Mirror Seating Chart for a Wedding: What to Put on It

A mirror seating chart is the display sign at the reception entrance where guests find their table. Easy Weddings' 2026 study found that "83% are having allocated seating, while 9% are letting guests choose, and 8% are having a stand-up celebration."¹ For the 83% who allocate seats, the mirror is where the guest list and table numbers live.

This page covers what data goes on a mirror seating chart, how to format the list, and how to build the underlying seating assignment before anything touches the mirror.

What goes on a mirror seating chart?

Two things: each guest's name and their table number. No other information belongs on the display - the mirror is a lookup tool for arriving guests, and clarity is the only requirement.

For 85 confirmed guests - the Australian average² - that is 85 rows, each pairing a name with a table number. For 117 guests - the average from The Knot's 2026 study of US couples³ - the list runs longer and typically requires an additional column or a taller mirror panel.

A mirror seating chart is a lookup display for guests arriving at the reception. A seating map is a separate document - it shows where each table sits in the venue, and the venue coordinator uses it to set up the room. Guests consult the mirror; the venue team works from the seating map.

How is the list formatted?

Alphabetical by last name is the standard format for display mirrors. Guests arriving at a reception know their name but not their table. Alphabetical order lets them scan directly for their name, read the table number alongside it, and walk to the right table without assistance.

Organized by table lists all guests at Table 1, then all at Table 2. This format is useful when checking the list for completeness during setup - you can verify each table as a complete unit. For the mirror itself, guests arriving cannot use this format without already knowing their table.

At 85 names in two columns, roughly 43 names appear per column. At 117 names, three columns bring each column to about 39 names - a scan length most guests can read in under twenty seconds. Easy Weddings gives 8 guests per standard round table as a general rule⁴, which puts 85 guests across 11 tables and 117 guests across 15.

Columns needed on a mirror seating chart at two guest-count benchmarks.

How do you build the seating data before the mirror?

The mirror is the last step in the process. Before it can be made, the seating assignment needs to be finalized: which confirmed guest sits at which specific table.

That assignment is built in a seat planner, not a document. A spreadsheet can hold a list of names and tables - it cannot show whether two guests whose relationship requires distance end up at adjacent tables, or whether the accessible aisle runs to the right position in the room. A seat planner lets you set up the room layout, assign guests to each table, and check the spatial result before committing to it.

Once the assignment is set, the seat planner exports the guest list with table numbers. That export is what goes to whoever makes the mirror: a venue stylist, a calligrapher, or a vinyl printer.

The PlannedBy seat planner handles the room layout, the guest-to-table assignment, and the export. You share the exported list and the mirror producer copies it into their format.

The assignment built in the seat planner becomes the copy on the mirror.

Build the seating assignment in the seat planner The seat planner creates the guest-table list the mirror needs. See free tools for everything available without setup.

When do you finalize it?

After RSVPs close and the seating assignment is locked. In practice: two to three weeks before the wedding.

The person making the mirror - a calligrapher, a vinyl printer, or a hire company that includes lettering - typically needs five to seven business days. Submitting the list two to three weeks before the wedding leaves enough time for production while keeping a buffer for late RSVPs that shift the assignment.

The venue coordinator needs the confirmed seating version one week before the event. Since the mirror is a physical sign, changes after lettering are expensive and sometimes impractical. Keep a printed backup of the full assignment list at the welcome desk on the day - a late cancellation or a guest whose name appears differently to how they expect can be handled from the paper backup without touching the mirror.

FAQ

What is a mirror seating chart? A large decorative mirror at the reception entrance listing each guest's table assignment. Guests check it on arrival to find their table. The mirror is typically hired from a venue stylist or event hire company; the guest-table data comes from the seating assignment built in a seat planner.

How is a mirror seating chart different from a table plan? They carry the same information - which guest sits at which table. "Seating chart" is the term used in the US and Canada; "table plan" is used in the UK, Ireland and Australia. A mirror seating chart is one display format for the same underlying document.

How large does the mirror need to be? Large enough to display names at a legible size from two to three metres away. A 1.2 metre by 0.8 metre mirror fits 80-90 names in two columns at a comfortable text size. For larger guest lists, a taller mirror panel or a two-panel display is the practical choice.

When should the guest list be submitted to whoever is making the mirror? Allow five to seven business days for vinyl lettering or chalk work. That means submitting two to three weeks before the wedding, after RSVPs have closed and the seating assignment is finalized.

Who delivers the mirror to the venue? Typically the stylist or hire company that supplies the mirror. Confirm delivery time and setup position in the run sheet template so the mirror is in place before guests arrive.

What the seating data covers after the mirror is made

The guest-table assignment that the mirror displays is also what the venue coordinator, catering team and MC need on the day. Share it directly from the seat planner so every person working the reception has the same data.

Once the seating is set, the next document is the run sheet template - the minute-by-minute schedule that tells every vendor when to be where on the day. The wedding planning checklist covers the full planning arc with the seating milestone in the final six-week phase.