Six layouts for the kinds of rooms most UK weddings happen in, each shown in 3D, with what it's best for and what to watch out for. Every one opens in the planner, ready to change to fit your venue.
Whatever the room, the same few things make a reception flow:
28 × 11 m · 118 seats. Three long rows of trestles run down the barn towards a top table across the end wall. The dance floor, DJ, bars, buffet and photo booth fill the other end, so dinner and party each have their own half.
Best for long, narrow rooms and tithe barns, sharing platters, candles down the middle of the tables. Watch the aisles between rows: guests' chairs back onto each other, so keep the rows far enough apart for staff to serve.
30 × 20 m · 250 seats. Rounds of ten in two blocks either side of an 8 × 8 m dance floor, with the top table and cake at one end and the band at the other. Three bars and two buffet stations line the back wall.
Best for big weddings and hotels. Every table is close to the dance floor and everyone has a view of the top table. Watch the back rows: at this size, the tables furthest from the top table can feel a long way from the speeches, so seat the people who'll mind least there.
30 × 12 m with rounded ends · 106 seats. Twelve 5 ft rounds fill one half; the dance floor sits under the peaks with the DJ beside it and the top table across the rounded end. The bar is at the far end so the queue doesn't block the entrance.
Best for garden and field weddings. You choose the size of the tent, so plan the layout first and size the marquee to it. Watch the king poles: tables and the dance floor have to work around them.
An irregular 20 × 14 m terrace · 58 seats. Six rounds on the upper level, the top table along one side, and the dance floor and bar in the lower section by the gate to the garden.
Best for smaller summer weddings at a house or restaurant with outdoor space. Watch for a wet-weather plan: lay out the same guests in the indoor room too, so you know it works either way.
18 × 10 m · 82 seats. Three rows of trestles, the top table at the stage end, the dance floor in front of it with the DJ against the end wall, and the buffet, bar and cake along the long wall.
Best for budget-friendly and DIY weddings. Halls usually come with trestles and chairs, so the layout is about working with what's there. Watch the kitchen hatch and the fire exits, which are often on the long walls where you'd like a buffet.
L-shaped, 10 × 9 m · 40 seats. Five rounds of eight fill an L-shaped dining room, with the cake and a cards table in the corner by the door.
Best for small weddings and wedding breakfasts of about 40. No top table: the couple sits on a round with family. Watch the corner of the L, where one table can end up out of sight of the speeches.
Draw it. Ask your venue for their floor plan (most have a PDF), load it into the planner as a tracing image, set the scale from one wall you know, and draw over it. Then add the doors, windows, pillars and the stage exactly where they are, and try a few of the layouts above inside it.
Your venue, to scale. Then see it in 3D by evening light and share it with the venue coordinator.
Draw your own venue