Poster Board Saves the Day
August 26th, 2008 @ 5:09 pm by Mrs. Peacock
I have been using Perfect Table Plan to keep track of our RSVP’s and I have been loving it. I was able to import our guest list and keep track of their responses with ease. Meal choices, guests, and “who invited them?!” were all included in the handy chart. When it finally came time to start seating people, things got a little trickier. Being able to drag and drop was nice enough and the auto-assign function was a great start. Maybe it was the size of our room or our long rather than round tables, but I was starting to get frustrated.
I fell back on some skills that I picked up when I planned non-profit fundraisers. Who was sitting with whom was very important and the guest list was changing all the time. The easiest way to plan it out was a big piece of poster board and a post-it note for every guest. I would then hang it up in my cubicle and stare at it until I found the perfect arrangement. Fortunately, I spent the weekend up at the lake rather than in my cubicle, but the trick worked just the same.
Everyone found a seat. This also helped me come up with my best idea yet… the kids’ table! Mr. Peacock’s mom is paying for a babysitter for all of our nieces and nephews. I had no idea how I was going to get all six of them at the same table, with the babysitter and their parents- most of whom are in the wedding party. I was never planning on doing a traditional head table with just the wedding party and no dates. We loved the idea of sitting with our immediate family, but our families combined equalled 19 adults, 6 kids and a partridge in a pair tree. Adding a kids’ table meant that Mr. Peacock and I could sit with our siblings, our parents and grandparents. It also meant that all the adults could have a fun time, leaving the work to the babysitter. Hurray!
How did you figure out your seating plan?
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9 Responses to “Poster Board Saves the Day”
We got some manila folders and ripped them into two. Then got some mini bright post its and then each manila folder had its own table # and guests.
It worked out quite well.
I used the Perfect Table Plan software too, but at one point it was really ticking me off and if I had had more time I would have totally gone the post-it note route. I think it’s so much more satisfying to see it all out there like that!
I’m using Excel. I have a pretty good idea how the tables will group together, and I’m adding people on, and shifting around when needed as the RSVPs come in. So far things are working well.
We did the same thing, and two weeks afterward, I’m still hearing from people how pleased they were with the table arrangement.
I’m in the middle of this right now. Did you seat people with others according to who they already they knew, or did you seat strangers together with the same interests and personalities?
…am I over thinking it?
if you go to http://www.marthastewart.com and click on the wedding tab they have an all new wedding planning site that lets you download all of your guests information and then you can arrange your tables even create the room and the table sizes. I am having so much fun with the site. It’s a must for anyone starting out because the budget and checklist is the best part!
@Shawn: I first sat everyone with people they knew, and later grouped them according to who I thought would hit it off 
As long as they were sitting with some people that the knew, I didn’t worry too much about it.
@Miss Lemonade: Yes, mam 
Miss Peacock, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 26, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Internet Whiz
Engagement Date: December 5, 2006
Wedding Date: September, 2008
Blogging Since: December 13, 2007
Venue: St. Clement Church, Cafe Brauer (or a big church wedding and a fancy party at a cafe in Lincoln Park.
About Me: I am a grad student with a secret obsession for all things wedding related. I also love to read, travel, drink champagne and go for walks with our dog, Maisy, and Mr. Peacock. We are planning our very vintage wedding in the greatest city in the world, our hometown of Chicago. I am so proud to be a Bee!
Nice work! We just used good ol’ excel… and one of the best tips I got from our venue coordinator: make a rough draft of your seating chart early (as in, before you send out invitations). Don’t worry if you have too many people at one table, just take them off the list if they RSVP their regrets… this sounded like a huge waste of time to me, but now that we’re two weeks from the wedding and all our RSVPs are in, I realize we have the seating chart 90 percent accurate. Makes a huge difference in this last-minute daunting task!