Alphabetical Seating Chart
For receptions with 80+ guests, one alphabetical board beats a floor plan: guests find their name in seconds, ushers answer fewer questions.
Worked example — “The Sample Wedding”, 12 guests, 3 tables (no signup needed to look):
How the A–Z sorting works
Paste one guest per line — prefixes, hyphenated last names, and “Mr. and Mrs.” entries are handled. SortaSeat derives each sort key by last name: “Dr. Jane Doe-Smith” files under D, “Mr. and Mrs. Alan Lee” under L, “Sarah Adams & Tom Smith” under A. Titles are ignored; same last names are ordered by first name.
When to choose alphabetical over a floor plan
Alphabetical wins at the door (one lookup, no map reading); a floor plan wins for table-hunting inside the room. Most weddings with 80+ guests print the A–Z board at the entrance.
Common questions
How are last names with prefixes like “van der Berg” sorted?
Under the prefix — “Ann van der Berg” is filed in the V section, the convention most US stationers use. You can always re-paste and check the live preview.
Can I print just the alphabetical chart?
Yes — switch the view to “A–Z chart”, pick 18 × 24 or 24 × 36, and print. The by-table view prints separately.
Is my guest list uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser; the list never touches a server.