How to use AI to plan your wedding seating plan

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Creating the wedding seating plan can be a dreaded task, often left until the last minute. Keeping everyone happy can be a meticulous task balancing the various preferences and personalities of your guests with the physical space of your venue. But what if there was an easier way to organise your seating plan?

Jess Martin, a wedding planning expert at Ginger Ray said: “Anyone who has planned a wedding has, at some point wished that they could wave a magic wand to create the perfect seating plan. Using this method, you can get AI to do a lot of the hard work for you.”

We’ve experimented with the Code Interpreter feature of ChatGPT to reveal which prompts you can use to get AI to create the perfect seating plan for your wedding.

1. Categorise your guest listStart by putting your guest list into a table in Excel or Google Sheets. You’ll want to include columns for guest names, their relationship to you and your partner, category, vibe, ‘must sit next to’ and ‘can’t sit next to’.

In the ‘relationship to the couple’ column, you should add labels like Mother of the Bride, Groomsman, Bride’s colleague or Groom’s family friend. Just list how you know each guest or their role.

Then consider what category your guests fit into. Are they part of the wedding party, are they family members, uni friends or work friends? Assign a category for each guest.

You want everyone at your wedding to have a great time, so beyond their role on the day and your relationship, consider their personality and vibe. Whether they are a VIP member of the wedding party like the maid of honour or father of the bride, a party person who might be popping bottles all night or a great aunt who might require a tamer family-friendly environment, assign your guests a vibe.

Finally, make a note of who your guests absolutely can’t or must sit next to. You may want to sit kids next to their parents so make a note of who people must sit next to in the relevant column. Equally, you may have guests who shouldn’t be sitting near each other so note this down. Now download your guest list as a CSV file.

2. Feed the list into Chat GPTAI is great but you need to understand which prompts will get you the desired outcome. The good news is we’ve done the hard work for you.

After setting up an account on ChatGPT, ensuring you use the paid version of Code Interpreter enter the following prompt into the AI, ensuring that all details are changed to match the specifics of your wedding.

Imagine you are planning a wedding. Create a seating plan for the following wedding guests grouping people in the same category and vibe on the same table where possible. The tables seat 10 people. You must ensure that family-friendly and party vibes aren’t seated together where possible. Please list those that must sit next to each other consecutively.

Following this, upload the CSV file of your guest list into AI and press enter.


3. Refine the seating planChat GPT should now group your guest list into tables based on the above prompt. However, AI isn’t a foolproof method and you might need to check through the list to ensure you are happy with the layout of guests.

You may need to ask it to adjust the number of guests at each table so that they are more equal or relax some of the constraints of your categories who can’t sit together.

The best part is that if any tweaks need making you can just enter an action as a subsequent chat. For example, if a guest is no longer coming, ask Chat GPT to rearrange the seating plan without that person. If you save the chat, this can be done right until the last moment.

4. Make the plan visualTake the seating plan provided by AI and plot it out onto the tables based on where they will be situated in the venue. You can then make final tweaks based on accessibility requirements or specific needs. Print your seating plan to display at your venue so your guests can find their seats easily. Or DIY your ownacrylic seating plan.Assigning your tables a number or name is essential and an opportunity to get creative.Wedding planning expert Jess Martin shares her tips for organising your wedding seating plan.

1. Start early: Begin working on the seating plan as soon as you have a good idea of the number of guests attending. It will likely go through a few rounds of amends as the guest list changes however it will give you enough time to make adjustments and accommodate any changes without feeling the pressure.
2. Group guests thoughtfully: Try to group guests based on their relationships, and personalities. If there are guests who might not get along so well, it's best to keep them seated separately to prevent any uncomfortable situations. On the flip side, there will always be people who need to sit together like kids and their parents.
3. Make the most of technology and tools: You can use various online tools in conjunction with AI. Virtual charts where you can move guests around easily and experiment with different layouts are great for bringing AI suggestions to life.
4. Be flexible: Understand that last-minute changes and RSVP adjustments are common. Be prepared to make adjustments as needed to accommodate unforeseen circumstances. Using AI can be a great way to quickly prompt it to make the relevant changes with minimum effort on your part.
5. Plan for specific needs: If you have elderly guests or those with mobility issues, make sure to seat them at easily accessible locations. Consider where they are in relation to speakers if they have hearing difficulties- you don’t want anyone to miss the speeches!
6. Display the seating plan: Prepare a physical seating chart and display it at the entrance to the reception venue. This will help guests easily find their assigned seats. Share copies of the seating plan with vendors too so caterers know where people with specific dietary requirements are sitting.

However you decide to plan your wedding seating plan, we have everything you need to help your guests find their seats at your reception includingseating plan kits andtable numbers.

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