Seating Chart and/or Place Cards!?

I did place cards for my wedding and they were such a pain in the butt to keep standing and some of them wouldn’t fold and stand correctly so keep that in mind.

How many guests will there be? If it’s over 60 a seating chart can be hard and create a bottleneck while people search for their names (if you do it definitely display names alphabetically and not by table). I’m doing escort cards, which people grab on their way in to the reception space and it lists their table on the card but not an exact seat. Let’s them choose their seat but at the assigned table you want. Place cards are nice but can lead to people wandering for a while looking for their name at an exact seat.


Ultimately depends on how many people you have!

Place cards indicate the specific seat a person is assigned to. Escort cards and seating charts show the person to the correct table. I am always team escort cards over seating charts. They are often arranged alphabetically on a table so the guest can grab it and go about their mingling any time before the start of the reception. With a seating chart, people often have to crowd around, find their table assignment, and then hope they don't get distracted and forget which table they are to be at once they walk away. Also, escort cards allow the person to "save" their seat once they get to the table if they want to go to the restroom or the bar or something. They're also easier for you, from a planning perspective. If you need to make any last minute changes, you just make the changes to those cards that need to be changed. A seating chart would have to be entirely reprinted. Lastly, escort cards are incredibly cost effective. I bought a pack of Avery small tented cards online for about $10. Avery provides a free website with multiple templates to choose from and then you can print at home, or you can go to Staples or whatever you prefer and want to pay. I printed at home and it took me about 30-45 minutes to print 115 escort cards.

As a guest I like placecards! That way I can just drop by the table (at any point during cocktail hour) and grab and go with my placecard. And then I have it with me to reference. And then when I am seated at my table I can just set it where I’m sitting.


Seating charts you might have people crowd around it multiple times or people having to come back and double check when reception doors open. Etc.

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much! We will have roughly 120 guests- so 120 people around 1 seating chart does sound like a nuisance, good point!
We would have place cards (I guess the proper term is escort cards) on a table outside of the reception for sure, in ABC order. Sounds like that’s the best route to go!

View Quoted Comment It sounds like escort/place cards are the way to go then! Someone mentioned the # of guests also playing a role...120 people gathered around 1 sign sounds like a MESS!

View Quoted Comment Ohhhh, yes. I didn’t even think about “saving” their seat- very very good point. Especially since people will be up and down from their seats. I LOVE Avery. Good to know you can get the rented cards relatively inexpensive- I’m all for that! I’m going to look for those now. Thank you so much

View Quoted Comment Oh yikes! So sorry they wouldn’t stay standing! Do you remember what you used, so I can avoid them? Lol

View Quoted Comment I bought them on Amazon. But I think it was also the table cloth that was throwing it off since it was lace like and had designs on it.

Escort cards are the way to go

View Quoted Comment I agree with all of this! I am also Team Escort Cards.

I think if you're having a small amount of people then place cards. if youre having a lot of people then seating charts in alphabetical order

Team escort cards! Agreed with previous posters that they're great for guests to save specific seats while they mingle, go to the food stations, etc. We also had multiple last minute changes and removing/adding/shuffling people around was SO much easier with escort cards.

Personally I would avoid a poster at all costs. There are too many things that go wrong with them. They are illegible between fonts and sizes. They create traffic jams and people forget their assignments on the way to the tables. They are very expensive in comparison because if you make a typo or have to move someone last second, they are expensive to print and reprint.


With escort cards, they find their name, grab and go. With a plated meal, these can be color coordinated for waitstaff to see who ordered which meal. Etsy.com sells blank tent cards in colored card stock much cheaper than any posters will be.

We opted for escort cards only, we aren’t assigning seats just tables. If you do place cards (assigned seats) I would suggest a seating chart.