Escort Cards? Place Cards? Seating Charts? What is best for my wedding?
These are all great questions! All three are different ways to assign seating, either generally, by table, or specifically, by seat at a formal elegant wedding. Few, if any, caterers and venues today allow large formal events to opt for open seating, nor, do any professionals I know recommend it: Open Seating typically requires increasing place settings by approximately 30%, which means increasing the number of centerpieces, table cloths, napkins, dinner plates, utensils, and stemware, which can be quite cost prohibitive.
Today, most contemporary professional caterers and venues require assigned seating in some shape or form. Escort Cards, Seating Charts, and Place Cards not only reduce unnecessary rentals and conserve your rentals expenses, they also elevate the elegance of your event, ensuring that every guest feels included and considered. But how do you know what is best for you and your guests? Here are some key differences:
Escort cards are typically encountered by guests in a foyer or vestibule en route to the reception room, literally, escorting it’s holder to their table to find a seat among guests assigned there with them.
Photo Credit: Melissa Ferrara Photography
Seating Charts, similarly, are often placed at the entrance to the reception room, so that guests may visually locate their name from an alphabetical list to see the table number their name has been assigned to. These are great to use alone when all of your tables are round, or in conjunction with place card at each place setting.
Photo credit: Jay V Photography
Place cards, however, are placed on each table, at each seat, assigning guests to a specific seat at a specific table. As the most formal option, this strategy is often considered to help to mitigate potentially challenging family or interpersonal dynamics.
Escort Cards and Place cards usually include the guests name and corresponding table number or name, and often, the guests’ meal choice indicator, for communications with catering/venue staff.
Most couples choose just one system to communicate seating assignments to guests, however, some couples use both escort cards or a seating arrangement in conjunction with place cards. Whatever you choose, be sure to alphabetize by last name, and print large enough that everyone can read the text in the lighting that you envision in that area of your celebration.
Some Tips & Tricks from the Sholeh Events Team:
-Start your designs early if you’re doing this yourself - it can take some trial & error.
-You can make your seating chart in Canva and then have it printed on foamcore (24x36 is our recommended size), which is cost-effective and looks great!
-Order or pick up Avery tent cards from your local office supply store or online, create a PDF of all of your tent cards using the Avery Print Tool online, and take it into the print shop to have them print it for you. Cardstock can be tricky.
Photo Credit: Bon Photage
