How To Design A Wedding Floorplan With Seating Style Ideas

Blog October 11 2022

Designing a wedding layout and figuring out how to arrange the seating chart within the floorplan are both focal points in the wedding planning process.

To organize these wedding planning tasks and simplify the process while also gaining insight into layout ideas, follow these helpful tips to easily design a wedding floorplan and seating chart.

Utilize Prismm

Prismm has transformed the wedding and event industry from paper-and-pencil to an all-digital approach to wedding planning. Do away with using Excel spreadsheets and create your wedding floorplan using Prismm instead!

When using Prismm, it’s easy to also manage the wedding guest list while having the ability to organize guests alphabetically or in groups, track RSVP’s, meal types, and keep notes while designing your wedding floorplan and seating chart all in one place.

Design Floorplans To-Scale With Prismm

Most venues already have their floorplans within Prismm. In the event that you cannot locate the floorplan for your venue, it’s okay! If you can provide us with a floorplan marked with at least one accurate dimension, our team can scale and upload it into the platform. Prismm makes it easy to create the layout (to-scale!) for your wedding floorplan template. Work collaboratively on designing the wedding floorplan by exploring Prismm’s extensive furniture library. Choose from a wide variety of tables, shapes, sizes, and styles to meet the needs of the wedding floorplan.

There are many features available when designing wedding floorplans online using Prismm.

For example, Prismm floorplan wedding design tools allow you to:

Select your tables, chairs, objects, and furniture
Customize spacing
Join tables and/or knock off chairs
Include spacing for dance floors and entertainment areas
Mark exits within the layout
List any planning details and/or notes directly within the floorplan
Save favorite objects and templates for future layouts
Create custom groups and save them to favorites
Upload files (including JPG, PNG, PDF) to floorplan

Each piece of furniture and tabletop item in Prismm is designed to scale with the exact listed dimensions. Using Prismm to arrange the wedding floorplan will take the guesswork out of wondering if everything will actually fit in the space on the day of the wedding. Aside from positioning your tables and furniture within the wedding floorplan, you can also customize the spacing between tables as well as the number of chairs around each table. Include table numbers and mark the areas for the dance floor, band area, and other features as well including bars, buffet tables, food stations, exit areas, and additional entertainment.

View layouts in both 2D and 3D For Enhanced Visualization

Using Prismm to create your wedding floorplan gives you access to both floorplans both 2D and 3D floorplan viewing. Prismm’s 3D view can be set to “Bird’s Eye View” which allows you to see your wedding floorplan template from above. Alternatively, you can walk through the wedding event space in 3D view “1st Person View” which will feel as though you are actually moving through your event. Taking a virtual walkthrough of your wedding floorplan in 3D will help to ensure that you’re 100% satisfied with the layout before the day of your event.

Floorplan and Seating Ideas

Treat your wedding floorplan like a jigsaw puzzle.

Once you have the tech in place using Prismm, it’s time to think about how you want to arrange the seating.

A wedding floorplan is really quite similar to a jigsaw puzzle. You just need a place to start and then things start to fall into place! While some may be overwhelmed by the process of creating a wedding floorplan, so long as you go into the task of arranging the seating chart focused and organized with a starting point, designing the floorplan will be simple. To start creating the wedding floorplan, one suggestion is, to begin with where the wedding couple will be seated. Once you determine that location within the wedding floorplan template, you can begin to build out the rest of your wedding floorplan. Give the groom’s family a section of tables within the wedding floorplan and the bride’s family another area in the layout. Position friends and colleagues at specific tables, and the bridal party near the location where the wedding couple is seated. As you design the wedding floorplan, it will seem to come together, just like a puzzle!

Implement Social Distancing Using Prismm’s Physical Distance Tool

Prismm makes it really easy to work with social distancing guidelines as we transition back to events.

With Prismm’s Physical Distancing Tool for the wedding seating layout, you can:

Create a wedding layout that meets distancing guidelines to run a safe distance event.
Visualize the wedding floorplan with distancing in place.
Better understand how new guidelines will affect capacity.

Be strategic when placing your guests according to the wedding floorplan layout.

You will want to be strategic about the specific placement of guests within the wedding floorplan. For example, when creating the wedding floorplan, be sure to mark the spaces for the dance floor and entertainment areas.

Take into consideration the placement of the DJ/band within the floorplan. It’s always best to seat younger guests near the music in the layout. Younger guests won’t mind the noise as much as your older guests!

If there are undesirable table locations within your wedding floorplan, you may also wish to consider seating the younger guests at these tables as well. The younger crowd is often most likely to be active on the dance floor during the wedding while older guests may be seated more often.

The perimeter of the dance floor is great for people watching. This is where you want to seat your older guests! When the party is alive and the dance floor jamming, you want the guests who will be seated most of the night to still feel a part of the action.

A dozen round tables with assigned numbers isn’t the only way to seat your guests in the wedding floorplan.

While round tables are always a great, classic option for a wedding floorplan, you may wish to get creative with seating styles in the reception layout.

The first step is to check with the venue to determine the table options and sizes available to you. Once you understand what the venue has available, you can decide if you want to use those tables or consider a rental company for other options.

There are many seating style ideas to consider for your seating chart layout for a wedding.

Vignette Seating: Vignette mixes different types of tables to create a variety of unique “vignettes” in different parts of your wedding floorplan.

Family Style Seating: Go family-style in your layout to create a warm and memorable atmosphere.

Lounge Style: Replicate the vibe of a chic urban hotspot with lounge-style seating or forego assigned seating altogether and create a cocktail party atmosphere with high tables and stools within your wedding floorplan template.

There are so many options when it comes to seating styles for your wedding floorplan!

Mix families and friends throughout the wedding floorplan and seating.

While some may want to designate sides of the dance floor for where each side of the family may sit, give thought to blending families and friends throughout the seating chart. The blending of the seating chart offers families and friends the opportunity to get to know each other better. For example, you may wish to consider a “cousins table” which will combine the cousins from both families. Also, why not mix up your groups of friends and put all of the singles together for a good time!

There’s no right or wrong way to create a wedding floorplan. Using Prismm, it’s easy to play around with the layout that will best fit the space and meet the needs of the event.

To get started with Prismm, click here.