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Rabreena
Expert October 2021

"Seating chart" Help!

Rabreena, on November 4, 2020 at 10:22 AM Posted in Planning 0 16

I'm at a loss for when it comes to the "seating chart" for our guests.

My FH and I have agreed that we do not want it to be where it's like assigned seating, but want it to be a little more open, more like assigned tables and the guests pick their seat at the table. Especially due to the fact that we are going to be paying to rent 2 large farmhouse tables so our wedding party and their families will be able to sit together instead of having only the wedding party at the table.
At first we were going to order antique keys, that are also bottle openers and come with tags to write names on, as the favors but also as the "seating chart". Yet the more I keep thinking about it, the more I think it would be a complete waste of money due to the fact I think most of our guests will forget and leave them behind. Which would then be a good chunk of wasted money just lying around and in turn would be going home with us.

Our florist offered to have our seating chart created on a mirror or framed piece of glass, which looks beautiful. Yet I also feel hesitant doing it that way because with the ones she showed us a couple weeks ago the writing was in white, which made it kinda difficult to see, even standing right in front of it. I know doing black writing wouldn't work, because of the lighting in our venue is more soft and intimate lighting let alone our wedding being at night. Is there another possible color that could be used in order to make that option work?

Here I go again, probably overthinking it, but then it's the fact of whatever the cost is that option is literally a one time use item and not even something that could be kept as a momento from our wedding, at least in my opinion.

We are limited to what we can do with hanging items up at our venue (i.e. no nails, tape, adhesive strips, etc.), due to it being a historical location and with previous people/renters having caused damage before.

I don't want to make it complicated for our guests when it comes to the seating chart (hanging/sitting too high or low, font too small or difficult to read, etc.). I want something that won't cost a lot, easy for the guests to look at, easy to understand/know which table to sit at and I won't feel bad about it being a one time use item.

16 Comments

Latest activity by Meghan, on November 5, 2020 at 10:34 AM
  • H
    Master July 2019
    Hannah ·
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    I just used small tented cards from Avery. It was like $10 for the pack, and they have free online templates that were super easy to use. I was able to print them at home. They were displayed in alphabetical order on a table, so guests could just find their name, grab it, and move on. I always prefer escort cards since as the guest it is easier to look at it if you forget what table you're at, it creates less crowding since people just grab and go, and it allows people to save their seats at the reception if they want to drop it off and get a drink or use the restroom. Also, it's super easy to make last minute changes if need be, which is much more difficult with an actual seating chart.
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  • M
    Super October 2022
    Michele ·
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    No one is so picky that they assign seats unless it's a big long table. It's most common to assign tables and let them pick the seats. Your best bet will be a table for tent cards arranged alphabetically. Guests can grab them and go. A seating chart is much more confusing because they are not alphabetical, the fonts are very small and they create traffic jams. Unlike a card in someone's hand, if they get chatting on the way, they may forget where they're going.


    You can find them on Etsy or Zazzle inexpensively.
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  • SLY
    Master January 2022
    SLY ·
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    We're not doing assigned seat, just assigned tables and no name cards. (imo they're a waste of money and they go straight in the trash).

    We're also leaning towards the acrylic sign for that. If you're worried about people being able to read it, place a light drape behind it to create a backdrop. Also, to avoid the nailing in the walls situation, use easels to prop all of your signs up! There are also tons of shops on etsy that make these types of signs and actually rough paint on the back of it so you can read the lettering better!

    Good luck and don't stress! The seating chart will most likely not be one of the things that your guests remember forever! So don't overthink it too much!

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  • V
    Champion July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    I had escort cards printed at Office Depot, but ours laid flat so I'm not sure if they so the rented option. You could also do a seating chart board with each table listed and the guests names listed under that table.
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  • Lynnie
    WeddingWire Administrator October 2016
    Lynnie ·
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    Hi Rabreena! You can do tented escort cards, or a mirrored seating chart! Can you ask your florist to see a few pictures of their work, or talk to them about your concerns?? I DIYed my mirrored seating chart last minute with white paint pens and it was legible! It's much easier to read in person than in pictures!

    There are also really pretty seating charts that are made of of multiple frames with printed lists, or with paper framed or strung in a creative way:

    "Seating chart" Help! 1

    "Seating chart" Help! 2

    "Seating chart" Help! 3

    "Seating chart" Help! 4

    Photos from Pinterest

    You can check out these round-ups for more ideas: 18 Wedding Escort Card Ideas to Help Seat Your Guests and 8 Wedding Seating Chart Ideas for Your Reception Layout.

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  • April
    Dedicated September 2021
    April ·
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    "Seating chart" Help! 5
    We decided to do the agate slices for the escort cards and the numbers with the names written on them. They were a little more expensive but we have a theme with the agate and geodes and they weren’t much more expensive then the key option. Plus they make pretty cool keepsakes or you can sell any left over afterwards.
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  • B
    VIP July 2017
    Becky ·
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    We did tented escort cards, that we printed at home (which made last minute changes easy). We bought them on amazon and were able to get packs of 100 - in a color and design I liked. They were arranged alphabetically (except ours) so that people could grad and go instead of standing looking for their table assignment.

    "Seating chart" Help! 6

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  • Meghan
    Master October 2019
    Meghan ·
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    I have been to a wedding that used a mirror seating chart and it was so hard to see! We did assigned tables and used antique windows, writing our guests name in the panes. It was pretty and very inexpensive. It was also easy to see.

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  • MOB So Cal
    January 2019
    MOB So Cal ·
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    Escort cards are easy, inexpensive, convenient for guests, and most importantly, super easy to change if there are last minute adjustments. Daughter bought hers from Zazzle so they matched all her other stationery and I wrote the names & table #s on for her -- it took less than an hour to do 100+. When we had a last minute change with a guest that resulted in rearranging two tables the day before the wedding, it took 5 minutes to fix it. As pps have said, you can buy them super cheap at a office supply store and run them through your printer if you don't want to handwrite them.

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  • Rabreena
    Expert October 2021
    Rabreena ·
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    I have checked into the tented cards and have even discussed about it with my fiance, it seems we might be leaning in this direction in order to keep it easy and simple. Not only for us but also for our guests. Thanks for the help!

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  • Rabreena
    Expert October 2021
    Rabreena ·
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    I have seen one similar to the mirror one that has cards attached to it, only it was wax sealed to the mirror instead. Which I actually liked and thought was a good idea but decided with it not being able to be removed it might cause guests to become all crowded around it in order to figure out the what table to sit at. Potentially making it difficult for others guests, that have mobility issues that will be attending.

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  • Rabreena
    Expert October 2021
    Rabreena ·
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    I felt the same way when I saw our florist's example she had with her. It seemed like no matter what angle I stood looking at the mirror that it was difficult to read the names. That's a unique idea. How many guests did you have at your wedding to be able to do that?

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  • Meghan
    Master October 2019
    Meghan ·
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    We had 100 guests and used two, 8 pane windows. We used the first pane for "find your table" and the last pane for "thank you for coming". Here is my inspo photo. I don't have an actual photo of our handy. We also used white and navy writing (navy was one of or colors).

    "Seating chart" Help! 7

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  • Rabreena
    Expert October 2021
    Rabreena ·
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    I really feel that we are currently leaning towards that escort/tented cards because it will be easier for everyone to see/read, keep cost down and not have to worry about a lot of money going to waste when the cards need to be discarded, making the flow of everyone finding their table easier/better and it helps all the guests to remember where they are sitting throughout the night.
    We are still keeping an open mind to other potential options, just trying to narrow those options down to some favorites. Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions, we greatly appreciate it!

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  • Rabreena
    Expert October 2021
    Rabreena ·
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    Oh okay, currently it looks like we will be having 130 guests.
    I really do like that option! We could even paint the back of it black to make it easier to see/read and have them sitting on the available easels that our venue has.
    How did was all the writing applied to the window panes?

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  • Meghan
    Master October 2019
    Meghan ·
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    We used paint pens and had one of my friends write everything for us in "fancy writing" lol. After your wedding, you can actually remove the paint and use the windows for something else or sell them. We decided to keep our and they are hanging in our home office as decoration. We spent $20 for both windows and about $8 for both paint pens. So it is a super cheap, yet very pretty option!

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