Place Cards to Elevate Wedding Tablescapes

Place cards have long been a staple at big events. They help their guests find their seats, can inform the staff of guests’ meal choices or double as wedding favours.

In the midst of a pandemic where we’re not sure if dancing will be allowed at events, couples are putting an emphasis on the dinner portion of the evening. This often involves a more elaborate, detailed table setting, including place cards. So today, I’m going over some of my favourite place card styles.

Before we get into that, let’s clarify some terminology. You may see place cards and escort cards used (seemingly) interchangeably, but there is a slight difference. Escort cards are more informal and direct guests to specific table. At that table, guests are free to choose where they can sit. These escort cards are typically placed at the entrance of the dining area. Place cards are more formal and assign guests to a specific seat. Therefore these cards are placed at the guest’s designated spot at the table.

I will be using the term place cards from here on out in this post, but all these options can also be used as escort cards!

1. Tile Place Cards

Tile is one of my favourite non-paper surfaces to write on. These are particularly helpful to have for outdoor weddings, especially if you are opting for paper menus at each table setting. The tile can be placed on top of the menu to prevent it from blowing away. Since there are so many different tile options, They also add a lot of dimension and visual interest to the table.

2. Scroll Place Cards

If you are looking to add some old world, European charm to your wedding, I can’t think of a better addition than scroll place cards with delicate calligraphy. I love that the simple curl of the scrolls also provides 3-dimensional interest just like the tiles, but without the higher price point.

3. Menu Place Cards

If you are planning on providing individual menu cards, why not add your guests’ names to them too? This can be done by just having the names written in calligraphy on the menu. However, other creative ways of attaching the two include: paper clipping them together, tying with ribbon, using a wax seal. My personal favourite would be using a wax seal. Especially if you have a wedding monogram, a wax seal is the perfect place to incorporate it!

Of course, there are several other creative place card options. Do you have a favourite from the ones listed above? If you are interested in working together on your place cards, get in touch here!