Family situations
Seating the officiant and vendors at the reception
The officiant is a guest; seat them with people they know. Working vendors need a table near the action, set apart from the guest tables.
Updated
Two groups of people at a reception are easy to forget on the seating chart: the officiant, and the vendors who work through dinner. Forget the officiant and a person who just married you ends up hovering. Forget the vendors and your photographer eats standing up in a hallway, then misses the toasts.
The chart below handles both. We pasted a made-up list of 105 people into Tablecharm: 100 guests plus five vendors. The officiant, Ada, came with her husband Tom, and we kept her with the bride's parents, Moira and Angus, if possible. We added a round table of six for the vendors, pinned each vendor to it, and solved. Ada sits at Table 3 in the front row with Moira and Angus; the vendors share Table 13 at the back, near the entrance.
The officiant is a guest
If your officiant stays for the reception, they are a guest of honor, not staff. Invite their partner too, and seat them at a good table with people they know or will enjoy. If a family member or friend officiated, the answer is easy: seat them with their own people.
A professional or religious officiant often knows the parents best from the planning. Seating them with one set of parents, or at a table of friendly guests near the front, is a common choice. In our chart Ada and her husband sit with the bride's parents at Table 3. If the officiant is only at the ceremony, you do not need a seat at all, but ask; many are glad to stay.
Which vendors need a seat
The rule of thumb is simple: vendors who work through the meal need a meal and a seat. That usually means the photographer, videographer, planner or coordinator, and the DJ or band. Florists and bakers who set up and leave do not.
Check your contracts. Many photographers and bands specify a meal. Tell your caterer the vendor count separately from the guest count, since some charge a different price for vendor meals.
A vendor table, near the action
Give working vendors their own small table, not scattered empty seats at guest tables. They can eat quickly together and get back to work. Put it somewhere with a view of the room and an easy way out: near the entrance, beside the dance floor, or close to the DJ.
In Tablecharm, add a table on the Tables tab, sized to your vendors. Then drag each vendor to it, or use the table menu beside their name. Either way the move becomes a pin, and every later solve keeps them there. A tag like "vendors" makes them easy to find in the guest list.
Keep the guest count straight
Putting vendors on the chart means your guest count in the app includes them. That is useful for the caterer and the room, and a little confusing for the room plan. In our chart the app planned rounds for all 105 people before we added the vendors' own table, so the twelve rounds have 108 seats for the 94 guests who are not at the head table or the vendor table. That is why Table 1 holds four and Table 12 holds five. In a real chart you would remove a table and solve again.
On printed signs, vendors appear like any other guest. If you would rather they did not, keep them off the chart and give the venue their names separately.
When to seat vendors with guests
At small weddings a vendor who is also a friend, or a planner who has become close to the family, can sit at a guest table. It is a warm gesture. Just make sure they can leave the table easily when the next part of the evening begins. The planner tips page has more from the vendor side.
Questions couples ask
Do you have to seat the officiant at the reception?
If they stay for the reception, yes, as a guest with their partner. Ask them early whether they plan to stay.
Where do vendors sit at a wedding reception?
At their own small table, near the action and the exit, so they can eat quickly and get back to work. Not at empty seats at guest tables.
Do vendors eat the same meal as guests?
Often, but check with the caterer. Some offer a separate vendor meal. Count vendor meals separately either way.
Should the vendor table appear on the seating chart?
It helps the venue. On guest-facing signs it is optional. In Tablecharm, pinning vendors to one table keeps them in place through every solve.
Put everyone on the chart
Paste your guests below and solve. Add a table for vendors, drag them to it, and they stay put through every change.
No list handy? Try it with a sample list first. The editor and solver are free, with every table readable in preview. Payment is for final files and the guest link.
Useful next
- Seating chart tips for planners: the vendor side of the room
- For planners: Tablecharm for wedding planners
- Who sits at the head table: the other honor seats
