Is a seating chart or escort cards cheaper?

For us, I think escort cards will be cheaper since you can print them at home. My venue provides table cloths and the reception is indoors though, so I don't have the same concerns.

I prefer escort cards. I always grab mine during cocktail hour and then put it in my pocket or purse. I then forget and check the table assignment a bunch more times, but I don't have to go anywhere to do that. Plus, the 1 time I was at a wedding with a seating chart, it was arranged by table number and not by name, so it took awhile to find your table assignment. Seating charts with tables look neater but are less practical, so I would just keep that in mind as well.

We have to use escort cards for the venue. The guests food choice is on the back & the guests have to bring the escort card to the table & put it front of them.

I’m using escort cards and as a guest, that’s what I prefer for the same reasons Hannah mentioned. I feel like there’s too much crowding around a seating chart.

Our cocktail hour and reception are indoors so we don’t have your same concerns though. Maybe ask your venue what other couples choose...

We are doing succulents as our party favors and are having a little flag in them with names and table numbers. It kind of took care of two things at once!

So I've only been to one wedding with assigned seating. I think the seating chart is cheaper and less work for the bride. But the line to find out where we were sitting was ridiculous.
I've never been to a wedding with escort cards. They seem more time consuming for the bride, but easier for guests.

I think escort cards are because all it really is are card stock or paper. However I am one for seating charts because escort cards do tend to be more work for set up.

Agree with others about escort cards being easier & more practical for the guests. Also, escort cards have the advantage if there are any last minute changes that impact seating arrangements -- all you have to do is print/write a couple of new cards to make the changes. Once the seating chart is made/printed, if you want to make any changes that might mean having it reprinted. (If you do a seating chart, I highly recommend listing the names alphabetically; NOT by table number -- as mentioned, as a guest it's such a pain to try to find your name on one of a bunch of separate lists.)

I put the escort cards out at my niece's wedding, and as long as they are folded and in alpha order ahead of time, it's pretty easy and doesn't take more than a couple minutes. If you're already planning to have a "welcome" table with photos or signs and/or a card/gift table, the escort cards could potentially be on the same table (saving you from renting a separate table/linens).

I never understood how other couples could get their guests to rsvp in time to have a seating chart printed. We had a smaller wedding of only about 80, and still had a bunch of last minute changes with our guests. It was frustrating, but thankfully with escort cards we could just print more as needed. We stationed our planner by the alphabetized display while guests were being seated, so there didn’t end up being a line.