You’ve already figured out what you need to know before starting your floor plan, and maybe you’ve even put your floor plan together. So, before you finalize things, we’ve got some pro tips to share with you all so you can make sure your floor plan is flawless!

1.Match Your Seating to Your Style

Different types of seating will create different ambiances, so choose a seating option to match your style. If you want a more intimate feeling dinner (and have a smaller guest count!) family style seating is a great option. If you want to keep things more traditional, opt for guest rounds and a head table where the bride, groom and bridal party only sit on one side of a rectangular table. If you want a more modern version, you can do a king’s table with seating on both sides to include the bridal party’s plus ones. If you want something unique try mixing both rounds and rectangular tables (or even squares!) throughout the whole room.

2.Number Tables Logically

Once your floor plan is complete, you’ll need to go through and number each table so guests know where they should sit. You’ll want to do this in the most logical way possible. Start with table 1 and number each table from there in order, so if a guest sees table number 5, they can assume table 4 or 6 is nearby.

3.Place Guests Accordingly

You know how to number your tables now, so next is deciding who sits at which table. Not necessarily who goes at what table number, but where in the room they should sit. You don’t have to keep one side of the room as groom’s guests and the other side as bride’s guests, you can mix everyone up throughout the room. Keep in mind parents like to be close to the newlyweds and that older guests shouldn’t be near any speakers. If your reception space is broken up, keep your family and older guests in the main room, as they are less likely to get offended than your coworkers or friends, at their placement. 

4.Know Table Capacity

Before you finalize the floor plan, make sure you double check what the capacity is at each table. That will fluctuate depending on if you have five or six foot rounds, as well as if you plan to use chargers and sometimes even what type of chair you plan to use. 

5.Dance Floor Size Matters

Your dance floor size should be reflective of your guest size, and account for whether you have a dancing group or not. You don’t want it to be too big or too small. A full dance floor will attract more people while an empty dance floor makes it look less fun.

Photo Courtesy of The Ballantyne Hotel

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