Wedding Table Card
Planning a party can be an exhausting (not to mention stressful) task for any event host, especially if you’re organizing something as extravagant as a wedding celebration. Apart from taking care of the bridesmaids’ dresses, the floral arrangements, and the catering services, you also need to make sure that everyone has a place to sit at the wedding reception. While many formal events hire ushers and usherettes to show guests to their assigned seats, you can also opt for a unique and creative approach in the form of a wedding table card. You may also see thank you cards.
Summer Floral Wedding Table Card
Fall Wedding Table Card Template
Vintage Table Card Template
All You Need to Know about Wedding Table Cards
Wedding table cards may be classified into two different categories: escort cards and place cards. Though these three terms are often used interchangeably, a table card is the general term used to describe the type of cards that we—you guessed it—place on top of tables.
1. Escort Cards vs. Place Cards
Many would say that escort cards and place cards refer to the exact same things, but they actually possess a distinctive function that separates one from the other. While escort cards and place cards are both used as a means of informing guests where they are seated, they each play a specific role at wedding receptions.
An escort card is a type of wedding table card used to tell guests at which table they are seated in, while a place card, on the other hand, is used to inform guests which seat around the table they are assigned in. If this sounds a bit confusing for you to comprehend, try considering their names. An escort card is meant to “escort” you to your table, and a place card indicates your “place” at the table.You may also see greeting cards.
Although these cards can come in handy when hosting an event, they aren’t completely necessary in every occasion. For the sake of formality, an escort card and a place card is simply utilized to cater a great number of guests in a medium- to large-sized reception. For events that cater less than 50 people, a simple seating chart would do the job just as effectively. If you’re hosting a wedding with assigned seating, then these cards are extremely useful to maintain orderliness throughout the event. This will also help you control who gets to sit where, especially if you want direct family members and event sponsors to stay close to you during the reception. Additionally, this ensures that guests could easily find their seats and settle down right before you make your grand entrance.You may also see name card examples.
Distinguishing these two cards can be a confusing topic to tackle, and truthfully, it doesn’t really matter if you call one thing the other. You can call these wedding table cards anything you want to, as long as you employ them correctly.
2. Flat Cards vs. Tent Cards
When deciding how your table cards may be presented to guests, you must choose between a flat card and a tent card. Flat cards are exactly what you think they are—flat. You could use a card holder to let it stand, or arrange it strategically on top of the table setting (like a menu card on top of a napkin) to complement the rest of your wedding ornaments.
On the contrary, tent cards are folded in half to stand on their own. One of the advantages of using a tent card is that it’s a free-standing medium that is often visible form a short distance away. This way, you can place the card anywhere on the table without having to find something else to hold it up. This makes it easier for guests to locate their seats, especially in a massive reception hall filled with people.You may also see fall greeting cards.
Free Printable Wedding Table Card
First Names Wedding Table Card Example
Wedding Table Place Card Example
Seat Plan Wedding Table Card Example
The Dos and Don’ts of Wedding Table Cards
It’s party time! Once you have worked out the final guest list for your wedding, you’ll need to create a seating chart to indicate each guest’s assigned placement, along with some sort of guide to lead them to their seats.
There are many options as to how you could work up an effective seating arrangement that guests would be pleased with. With these simple rules, you can get your wedding guests to their assigned spots in style.
1. Do print out each guest’s name.
Is your brother bringing a date to the wedding? Maybe his girlfriend or his best friend from college? If so, fight the urge to label her or him as the “and guest” on your table card. If you’re worried about someone’s plus-one feeling a bit uncomfortable about their anonymity on your seating chart, then you could opt to send an RSVP card along with your wedding invitations. If it’s too late to do that, then you could always reach out to guests individually to ask who they plan on bringing. This way, you can track the number of guests that come to your wedding, and create the appropriate name cards for their assigned seats.
Furthermore, if you want to save on paper and print, you can create a table card for each party sitting at the same table. For instance, a married couple could be addressed as “Mr. and Mrs.” in a single card, while “The Gates Family” would be appropriate for the entire family seated at one table.
2. Don’t separate couples or dates.
Traditionally, married couples weren’t allowed to sit beside each other during social gatherings. But now that we live in the 21st century, breaking this rule won’t be a bad idea. Being forced to sit far away from your husband during his best friend’s wedding can be quite awkward and nerve-wracking, especially if you aren’t acquainted with other guests. Although this rule does encourage guests to interact with others, it’s actually a lot more fun to do these things with someone you care deeply about.You may also see thank you card samples.
And let’s be honest, imagine how unsettling would it be to watch your spouse mingle with the opposite sex while you’re sitting alone in a table full of strangers. It’s not that you don’t trust your partner, but attending an event filled with tears and laughter is something that both of you should share together.
3. Do develop a special catering code.
For sit-down dinners and pre-ordered settings, meals are usually assigned to guests prior to the actual wedding date. This ensures that guests are satisfied with what is given to them based on their personal preferences, or the strict diets that they follow. To make sure that the catering staff knows exactly who ordered what, you can create a code for your guest’s meal choices. It can be a number, a color, or even an illustration indicated on the individual’s table card for quick and easy identification (think: chicken is blue, fish is purple, meat is red, and vegetarian is green).You may also see birthday cards.
Wedding Table Name Card Example
Wedding Table Card Example
Map Wedding Table Card Example
Wedding Table Menu Card Example
Die Cut Wedding Table Card Example
4. Don’t settle.
Even if a plain tented card can be relatively convenient to guests, don’t give in to it if it isn’t something you want to incorporate into your wedding. Rather than settling for a conventional approach, you can try thinking out of the box with your table cards. Use non-traditional materials that are sure to capture a person’s attention, or you can spice up your table cards with peculiar layouts and designs.You may also see Diy greeting cards.
5. Do ensure legible prints.
Sure, a visually-pleasing table card style can do wonders. This can easily attract attention, and add a bit of flair to the ambiance of your wedding. But regardless of your choice of card style, what matters most is whether the content of the card is written legibly enough for people to grasp. Given how the wedding reception would likely take place in a dimly lit room, you need to make sure that the writing of your card is large and clear enough to read. After all, no one wants to wander around from table to table just to find out where they’re seated.You may also see holiday cards.
6. Don’t do if you don’t want to.
Though it’s probably ironic to say this when the whole purpose of this article is to educate you about using table cards, but honestly, don’t force yourself to use a table card at your wedding if the idea of it doesn’t suit you or the event you’re hosting. Instead, you can use a standard seating chart to guide guests to their table. Once they have arrived at their tables, they can then choose where they want to sit.You may also see business cards.
Watercolor Wedding Table Card Example
Greenery Wedding Table Card Example
Vintage Wedding Table Card Example
7. Do consider the ambiance of the event.
Finally, make sure that the table card suits the ambiance of your event. Say for example, a lightweight card could easily fly off the table at an outdoor party, but if you opt for a flat card with a wooden place holder, then the card can carry out its purpose effectively. You must also take the entire table setup into consideration. If your table is packed with floral designs, such as a floral menu card and a floral lace napkin, then adding anything else that may be associated with flowers might be too much for guests to handle. For a simple fix, you can print the name of the guest right above the menu card instead. This is a cost-efficient approach that can save you some table space, as well as financial and material resources.You may also see animated greeting cards.
If you’re looking for the most efficient way to attend to wedding guests at your reception, using a table card offers many benefits for event hosts and attendees to enjoy the party in an orderly fashion. A table card is both a decorative and informative medium you should always consider having. With these table card techniques and examples, you can expect a smooth sailing event for the most important day of your life. You may also see blank greeting cards.
Share :
