"Seating chart" Help!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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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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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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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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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).

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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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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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!