The seating chart is finished. Then someone cancels.
A late guest change can affect more than one chair. The caterer may need a meal adjustment. The planner may need a table-count update. Place cards, escort cards or a printed seating display may also need a correction.
The easiest way to keep that ripple small is to decide on the process before the final week.
Choose one change lead
Name the person who is allowed to approve a late seating change. That might be one partner, a planner or another trusted person. The important part is that vendors are not receiving conflicting instructions from several people.
Set the cutoff
Ask the planner and caterer when the final headcount and meal assignments are due. If printed pieces are involved, ask that helper for a separate production cutoff. Put the earliest deadline on the shared planning calendar.
Keep one master seating chart
Update one file and archive the old version. Use a clear version date in the filename, then send the same link or PDF to everyone affected. A screenshot in one message and a spreadsheet in another is how mismatched plans begin.
Confirm the change reached the team
Ask each affected person to reply that the new version is received. Once those confirmations are in, close the change log. That last step keeps a small cancellation from staying open as a wedding-week question.
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