I think I'm confused...

HollyRae28

Okay... Our wedding venue "strongly suggest" we do a seating chart. I really don't want to... but I get why we should do one.

Here is where I am confused...

I have never been to a wedding where there has been a seating chart. How do guests find their names to know where to sit?! Like how do they sort through 200 escort cards (I think that is what they are called)? It just seems really confusing and time consuming to me. Or am i totally missing something here?

I don't want to do it alphabetically, because that just seems too complicated with 200 guests plus I'm sure a few people will RSVP late or not at all. So I just want to display it nicely... but don't know how!

mspurr

We are doing it alphabetically for 200 guests but are putting married couples on one escort card.  That cuts it down to about 120 for us.  Some people are doing big boards (chalkboards, printed posters) and arranging alphabetically or by table number.

danigirl7181

I'm not doing a seating chart, but I think you put the all the cards on a table, write the person name on it and the table number they are at, then they will find the table and sit there. I hope that makes sense.

mamameech

There are different ways of doing it, and depending on the style of meal, it makes it a lot easier for the caterer if places are assigned (food restrictions or meal choices for a served meal sorta thing).

For us, we will have a large print with names in alphabetical order assigning them to a table. At the tables, each space will be assigned as well; I am adding a little feather with the guest's name to each menu (cootie catcher) tie. 

Most of the weddings I've been to have assigned seating.

smartlypretty

Trust me, alphabetical order will work just fine. It'll go quick. Also you don't need one escort card for everyone person because you can list couples together. That should cut down on the amount on the table.

BMcLeodTeam

I am skipping the escort cards I think and doing a chart. I find they tend to move guests through faster, especially when listed alphabetically. I am still torn on whether I am assigning seats or just tables.

sparent2010

If you are doing a plated dinner they will probably need cards anyways. The main reason is so the waiters know which meal to bring them. (You usually mark the cards with a colored dot indicating which meal to bring them)

#2 with that many guest if you don't do a seating chart and have round tables for 8 you need to plan to have extra tables, b/c for some reason people cannot figure out how to fill a table. So, you will have a table of 6 instead of 8 or a table fo 5.

#3 As a guest it is a lot nicer to have a seating chart so you don't have to worry about finding a seat. If you are having a plated dinner it makes even more sense to just add table 8 at the bottom of the card.

Personally I don't like weddings with open seating. I might just have social anixety or something but it stresses me out.

It is not hard to create a seating chart for 200. And just split up the escort cards but A-G, H-M, N-T, U-Z or something like that.

volleygurl0306

If you do your seating chart as RSVPs come in instead of waiting for all of them (and just tweak as necessary), you can have your seating done pretty well in advance and get started on alphabetically arranging them.  Of course there will be some last minute changes but things will go much smoother if 98% are alphabetical.  And like PP said, you can do one per couple/family so there will probably be less than 100 cards for 200 guests.