Guest list CSV template for seating charts
If your guest list lives in a spreadsheet, you can bring it into the planner in one step instead of retyping names.
The format
The first row should hold column headers. The planner recognizes these headers (upper or lower case, in any order):
| Header | Also recognized | Required? | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
name | full name, guest, or separate first + last columns | Yes | The name printed everywhere |
group | party, household, side, family, category | No | Keeping people together, auto-seating, color coding |
table | any header containing "table" | No | Seating guests you have already placed. Missing tables are created. |
meal | menu, entree, dinner, dish | No | Caterer lists, and optionally on Pro escort cards |
Columns the planner doesn't recognize (email, address, RSVP status) are ignored, so you can import your full list as is. Commas, semicolons and tabs all work as separators. If the file has no header row, the planner reads the columns as name, group, table, meal.
Example
name,group,table,meal Maria Lopez,Bride's family,1,Fish Daniel Lopez,Bride's family,1,Chicken Tom Becker,College friends,,Vegetarian Priya Shah,College friends,,Chicken Jo Kim,Work,,
A blank header row plus three example lines.
Exporting from a spreadsheet
- Most desktop spreadsheet apps: File → Save As (or Export) → choose "CSV" or "Comma-separated values".
- Online spreadsheets: File → Download → "Comma-separated values (.csv)". Only the current sheet is exported, so open the guest sheet first.
- RSVP or wedding website lists: look for an "Export guest list" option. Many export CSV with a name column that the planner reads directly.
Common fixes
- Couples in one row ("Maria & Daniel Lopez"): split them into two rows so each person gets a seat and a card.
- Accented letters look wrong: save the file as "CSV UTF-8" if your app offers it.
- Children and plus-ones: give unnamed plus-ones a placeholder such as "Guest of Tom Becker" and rename them later.
Ready? Go to the seating chart maker and use Import CSV in step 1. After seating, Download CSV gives you the same format back with the table column filled in.