Ceremony Layout Design
A simple drag-and-drop canvas for arranging seat rows and the altar.
The Ceremony Layout tab is a small drag-and-drop canvas for sketching where the seating and the altar go. It is a sketch pad rather than a floor-plan program: there are two kinds of element, and the picture is for you and your setup crew rather than for the couple.
It is part of CeremonySync Complete. On other plans the tab explains what it is instead of opening.
Opening it
Open a wedding and choose Ceremony Layout in the left-hand list. Each wedding has one layout, and it opens with whatever you saved last time.
The two elements
The toolbar above the canvas has exactly two buttons:
| Button | What you get |
|---|---|
| Add Seat Row | A row of five seats, named Row 1, Row 2 and so on as you add them |
| Add Altar | A single block named Altar |
Pressing a button drops the element straight onto the canvas at a fixed spot — you do not click to place it. Drag it where you want it.
There is no wider element library. Aisles, arches, signs, speakers and decor are not element types; if you need to mark one, add a seat row or an altar and rename it, or note it in the Day-of Timeline.
Editing a seat row
Click a row to select it. While it is selected you get:
- A row name box — type over
Row 1to call it what you like, such asReserved — family - A seat count box — change 5 to any number, and the row resizes itself to fit
- A seat button for each seat — click one to type a name into it, then press Save or hit Enter
Deselect the row and it shows its name, or "5 seats" if you have not named it.
Editing the altar
The altar is a named block. Its name and size are set when it is added, and there is nothing to edit on it in the tab.
Moving around the canvas
- Drag an element to move it.
- Drag the empty background to pan the whole canvas.
- The zoom controls sit in the bottom-right corner: minus, the current percentage, plus, then Fit to content and Reset view. Zoom runs from 10% to 300%.
- Delete an element with the red button at its top-right corner, which appears when you select the element or hover over it.
There is no grid and no snapping, so elements sit exactly where you drop them. There are no resize handles and no rotation control.
Saving
Changes save themselves. Add, move or rename something and the layout writes itself a moment later — the line beside the buttons reads Saving…, then All changes saved.
Save Layout is still there for when you want to be certain. If you reload or close the tab while a change is still in flight, the browser asks whether you really mean to leave.
Deleting is immediate: an element you delete is removed from the saved layout straight away.
Export PDF
Export PDF produces a document on your venue's letterhead with the layout drawn at the top — every row and the altar where you placed them, with seat names in the seats — and a list of the elements underneath.
The drawing is worked out from the positions themselves rather than captured from your screen, so it comes out the same however you happen to be zoomed or panned when you export.
What it does not do
- No sharing with the couple. The layout does not appear in the Guest Guide or the Planning Hub. It is internal.
- No scale. The canvas is not measured in feet or meters, and it knows nothing about the dimensions of your venue spaces.
- One layout per wedding. There are no saved variations to compare.
- No reception layout. For tables and guests, use Seating Charts, which is a different and much fuller tool.
Practical use
- Place the altar first, then build the rows outward from it — it is the fixed point everything else is arranged around.
- Name rows rather than seats when you only need to mark reserved areas. Seat names are worth the typing for the front two rows and rarely for the rest.
- Glance at the status line before closing the browser on a layout you have just finished. It should read All changes saved.
Tip: Walk the real space before the wedding. The canvas has no idea where the columns, trees or doorways are, so a layout that looks right on screen can still be wrong in the room.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add an aisle, an arch or a signing table? Not as their own elements. The tab has seat rows and an altar. Rename an element if you need it to stand for something else, and keep the detail in the timeline or your notes.
Does the layout scale to real dimensions? No. It is a proportional sketch with no unit of measurement behind it.
Can the couple see or edit it? No. It is internal to your team. Export the PDF or send a screenshot if you want their opinion.
Do I have to save? No. The layout saves itself after every change, and the status line by the buttons says where it has got to. Save Layout writes it immediately if you would rather not wait.
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