Escort Cards vs. Place Cards - What is the difference?

Escort Cards vs. Place Cards - What is the difference?

One important, and often time consuming task, when planning your wedding is to assign each guest to their reception table. You spend hours grouping the right individuals together, making sure each table’s vibe is perfect. Now, you will need to determine how to tell the guests! This is where your escort cards come in. 

Escort cards traditionally are cards that will have each guest’s name and the table number they are sitting at. You can choose to be uber traditional, using each guests suffix, or you can choose to do their first names or even nicknames.  These are displayed during cocktail hour so guests have the time to find their name. Do you have to do individual cards? Not at all! Use this opportunity to have fun with a design element of cocktail hour. Instead of cards, you could choose to have names on a large mirror, tags tied to wedding favors, a printed sign on an easel - your only limit is your creativity. 

Place cards are the cards placed at each table that assign guests to their specific chair. Does every wedding need a place card? No! Place cards are only needed when guests have pre-selected their entree on the RSVP card. In this scenario, your place card not only tells the guest where to sit, but also tells the service staff where to place each entree. If you are having family style or buffet, place cards are not needed.

There is one exception to this rule! The head table. It is always a good idea to have place cards at the head table. This is the table that no matter what the style of food service is, you want each guest assigned to a specific seat. 

Have fun incorporating both escort cards and place cards into your wedding design and decor. There are so many fun ways to display both, so let your creativity flow and find an idea that fits your wedding.