Seating Chart or Table Plan: Which Does Your Wedding Use?

SeatPlan's guide to wedding planning terms maps each to a region: seating chart belongs to the United States and Canada, and table plan belongs to the UK, Ireland and Australia.¹

A seating chart and a table plan describe the same document - the assignment of every confirmed guest to a numbered table at a wedding reception.

"Seating chart" is the standard term in the United States and Canada. American venues, planners and planning tools all use it. If your vendors are US-based or your planning content comes from American sources, seating chart is the word they will use.

"Table plan" is the standard term in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Australian venues, caterers and coordinators ask for the table plan. Some Australian platforms use "seating chart" or "seating planner" instead, so the word your venue uses is the safest guide.¹

What does "seating chart" mean at a wedding?

A seating chart is a guest-to-table assignment. It lists every confirmed guest and the table number they are allocated to. Some seating charts are working documents kept by the couple and coordinator; others are printed displays or welcome signs that guests check on arrival.

Easy Weddings' 2026 survey of more than 4,200 Australian couples found that 83% choose allocated seating at their reception, 9% let guests find their own seat and 8% hold a standing event with no seating at all.²

Where "seating chart" fits in a sentence:

• "Can you send me the seating chart by Friday?"
• "The florist needs to know the table layout - I'll put it in the seating chart."
• "We've had three rounds of edits on the seating chart since Aunt Helen declined."
• "The venue coordinator is setting up the room from the seating chart."
• "I'm dragging guests between tables in a seating chart tool."
• "The caterer needs the seating chart for dietary service."
• "The final seating chart goes to the venue two weeks out."
• "The MC asked for the seating chart to know where the parents are sitting."

What does "table plan" mean at a wedding?

A table plan is the same document. Every confirmed guest appears on it alongside a table number, and the venue uses it to set up the room. In the UK, Ireland and Australia, the table plan is often printed and displayed at the venue entrance so guests can find their table on arrival.

Easy Weddings gives a general rule of thumb of eight guests per standard round table.³ At that rate, the typical Australian reception - which Easy Weddings' 2026 survey put at 85 confirmed guests - needs around 11 tables.²

Where "table plan" fits in a sentence:

• "The venue needs the table plan two weeks before the wedding."
• "I've been working on the table plan all week - my partner's family is large."
• "Can you check the table plan and make sure the kids are near their parents?"
• "The caterer follows the table plan for dietary service."
• "I printed the table plan and put it in a frame for the entrance."
• "Has the MC seen the table plan? She needs to know where the speeches are happening."
• "We updated the table plan after two last-minute cancellations."
• "The coordinator checks the table plan before guests arrive."

Which should you use?

Use whatever word your venue and vendors use. If your venue sends you a table plan template, call it a table plan. If your planning tool labels it a seating chart, call it a seating chart. The document is the same either way - the name only matters for communication with the people running your day.

Frequently asked questions

Is a seating chart the same as a table plan?

Yes. Both refer to the assignment of guests to numbered tables at a reception. Seating chart is the US and Canadian term; table plan is used in the UK, Ireland and Australia.¹

Does Australia use "seating chart" or "table plan"?

Both appear in Australian use. "Table plan" is the term mapped to Australia by terminology guides¹, but some Australian venues and platforms use "seating chart" or "seating planner" instead. Match the word your venue uses.

Do I need a seating chart or table plan?

Only if you are having allocated seating. Easy Weddings' 2026 survey found that 83% of Australian couples choose allocated seating.² If guests are free to sit where they choose, no document is required.

When should the seating chart or table plan be finalised?

Two to three weeks before the wedding, once RSVPs are closed and the confirmed guest count is settled. The venue coordinator typically needs the final version about a week before the event to set up the room.

The two terms at a glance

Build the assignment itself in the seat planner, which handles table layout, guest movement and sharing. Once locked, the run sheet template is the next document the venue and vendors need. The wedding seating plan template covers the column structure and sharing workflow.