Place cards and escort cards explained

Wedding stationery has a lot of names for things that sound similar. This is what each one does, and how to decide which you need.

The table plan

The table plan, sometimes called a seating chart, is a board or display at the entrance to the dining room. It shows every guest and the table they're at. In the UK it's the most common way of showing guests where to go.

Escort cards

Escort cards are a more American tradition that's increasingly common here. Instead of one big board, each guest (or couple) has a small card or tag with their name and table number, set out on a table at the entrance. Guests pick theirs up and take it with them.

They work well when you want something guests can take home, such as a card attached to a favour. They take longer to set up, and someone has to lay them out alphabetically on the day.

Place cards

Place cards sit on the table itself and mark a specific seat, usually with the guest's name, sometimes with their meal choice for the caterers. They're only needed if you're telling guests exactly where to sit, not just which table.

Do you need to assign seats?

If you give guests a table but let them choose seats at it, you only need the table plan or escort cards. That's simpler, and it lets people sit next to whoever they like.

Assigning seats takes more work, but it has real advantages:

• Couples sit together and guests aren't left with an empty chair between them and the person they know.
• You can mix groups deliberately, putting the sociable cousin next to the shy plus-one.
• The caterers know where each meal goes. With pre-chosen menus, a place card marked with the meal saves staff asking every guest.

Many couples assign seats on the top table and family tables, and only tables elsewhere.

Getting the details right

• Spell every name correctly. It's the thing guests notice. Use the name people actually go by.
• Print a spare set of place cards with no names for unexpected changes on the day.
• Make the table plan readable from a few metres away, and list guests alphabetically if you have more than about 60. Our guide to table names and numbers has more on this.
• Finalise it late. Print place cards after your final numbers are confirmed, usually in the last week or two. See the seating plan timeline.

What to put on a place card

Keep it simple. The guest's name is the only thing that has to be there. Other things that help:

• The table name or number, if the cards also act as escort cards.
• A small mark for their meal choice, such as a coloured dot or a tiny icon, so staff can serve the right plate without asking. Agree the marks with your caterer.
• Both names on one card for a couple only if they're sitting at one place. Usually each person gets their own card.

Use the name the guest goes by. "Bob" on a place card is friendlier than "Robert" if that's what everyone calls him.

Who sets them out on the day

Place cards and escort cards need someone to lay them out, usually the venue staff or your coordinator. Give them:

• The cards sorted by table, with a printed list showing which card goes on which seat.
• The table plan, so they can check.
• The spare blank cards and a pen.

Do this the day before if the venue allows it. On the morning of the wedding there's never as much time as you think.

How many to order

Order place cards for every guest, plus about one in ten spare. If you're handwriting them or paying a calligrapher, add a few more, because mistakes happen. For escort cards, order one per guest or one per couple, depending on whether couples share a card, plus spares.

Order the cards early, but don't fill them in until the plan is final. Blank cards keep. Names written on the wrong cards don't.

Combining them with favours

A place card can double as a favour: a name tag tied to a small jar, a biscuit with the guest's name iced on it, or a card tucked into a napkin. It saves putting two things at each place. If you do this, check the caterers are happy with what's on the table, especially near hot plates.

Printing from Seats Plan

With Pro, Seats Plan prints a floor plan of the room as you drew it, a list of who sits at each table, and place cards with each guest's name and table, laid out ready to cut. If someone drops out the week before, you change the plan and print again rather than redoing the stationery by hand.