Organizing Rsvps and planning seating chart

There are apps that have ways to organize such as weddingwire! weddingwire under planning tools has a seating chart app.

Try rsvpify.com or Google Sheets wedding planner template

For the seating chart, rsvpify has an option of doing that for you or put names on Post It Notes strips that you move around on a poster board diagram. Then transfer the table assignments to tent cards for guests that are color coordinated for the catering staff with their meal choice.

I have a massive spreadsheet which includes a sheet for invitation tracking (i.e. who is invited, have they been sent their invite, what their RSVP is) and then another sheet where I have a list of tables (i.e. table 1, table 2) and 10 rows under each for each seat to be filled.

My invites haven't gone out yet but for the RSVPs I am confident with, I have already started playing around with the seating chart to create a mock up. Once our RSVPs do come in later in the year I will just finalise the mock up.

I highly encourage you to do this in digital form because it will be much quicker and easier to make big changes.

Excel is your friend! I have spreadsheets for everything, but this goes way beck prior to wedding planning. I've got a spreadsheet for packing for a camping trip and then make one for meals while camping. They come second nature to me so if you are not familiar with working on Excel/Google Sheets download a template as mentioned above.

I agree for spreadsheets! I made one that copies the layout of our venue, with cells for all the tables where I can put names in. Plus I really love the WeddingWire seating app.

I used an excel spreadsheet. Also, for seating arrangements, I wrote every couple (or single person) on an index card. I then arranged them in piles based on who went together. I feel like it takes up way less space than a poster board.

WeddingWire's "Seating Chart" function under "Planning Tools" has been my favorite part about this website (other than the forums lol)! I've been playing around with table groupings and it's been great to see the layout since I'm a very visual person. It's also helpful to have a general idea of how you want to seat people - for example, I know all of my cousins on my dad's side will want to sit together (vs. with their parents).

If you're doing physical RSVP's, I think the recipe box method is a great idea - maybe also keep an index card at the front with a running tally of your accepts and declines. I also swear by my Excel spreadsheet! It's all set up for RSVP's and table assignments (as well as addresses, if we've received a gift and whether we've sent a thank you note, etc.) so I can easily filter and see the data.

I did physical RSVPs and put them in a longaberger basket on the microwave as they came in.. i also LOVE the planning tools section of this site! So i would immediately update the yes or no of the people listed in my guest list on here, then immediately started using the seating chart section on here to seat them, its really easy to move people around and what not. I will then type up the paper slips to print out for our seating chart for the reception that people will be looking at

My coordinator suggested getting the cheap cheap paper plates and put everyone on a sticky note, each plate is a table, each sticky note is a person, go to town! You can move people around as much as you need. It worked really well! I then got 2 colors of little dots or you can just like check mark the sticky note if they say yes, and remove or X it if they say no. I am doing the dots since I already have some that are checked and X from last year before we postponed.

I used and excel spreadsheet when it came to keeping track of the meal selections.

View Quoted Comment That's an awesome idea! Thank you!

I'm using Zola's Seating Chart Maker and RSVP tracker to start and maintain mine. Its super convenient.