. A common rule of thumb:
- Round table, 150 cm: 8 comfortably, 10 if you squeeze.
- Round table, 180 cm: 10 to 12.
- Banquet tables (long rectangles): Count by length, roughly one person per 60 to 70 cm on each side.
Better not to fill every table to the max. A table with 9 people instead of 10 leaves room for bags, gifts and the couple who joins at the last minute, and saves you taking everything apart and rebuilding it.
A common mistake: planning exactly by the RSVP count. Plan for 90%–95% of them. There are always some who don't show and some who do, despite everything.
How to group guests
The simple way: divide the whole guest list into "worlds", then cut each world into tables.
- Each side's close family. Usually near the dance floor and the couple.
- Extended family. By branch: Mom's side uncles and aunts, the cousins, and so on.
- Friends. By era: high school, army, work, university. People like sitting with people they already know.
- The parents' friends. Their own table, and usually not next to the young crowd.
- "Mix table". For people who come alone and couples with no obvious group. Make sure there's at least one sociable person there who knows everyone.
Guests you need to separate
Almost every event has two or three flashpoints: exes, feuding siblings, colleagues who don't get along. A few principles:
- Physical distance, not just a separate table. Two sides of the venue, not two adjacent tables.
- Line of sight. Try to keep them from seeing each other directly from their seats.
- Don't put anyone "on guard duty". A guest whose whole evening is about preventing a blow-up won't enjoy it.
- If the parents are divorced, each gets their own table, apart, and both the same distance from the couple.
Kids' table: yes or no?
If there are 6+ kids aged 4–10, a dedicated kids' table (with coloring pages, close to the parents but not among them) works nicely. If there are fewer, it's better for them to sit with their parents. Babies and toddlers always stay with their parents.
Tip: mark who's a kid in the list (in the "Notes" or "Party size" column), so it's easy to count kids' meals with the venue.
What to do and when
4 weeks before
- Make sure the guest list is up to date and that every record has a phone number.
- Get the number of tables and their size, and the dance floor location, from the venue.
- Open an event in QSeat and upload a first list (here's how).
Two weeks before
- Most RSVPs are in. Group into worlds and start assigning to tables.
- Activate the QR (one payment) and prepare the print file.
3–4 days before
- A final RSVP round. Update tables in the dashboard.
- Print the QR sign. You can also print a few small copies to spread around the venue.
The night of the event
- Hang the sign at the entrance, at eye level and somewhere well lit.
- Leave one person with access to the dashboard, for changes and searching by name.
- A last-minute change? Edit it on your phone, and the guest sees it right away.
Cancellations and last-minute changes
It always happens. With a printed board it's a nightmare, on your phone it's 20 seconds:
- One cancellation: Don't touch the table. Nobody notices one empty chair.
- A table that emptied by half: Merge it with another half-empty table: just rename the table and everyone moves together.
- A couple who decided to come after all: Add them to a table with room, or to the "mix table".
This is where the phone beats paper
Every change in the dashboard reaches the scanning guest immediately. No old printout sending people to the wrong table.
And where QSeat comes in
Deciding who sits with whom is still on you, sorry. But once the list is ready, QSeat makes sure guests find their seats. Upload Excel, get one QR, and every guest finds their table by phone. No line and no name board everyone crowds around.