Before the wedding, the caterer needs two things from you: how many of each meal to cook, and where each plate goes. If the choices are spread across RSVP cards, texts and a spreadsheet, those numbers are hard to trust. This guide covers how to collect meal choices and keep them on one list, then how to tag each guest and print the caterer's counts with Seating Cat, our seating chart planner for iPhone and iPad.
Collect the choices first
- Ask on the RSVP. Put the meal options on the RSVP card or form, with one line per guest, not one per household. Two people who reply together may not order the same thing.
- Use the caterer's words. If the menu says "Fish", "Beef" and "Vegetarian", use exactly those.
- Keep one list. One list of guests, each with one meal, is easier to check than notes in three places. Update it the day a late reply comes in.
- Ask about children's meals. If the caterer plates them differently, give them their own option.
- Give the caterer counts per table. A total tells the kitchen what to cook. The servers also need to know which table gets which plate, so send the seating chart with each guest's meal beside their name.
- Talk allergies through with the caterer. Write them down, but a note on a list is not a plan. Agree with the caterer directly how they'll handle each one.
Tag each guest's meal in Seating Cat
In Seating Cat, each guest can carry one tag. It's free text, and the app calls it Meal or group. Every tag you use becomes a count for the caterer. There are three ways to add them.
1. While pasting the list. Tap Add guests, then Paste a list. Put one guest per line, with a comma and the meal after the name, like "Ana Silva, Vegetarian". Before anything is added, the sheet shows what it found, like "12 guests, 2 tags: Vegetarian, Kids". Check that line: a name typed as "Silva, Ana" would turn "Ana" into a tag. Then tap Add 12.
2. One guest at a time. Tap a guest's name under Not seated yet, or tap their seat at a table. Then tap Edit in the bar at the bottom. Under Tag, type the meal in Meal or group, or tap a tag you've already used. None clears it. Tap Save. Guests typed into Add a guest start with no tag, so tag them this way.
3. From a CSV file, with Pro. If your RSVP site or spreadsheet exports a CSV file, tap Add guests, then Import a CSV file. Seating Cat looks for a name column (such as "Name", "Guest", or "First name" and "Last name") and a meal column with a heading such as "Meal", "Meal choice", "Menu" or "Diet". With no heading row, the first column is the name and the second is the tag. When it's done, it tells you how many guests it added.
Keep the spelling the same. Counts match the exact word, so "Vegan" and "vegan" are counted as two different meals. Tapping a tag you've already used, instead of typing it again, keeps every guest on the same spelling.
Watch the counts as you go
The panel at the top of the screen shows each tag with its count, like "Vegetarian 4", next to a coloured dot. The guest's seat is filled in the same colour, so you can see where each meal sits at every table. After six tags, the colours start to repeat.
Every guest with a tag is counted, seated or not. Guests with no tag aren't counted at all. Two habits keep the numbers right:
- Remove guests who decline. Tap the guest, then Edit, then Remove guest, and confirm. If they had a seat, it's freed. Until you remove them, their meal stays in the count.
- Tag everyone, including the main meal. Then the counts add up to the number of guests coming.
Print the caterer's sheet
Tap Print at the top left, then Print chart, or Share chart PDF to send the file to the caterer. The chart has:
- the event name, how many guests are seated out of the total, and how many tables there are;
- a For the caterer line with every tag and its count, in A to Z order, like "Fish 31 Kids 6 Vegetarian 9";
- every table with each guest's seat number, name and tag;
- a Find your seat list, A to Z, for the door.
The table blocks are your per-table counts. The caterer or the head server can count the tags at each table, and see which seat gets which plate.
To set up the tables and seat everyone first, see how to make a wedding seating chart. For the cards on the tables, see how to make place cards.
What Seating Cat doesn't do
- It doesn't total meals per table. The For the caterer line covers the whole event. Each table on the chart lists its guests' tags for you to count.
- It holds one tag per guest. If you use tags for meals, use them only for meals, or a guest tagged "Bride's family" won't show up in any meal count.
- It doesn't know what's in a meal and doesn't check allergies. A tag is a word you type, and nothing more.
- It doesn't send RSVP forms or collect replies. You bring the answers in by typing, pasting or, with Pro, a CSV file.
- Place cards show the guest's name and table, not their meal.
What it costs
Seating Cat is free for one event, with no limit on guests or tables: tags and the caterer's counts, drag and tap seating, the chart, and plain place cards to print or share as a PDF, with no watermark. There's no account and no ads. Seating Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds importing a guest list from a CSV file, more events (say, the rehearsal dinner and the brunch, each with its own guests and tables) and the Gilded, Garden and Modern place-card themes. More on the Seating Cat page.
Quick answers
Can I change a guest's meal after I've seated them?
Yes. Tap their seat, then Edit, and pick or type a new tag, then Save. Their seat stays the same.
Do guests who aren't seated yet count?
Yes. Every guest with a tag is in the counts, seated or not.
Can a guest be both a child and vegetarian?
Each guest has one tag. Use one tag that says both, like "Kids vegetarian", and it gets its own count.
Where is my guest list kept?
In the app's own words: "Your seating is kept on your phone and in your own backups, and leaves only when you print or share it."
Try Seating Cat
Try Seating Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/seating-cat