How many tables do I need?

Quick answers by guest count

Guest tables only, no spare seats, no head table — round up when a table would be left with one or two empty chairs.

8 or 10 to a table?

A 60-inch round seats eight comfortably; ten fit, but plates, glasses and centrepieces get crowded and servers struggle to reach. A 72-inch round seats ten comfortably and twelve at a squeeze. Rental companies differ slightly, so ask your venue which tables they actually stock — the calculator assumes the comfortable number.

Fewer, larger tables mean fewer centrepieces and table numbers to buy, but conversation splits in two across a wide table. Long banquet tables suit feasting-style dinners and narrow rooms; they seat more people in the same floor space but make couples and families harder to keep together at the ends.

How the floor-space estimate works

Each table gets its own square: the table, plus 50 cm (about 20″) for a chair and pushing it back on every side, plus a 60 cm (24″) walkway. A 72″ round therefore takes about 3.4 × 3.4 m. The dance-floor estimate assumes a third of guests dance at once, at half a square metre each. It’s a planning guide, not a fire-code calculation — your venue’s stated capacity always wins.

Odd numbers, children and late RSVPs

• Leave a few seats spare. A 5% buffer absorbs late “yes” replies and plus-ones without a new table.
• Children under about eight usually take a full seat; babies in high chairs may need space but not a place setting — tell your caterer.
• Don’t fill every table to the brim. A couple of tables of seven or nine give you room to keep households together.

Related: Wedding table sizes and seating capacity · Head table or sweetheart table?