The seating chart is one of the first things guests look for when they walk into your reception, so it's worth making it look good. We don't make seating charts ourselves, but we've styled the flowers around plenty of them. Here are real examples from weddings we've designed, what they were made from, how we dressed them with flowers, and the Sydney makers we'd point you to.
Natasha and Jacob's seating chart at The Boathouse Rose Bay, with one loose floor arrangement in their coral and red palette, November 2024 (photo: Luminous Moments)
Seating Chart Materials
Choose the material to suit the room first, then the wording. A dark, moody room suits black board or smoky perspex; a light, bright room suits white board, linen or clear acrylic.
- Acrylic or perspex. Clear, frosted or tinted, with printed or vinyl lettering. It looks clean and modern, and it's sturdy enough for outdoor venues.
- Mirror. Hand lettered or printed in white or gold. Beautiful in candlelit rooms, but it reflects whatever is opposite, so check the angle against windows and the dance floor.
- Linen or fabric. Printed fabric on a frame feels soft and relaxed, and suits garden and waterfront weddings.
- Foam board or printed board. The simplest and most affordable option. Printed in black or white, it sits on any easel and can carry a small illustration or monogram.
- Calligraphy. Hand lettering on paper, card, mirror or acrylic makes the chart a keepsake. Allow extra time, as every name is written by hand.
Smoky black perspex with iridescent lettering at our Ovolo Woolloomooloo wedding showcase, September 2019
Black board with gold lettering for Chantelle and Josh at Ottimo House (photo: Captured Frames), and a landscape white board for Moj and Peter at the Deckhouse, April 2022 (photo: our team)
Ideas Beyond the Board
A seating chart doesn't have to be a sign on an easel. Two of our favourites:
- An escort wall. Each guest's name and table go on something they pick up and take to their seat: a tag on a bottle, a card, a small gift.
- A found frame. An old window or picture frame with table cards pinned inside suits barns, farms and rustic rooms.
Jessica and Mark's "Love at first spritz" bottle wall at Pasadena, October 2025 (photo: The Storytellers Wedding Co.), and an old timber window frame with table cards for Helen and Ivan at Mali Brae Farm, February 2025 (photo: our team)
Styling Flowers Around the Seating Chart
The flowers should frame the chart, never cover it. Guests need to read every name, so we keep the lettering clear and build the colour below or beside it.
- A floor arrangement at the base. Our most common choice. It sits in front of the easel legs and anchors the sign without hiding a single name.
- One long arrangement under two signs. If your welcome sign and seating chart stand side by side, a single low arrangement across both makes them read as one piece.
- A cluster on the top corner. Works on a frame or a sturdy board. Keep it small and away from the text.
- Ceremony flowers, moved. Aisle and plinth arrangements can move to the seating chart while guests have drinks. Our guide to reusing your wedding flowers from ceremony to reception explains how we plan it.
Match the colours to your table flowers so the chart feels like part of the room, and add some height with a few taller stems or grasses so the arrangement is seen from across the room.
Amy and James's ceremony flowers moved to the seating chart at Botanic House, March 2022 (photo: James Bennett), and a red, coral and blue floor arrangement with tall stems for Lisa and Chris at Centennial Homestead, October 2024 (photo: our team)
Seating Chart Layout Tips
The best seating chart is the one guests can read in a few seconds. After styling flowers around a lot of them, this is what we've seen work best.
- One A-Z guest list, with the table number on the same line. This is our favourite layout. List every guest alphabetically by first name, with their table number beside their name (for example, "Amelia Brown, Table 4"). Guests are looking for their own name, not a table, so they find it straight away instead of scanning list after list. It makes the biggest difference with larger guest lists, and it keeps the crowd around the chart moving.
- Keep the order consistent. First name is usually easiest, as that's how most guests look for themselves. Surname works too, as long as you use the same order the whole way through.
- Go big: A0 or A1. A2 is usually too small to read from a distance, especially with a long guest list. A bigger board lets several guests read it at once without crowding in.
- Table-by-table lists suit small weddings only. With just a few tables, one block per table with names underneath can work. Keep the names in each block A-Z.
- Start with your tables, not your guest list. Get the final table plan from your venue first: how many tables, what shape and how many seats at each. Then place people.
- Name your tables clearly. Numbers, places or flowers all work. Whatever you choose, put the same name on the table itself so guests can match the two.
- Keep one master guest list. A single spreadsheet with columns for table and dietary needs makes everything easier. Sort it A-Z to build the chart, and send the same list to your venue for place cards and meals, so a late change only needs fixing in one place.
- Put it where guests arrive for dinner, not where they arrive for drinks, and keep it clear of the path to the bar.
- Proofread twice. Check every name against your final RSVPs, then ask someone else to check again. Send the final list to your maker at least two weeks out, so there's time for one late change.
Venue Examples
Where the chart goes depends a lot on the venue. A few that have worked well:
- Pasadena, Church Point. Jessica and Mark's bottle wall stood outside by the doors. It's an exposed spot on the water, so anything freestanding there is weighted against the breeze.
- Q Station, Manly. Rachael and Antony set their seating chart beside an illustrated welcome sign on the verandah, with one arrangement and a basket of parasols at the base.
- Botanic House. When the ceremony is out in the Royal Botanic Garden, we bring the ceremony flowers inside to the seating chart while guests have drinks.
- Mali Brae Farm, Southern Highlands. Corrugated iron, timber floors and a chandelier suit a rustic frame and a long floor arrangement under both signs.
Seating chart and illustrated welcome sign side by side for Rachael and Antony at Q Station, October 2025 (photo: our team)
Seating Chart Makers We Love
We don't make seating charts ourselves, but these Sydney studios do beautiful work. Contact them directly for designs and pricing.
- Calligraphy En Vogue: bespoke calligraphy signage, for a hand-lettered, editorial look.
- Paper Alchemy: a luxury stationery studio whose range includes seating charts.
- Terrace Press: letterpress stationery and seating charts, based in West Pennant Hills.
- Jessie JPGs: design-led foam core and fabric signs.
Common Questions
Does Lime Tree Bower Florist make seating charts?
No. We don't make seating charts ourselves, but we're happy to recommend makers we love (see above) and style flowers around your chart so it ties in with the rest of your wedding.
Can the florist style the seating chart on the day?
Yes. Tell us where your easel will stand and we'll place the flowers when we set up the reception.
When should we order our seating chart?
Many venues need final numbers about two weeks out, so order the design early and send the final names to your maker as soon as your RSVPs close.
Do we need place cards as well?
Only if you're assigning seats, not just tables. Most couples assign tables and let guests choose their own seat.
Planning Your Wedding Flowers?
Tell us your date, venue and guest numbers, and we'll send a tailored range estimate for your flowers, seating chart arrangement included. Start your enquiry, meet your Sydney wedding florist, or see more real Sydney weddings. Wondering about budget? Read how much wedding flowers cost in Sydney.
Photography: Luminous Moments, Captured Frames, The Storytellers Wedding Co., James Bennett and our team.
