Wedding seating chart mirror: layout and lettering guide

A mirror seating chart is a mirror with table headings and guest names lettered straight onto the glass. You need the mirror, an oil-based paint pen, a chalk marker for guide lines, a ruler and the numbers below. Enter your mirror and table count and the calculator gives the block grid, the letter height and the measurements to chalk.

Mirror layout calculator

Everything is computed in your browser and nothing you type is sent to us. The web address updates as you change the numbers, so a copied link reopens the same mirror size, tables and seats for your partner, parents, venue or the person lettering.

Layout table for a 36 by 48 inch mirror and 12 tables

A mirror chart is a grid of blocks. Each block holds one table heading and its names. The only real decision is how many columns of blocks to use, because that sets the letter height.

Table: Letter height by column count, 36 by 48 inch mirror, 12 tables of 8, names up to 20 characters (our estimate, assumptions below)

Three and four columns tie at 1/2 inch, so we pick 3: blocks are 10 inches wide, so a 6 inch name leaves room around it. Four columns leave the blocks 7.5 inches wide and about 10 inches of unused height. A 1/8 inch result in the first row means the layout does not fit in practice. We have not tested pens at that size, but 1/8 inch capitals are tiny enough that we would not attempt them by hand.

How the numbers are made

You can check every figure by hand. These are our assumptions, not rules.

1. Border is 3 inches on every side. The top 6 inches below the border are a title band, for a line such as “Find your table”. The band only reserves room. You size the title yourself, and table headings use the same letter height as the names.
2. Letter height means capital height. A name is 20 characters and each character is 0.6 times the letter height wide, which suits steady print capitals. Loose hand lettering with a paint pen runs wider, so the calculator offers a 0.75 factor for it. The default mirror stays at 1/2 inch with either factor, but narrower mirrors can drop a step.
3. Lines sit 1.8 times the letter height apart. Block width adds 2 letter heights of gutter.
4. Gaps between rows of blocks are one line pitch.
5. Letter height is the smaller of the width limit and the height limit, rounded down to the nearest 1/8 inch. Ties go to the layout with fewer columns.
6. Eight seats per table follows the 60-inch round table that a restaurant supplier lists at 8 guests, and the same source lists a 72-inch round at 10. Ask your venue which tables you have and change the seats box. The 10 seat case is worked out below.

A sign vendor citing ANSI Z535 uses 25 feet of viewing distance per inch of letter height. That is a rule for safety signs, not wedding charts, so we use it only as a loose upper bound. At an assumed 4 feet from the glass it asks for 0.16 inch, which tells us that space and pen control, not eyesight, are the limits we should plan around. The 4 feet is our assumption.

Pick a mirror size before you buy it

Same 12 tables of 8, same assumptions, three common mirror sizes plus a bigger one. The layout is 3 columns by 4 rows each time. Only the letters change.

Table: Mirror size against letter height (our estimate, 12 tables of 8)

Each step up buys 1/8 inch of letter height. Decide whether that is worth the weight and the price of the glass. A 24 by 36 inch mirror works if your pen can letter at 1/4 inch.

What changes the letter height

Border and title size barely matter. On the default mirror, cutting the border to 2 inches and the title band to 4 inches still gives 1/2 inch letters. These do move it:

• Fewer seats per table. With 6 seats the letters reach 5/8 inch. With 10 seats the layout flips to 4 columns by 3 rows and stays at 1/2 inch.
• Shorter names. At 14 characters the best layout is 4 columns and 5/8 inch letters. At 26 characters it stays at 1/2 inch in 3 columns, but names run 7.8 inches wide in a 10 inch block.
• Fewer tables. On the same mirror with 8 seats, 6 tables give 5/8 inch letters in 2 columns. 20 tables drop to 3/8 inch in 4 columns by 5 rows.
• A narrow mirror. An 11.5 by 36 inch mirror, the size one DIY tutorial letters, fits 3 tables in a single column at 3/8 inch. That is 24 names, enough for a micro wedding. See other ways to display the chart if your guest list is bigger.

From layout to glass

1. Measure the visible glass, not the frame. Enter that size in the calculator, then press Print this layout to keep the measurements beside you.
2. Check the longest name first. Its character count sets the letter height for the whole chart.
3. With a ruler and a chalk marker, mark the left edge of each column and the top edge of each row from the corner of the glass, using the measurements under the preview. The tutorial we checked also lines a ruler up with printed text and draws chalk guidelines across the mirror.
4. Draw a guide line at every line pitch inside each block so the names sit straight. Wipe and redo until the lines are straight.
5. Letter the headings, then the names, one block at a time. Wipe the chalk off with a dry paper towel when the paint is dry.

If you do not want to letter names at all, the alphabetical lookup list is easier to correct. Build the guest groups first in the seating chart maker so table numbers are final before any pen touches glass. Table headings can be numbers, or names from your own theme, and place cards can carry each guest to the seat once they find the table.

Three mistakes and fixes

Lettering before the table numbers are final. A name that moves tables means scrubbing glass. Fix: send the layout to your partner and parents, collect changes, then letter. Add the chart to your planning checklist so the lettering date comes after the final guest count.

Sizing the mirror by the frame. A 2 inch frame hides 4 inches of your lettering width. Fix: measure the visible glass.

Using the longest name as the line length. One long name drives the letter height for the whole chart. Fix: write it smaller on its own line, or use initials for the second name.

Marker and cleanup

Use an oil-based paint pen. The tutorial we checked uses one over chalk marker guidelines, and removes it with acetone, with a blade as the alternative. Treat that as one source, not a test. Try your pen on a spare piece of glass, let it dry, then see what it takes to remove.

Send it to the people who need it

The calculator link carries your mirror size, tables and seats, so whoever opens it sees your layout. Use the buttons above to share it, or copy one of these messages. Pick a reader, then copy.

Pairing the chart with a mirror at the door is a choice some couples make. Our welcome sign mirror guide fits your wording to a mirror in the same way this page fits names, though it works from line breaks rather than table blocks. If you would rather hang a board, check the sizes for a seating sign.

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Updated November 5, 2026 by bigdaydesk editorial