A wedding seating plan that keeps families together

Where to start: the tables closest to you

Start with the people closest to you. At Romanian weddings the godparents usually sit right by the couple, at the head table or at the table nearest to it. Both sets of parents sit close too, often each family at its own table, so they can look after their own guests. In Bridely the head table appears on the plan as a marker and has no seats, so make a regular table for your godparents and name it after them.

Then come grandparents and older relatives. Seat them away from the speakers, near the exit and the toilets, with an easy path to their chair. They stay longer when they can hear each other.

Families with children and the younger crowd

Children sit with their parents. A kids' table on the far side of the room with no adults is rarely a good idea. Put families with small children near an exit or in a quieter corner, so a parent can step out without crossing the dance floor. If you have a nanny or a play corner, the tables next to it work best.

Younger guests want to be near the dance floor and the DJ. Seat them in their own circles, from university, work or school. People who know each other get up to dance sooner. Anyone coming alone should have at least one familiar face at the table. Auto Arrange keeps children with their parents and seats solo guests with others from the same group.

Rules that spare you awkward moments

The seating plan keeps changing until the last week. When someone says they can't come, their seat is freed. Choose Arrange unseated guests and the new arrivals find a table, while everyone already seated stays where you put them.

• Divorced parents or relatives who don't get on sit at different tables, both of them good ones
• Keep one or two seats free for anyone who turns up at the last minute
• Colleagues usually do best at a table of their own
• Make sure godparents and parents can see the couple and the first dance
• Finish the plan once the reply deadline has passed

How Auto Arrange decides

Auto Arrange follows a few simple rules and doesn't use artificial intelligence. The same guest list and the same tables always give the same result. It never splits a household, never seats more people at a table than it has seats, and leaves out guests who have declined. After that it weighs, in the order you choose, the guest's group, their family name, whose guest they are, solo guests and keeping tables well filled. Drag the priorities to reorder them, and Bridely keeps your order for your wedding.