There are a lot of terms when it comes down to planning your wedding and the day-of items involved. With traditional rules being “broken” more casually these days for formal weddings, the terms you are hearing can easily be combined or misinterpreted. A casualty of these “broken rules” are place cards and escort cards. These two terms are often interchangeably used, but did you know they are actually two different things?

What’s the difference then?

PLACE CARDS

Place cards are used to assign seating and are placed at the place setting for the guest to find at the table. They contain a single guest’s name, no table number but can include a meal choice indicator. They can help the serving staff at a formal sit-down dinner to know which meal you have chosen for the evening. They are often used at more formal or black-tie weddings.

ESCORT CARDS

Escort cards are used to direct your guest or guests to the table they will be sitting at. These cards traditionally will have the couple’s name together or the single guest’s name along with the table number. This is essentially a seating chart in individual cards as they will be set-up in the reception hall, typically towards the entrance. If you do not have specific place cards at the table, these help guests “reserve” their spot at the table to ensure they can sit by whom they like or the direction they would like to face. Though they can be used alongside a place card at an event, they are viewed as the casual alternative to a place card if used alone. If need be, they too can hold the meal choice to helpt the serving staff indicate food allergies or special meal requests for the guest.

SEATING CHART

An alternate choice for both a place card and escort card can be a seating chart. Seating charts are a large board, mirror, or another beautiful art piece that displays all your guest’s names and which table they will be sitting at. These make beautiful decor pieces for your reception and can cut down on the use of paper for your event and/or free up space if you do not have room for another table to place your escort cards on. A seating chart is typically used at a wedding when the guest count is too large for escort cards and/or when the wedding guests didn’t have an option to select their entree in advance. This style of seating is perceived as more casual, but can also be used in tandem with a place card.

What should I use then for my wedding?

I am often asked if both escort cards and place cards are necessary, or if they should scrap both and go with a seating chart. Guests want to know where they are sitting and often will look for their seats first thing at a reception to place down purses or to get a “good” spot to view the important events.
Here are my tips for you to help decide what fits best for you:

If you are having a smaller wedding, 30-50 people or under, I would advise a seating chart. Then based on how you have your tables, I would also recommend place cards for a small wedding to help get the more important guests (such as parents, grandparents, etc.) to the spots that they can see all the special events without obstruction. Nobody should be blocking mom or making grandma crane her neck to see the cake cutting.

If your venue is asking you to use a card for meal purposes, traditionally a place card would be used alongside an escort card or seating chart. For a less formal feel, you may use an escort card and place an icon (as seen above) or letter such as “F” for fish to help the serving staff quickly decipher the meal for each guest.
If you choose to use both an escort card and a place card, ensure that the two look different. For your place cards, instead of a traditional paper card, choose a unique item that can add to your tables decore such as a seashell, tile, leaf, or a sentimental favor with their name attached on a tag (See example below). Guests will be delighted by these unique items and they take them home as personalized favors!

Example of unique place card for guests.

Regardless of the direction, you take your guest seating, I always advise you have a seating plan. From formal place cards that direct guests to the correct seat, to the less formal escort card to direct guests to the right table, make a clear plan with whoever is setting up your reception. This will ensure your reception gets off on the right foot.