Escort Cards & Place Cards

Now, you’ve invited all of your guests and you’re trying to decide on what to do with seating assignments.  There are a three options to choose from and sometimes people think they need all of the options, which tends to confuse the guests.  Two of the three of often used, but all aren’t necessary.

The Escort Card is placed outside the main event space and tells the guests at which table he or she should sit.  If you choose this option, this means that you’ve chosen open seating at each table.  You want the guests at each table to interact and have fun but not sit at a specific seat.

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The Place Card is placed on the table at the specific place setting in which you would like your guest to sit at the table.  If you’ve chosen this option, there may be an escort card or seating chart outside directing your guests to the appropriate table.  You may want to encourage people to get to know each other and assigning seats was the best way to do this.

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The Seating Chart is placed outside of the main entrance and advises the guests of which table to sit.  It’s large in size and is often chosen to go along with place cards and as an alternative to escort cards.

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The common misconception is that a Place Card and an Escort cards are the same thing.  They are not! Although they don’t have the same purpose, their use are often mistaken and used interchangeably.  Place cards are already set on the table and Escort cards are not. If you think of it as someone placing you in your seat or escorting you to your table, as I do, it’s an easy way to remember the difference between the two.

Lastly, if you choose the Escort Cards or the Seating Chart, alphabetize the list by last name.  Your guests will have an easier time finding their seats and it truly does cut down on a lot of time in the long run.