How many tables for 150 guests?

Tables by guest count

Each row takes 10 people off for the head table, then rounds up. 60" rounds and 8' banquet tables seat 8 each; 72" rounds seat 10. Dance floor sizes and bar counts come from the same rules the planner checks your layout against.

If you're having a sweetheart table instead of a head table, put the wedding party back into the count: 150 guests at 72" rounds is then fifteen tables.

60" or 72" rounds?

72" rounds of 10 mean fewer tables, so less linen, fewer centerpieces and a smaller rental bill. They suit big ballrooms. 60" rounds of 8 are friendlier: guests can talk across the table, and couples and families divide into eights more easily than tens. In a tight room, 60" tables also leave more space for aisles.

8' banquet tables pushed into long rows fit the most people into a narrow barn or tent. 150 guests is three or four rows of five or six tables.

Will it fit?

Table counts are the easy part; fitting them is where plans go wrong. Leave about 5 ft between tables, edge to edge, so chairs can push back and servers can get through, and keep 4 ft aisles to the kitchen, bar and exits. Keep 4 ft clear in front of every door.

As a rough guide, a seated dinner for 150 with a dance floor and bar needs about 3,000 sq ft, or 20 sq ft a guest. Pillars, a stage or an awkward room shape change that fast, so check against your real floor plan: upload the PDF your venue sent, trace the walls, and drop the tables in. The planner flags tables that are too close, blocked doors and a dance floor that's too small for your guest count.

Don't forget

• A dance floor of about 3 sq ft per guest. The dance floor guide has sizes and layouts.
• One bar per 100 guests, or lines get long after dinner.
• A cake table, a gift table and an escort card table near the entrance.
• The DJ or band, next to the dance floor and close to power.
• A spare table or two if RSVPs are still coming in.