Wedding program #s and escort cards

Our DOC was sooo happy when we told her we weren’t doing programs. She said they’re a complete waste of money and no one ever looks at them.
We are doing individual place cards, but we are having a meal choice.

Programs are only necessary where you have people from different religious backgrounds at a ceremony not familiar to them, or where people with different native languages may be following along, or with some deaf guests, or if you have special dedications or memoriam sections. For simple ceremonies, a waste of time and money. . . . . As one who has worked catering a lot through the years: It is so helpful to have a card at every place. To provide courteous service is hard when cards are between people. And formal or semi-formal functions should never leave servers, or other guests walking by ( including the couple on table visits) , unable to address people by name, when they are unsure if they recognize them. Print or write each one so a server from either direction can inquire if Mr. Someone would like ____, or tell someone a message, without asking. And a proper kitchen has a cheat sheet for table set up listing names and special meals, by table and name. It helps speed service if each coded place card is visible from behind the person, and across the table. I assume you are coding them ( like, a red marker line across the top for a special diet, or if they have allergies and specially plated meal, a blue one, whatever. Colored foil strips across the top edge front and back are unobtrusive and work well, but only if each person's card is clearly in front of them.) . . . It also is easier come the last few days when you may pull names of single people not attending, or combining tables or pulling in guests to fill in where others cancelled. Like when a party of 7 cancels here, and half of 3 couples at another table cancel. Suddenly, you need individual cards. Sometimes people also change seats at the last minute, for good reason, and are no longer seated together. As when wife moves to the next table to assist mother with stroke eat, or a couple that just filed for divorce now sit with other couples between them. Single cards are a little more work to begin with, but much easier than rewriting cards at the last minute. If you also have table service for liquor, you may be asked to code those place cards of non-drinkers versus drinkers. It is not just meals that get marked on cards.

I would just go with however many people you're expecting to be however many programs you have but as other PPs said people don't all take them anyway

One per couple !!! Thats what I am doing. I used a professional printing company and thats what they recommended

If you are doing programs, I would have one per person. For escort cards, traditionally, married couples get placed on one card. Otherwise, people get their own card.