Seating charts are one of our absolute FAVORITE wedding details at ELD! Which is why we’ve asked Kim McFadden of Chalk Shop Events to share 10 of her favorite seating chart designs that she has created! Take it away Kim! 

The couple has exchanged their vows and the cocktails are being served; the anticipation of entering the ballroom, grande lawn or tent is right around the corner. The celebration is about to progress, but first guests must locate their seating assignments. What better way to lead guests to their seats than with a creative seating chart.

The seating chart stands as an element to welcome

and direct guests to the reception.

Gone are the days of cookie-cutter wedding receptions; today the celebrations reflect the details and style of the couple. To organize the flow of the fete, I am a firm believer in a large scale statement piece seating chart. After all, you have invited the most important people in your world to celebrate your union, and you have spent a great deal of time and energy selecting where and how they will dine. The seating chart stands as an element to welcome and direct guests to the reception. It is always my goal to delight guests, while reflecting the overall design vision of the wedding design.

I have gathered my Top 10 Design Driven Seating Charts from the past 5 years of working with wedding planners and couples. We use a variety of materials to make our installations come to life; antique frames, mirror, chalkboard, greenery walls and unusual easels that I have custom-built with my carpenter. As a rule of thumb, my designs always include greenery and floral. The dimension and beauty of the floral brings the signage to life and I consider this part of the design.

Photo: Vine and Light

I look at the seating chart as an opportunity to reflect the overall tone of the wedding celebration. In this case Aaron and Erin were elegant and thoughtful, They planned a classic fairytale wedding with a nod to the couple’s shared love of books. Each table was the name of a different author that they both enjoyed.

Photo: Victoria Angela

When I meet with couples, we discuss ideas and inspiration that are important to them. With Kristen and Eric’s wedding, we tied antique keys to each wedding guest’s name and table assignment. I designed the display to reflect a rustic elegance with the incorporation of multiple styles of frames provided by the mother of the groom who is a frame purveyor. The greenery wall was a lovely way to showcase the frames, and the floral design introduced the beautiful floral elements that would be repeated in the ballroom.

Photo: Kathy Thomas Photography

When I found out the my bride Elizabeth divided her time between Florida and St. Croix and described herself as whimsical with a love of the Disney movie Fern Gully, I could not wait to get my pencils on paper and my chalk paints mixed. In this case, guests’ names were displayed on palm leaves alphabetically, leading the wedding guests into the ballroom to celebrate Elizabeth and Boyd’s magical union.

Photo: Kathy Thomas Photography

In the case of this intimate tent setting, the guest list was small, guests located their seat as they entered the tent, and the seating chart actually hid the cake which was in the center and the lovely sweet heart table beyond that.

Photo: Amalie Orrange Photography

For Rachel and Joe’s wedding, they brought me this beautiful crest and a love of seersucker and bows. I was so excited to incorporate these elements in their design. For their wedding design, we used printed cards on seersucker with a center panel for the large seersucker bow. My design goal was to bring the crest to life. The crest was repeated throughout the design of the event; the wedding guests would see it repeated on the cake and the dance floor in the ballroom.

Photo: Victoria Angela

Rebecca was adamant about lots of flowers incorporated in her celebration. She chose a striking color scheme of blush and burgundy. So we designed the floral as the focal point in the gates and the signage as the frame. The guests names were beautifully displayed in a classic script that translates in scale for easy reading in the daylight.

Photo: Jamie Reinhart Photography

Sean and Shawn are world travelers. They were engaged in Italy and chose yellow, specifically lemons as the accent element for the Tuscan inspired evening. Guests dined on amazing charcuterie and sipped Italian wines while checking what location in the world their table assignment was located. I especially enjoyed designing the flight pattern of all the airplanes inbound from the couples favorite destinations.

Photo: Vine and Light

The pool patio of a childhood tennis club was the location of Wesleigh and Rich’s wedding weekend. She came to me first and foremost with the idea of hand lettering each guests name. I of course accepted as nothing is prettier that columns of names of all the special people in your two families. We incorporated the illustration of the butterflies, beetles and blooms that had first been introduced in the
invitation suite. Exquisite greenery and just the right amount of floral was added to introduce the florals that graced each table inside for the dinner hour.

Photo: Victoria Angela

Cameron was looking for Elegant with a New York meets Orlando flair. She had enlisted the creative design of Ceci New York for her invitations. We took design inspiration from the stationery suite and worked with Ceci’s team to utilize the details in the center graphic of the mirror panel as well as other design elements in her celebration. I really enjoy the chance to work on a branded wedding where the planner allows the stationary, signage, and floral to reflect design details together under her close direction of details. This floral display on our large seating chart is a perfect example why I insist on incorporating the floral design with our boards. Stephanie, from FH Weddings and Events repeated the mirror element and created such beautiful movement with her floral design.

Photo: Victoria Angela

This is one of my favorite installations to date. The butterfly is suspended from a frame system I designed. The three dimensional frame allows boards and backdrops to be suspended with floral decoration. It can be heavily adorned , or in this case an accent of greenery. The butterfly is vibrant and sets the stage for the many layers of butterflies that graced the design of Abby and Bradfords wedding celebration. Whitney of Tres Chic Southern Weddings worked closely with each vendor to create a different unique butterfly detail throughout the celebration. I love how this is bold and elegant at the same time. It was located as guests walked down a major staircase leading into the area of the hotel where the celebration would be held. The architecture and the art installation were in harmony and welcomed guests and set the tone for the reception.

You must go see all of the gorgeous designs that Chalk Shop Events has created! We assure you that you will definitely be inspired!