Weddingbee Blog

We’re just going to do cards with people’s names on them and their table name arranged alphabetically on a table right inside the venue. They can then find their table during the cocktail hour and sit at whichever seat they choose at that particular table.

This is why I love the escort card (not exactly the same as the place card).

The escort card states the table name/number and is inserted into an envelope. Prepare the envelopes (as far in advance as you like) with the name of each guest/couple/family. Envelopes can be arranged in alphabetical order (or another logical way) where the guests enter. With escort cards, it’s a relief not to have to decide individual seating at each table, and if you have to switch able assignments at the last minute, it’s fast/cheap/easy to insert a new card.

In contrast, the place cards at the table (one per seat) — involves much more work, expense, and management of who sits next to whom.

We are probably going to do assigned seating, right down to who sits next to whom, for various reasons that I won’t get into.

If we go ahead with that plan, then we’ll just put up a poster board outside the room with the table names, and under each table, we’ll have a list of the guests at that table in alphabetical order. They can find their specific place at the table when they find the table in the room and look for their place card. I don’t see the need to do a diagram of guest seat placements on the poster, I think a list will suffice just fine.

We’re also doing the escort card variation. It will be hard enough figuring out at which tables to seat our guests, I don’t need to figure out who sits next to whom. We’re having tented cards (no envelopes) with the guests’ names on the front, on the inside will be a table number. They will be on a small table that will be put out during the cocktail hour. The banquet manager told me that they don’t like to put out the table before the cocktail hour, as some guests will find their dining seats early and mess up the tables. Sounds sensible to me!

I agree with Laura S. Just have a poster that lists who is at what table and then have the placecards at each seat at the table.

My FI and I saw this at another wedding and loved it:

We’re going to use picture frames on an entrance table listed alphabetically. So that way they can find their name and table but we don’t have to do all the work of making little place cards! Yay!

We are assigning tables, but not seats. Our cocktail hour is outside, and there isnt a ton of room in the entry area of our reception venue, so putting the cards outside has the windy blow-away potential I am going to get crafty and cover a piece of foam board with felt - add some decorative ribbons to the edges - and pin each card to the board with quilting pins. (the board will be on an easel) This way, things don’t blow away and people can find their table numbers before actually walking in, thus avoiding the doorway bottleneck (hopefully). Now I have to figure out a nice way for guests to discard their pins, otherwise that could be a little hazardous.