One of the first design elements your guests see when they walk into your reception is your escort card display. (A refresher: An escort card features the name of a guest and his or her table number, so people can easily find their designated seats at a wedding.) Couples often arrange escort cards in alphabetical rows on a table — an eternally elegant option; see here! — but there are plenty of other ways to show guests to their seats and leave them with a lasting first impression.
One way to switch up your escort card display is to rethink the cards themselves. Instead of traditional tented or framed paper cards, try other mediums that reflect your wedding’s overall theme. For example: elegant calligraphy on shells or sea glass for a summer or seaside wedding; small acrylic disks or marble tiles for a glam ballroom affair. Use items that are meaningful to you as a couple (luggage tags for a couple who loves to travel or for a destination wedding; sweet library cards for a book-loving couple) or things that take subtle cues from your wedding’s setting or season.
Another popular option? Ditch the individual escort cards altogether for a large seating chart. This gives you another major focal point (let your florist in on this idea as it’s a generally a great place to work in flowers), and it’s also another opportunity to tie together your overall wedding theme. We’ve seen chalkboard charts, pretty vintage frames displayed on easels, custom charts designed by artists, even gorgeous calligraphy on mirrors or sheets of acrylic (yes, acrylic is having a big moment in the wedding world). Check out this local calligrapher for even more — totally gorgeous, completely outside-the-box — inspiration.
Talk with your venue experts about escort card displays they’ve seen in the past. They’ll be able to offer you insight on where most couples place their escort cards, and also give you ideas of where might be a good place for a seating chart or other display. And of course, you’ll need to tackle the hard part and actually plan out where your guests are sitting. Check out our handy guide to planning your wedding seating arrangements here!
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