Organizing where your guests will sit at your wedding is an important part of the planning process. As practical as the seating chart or escort cards may be, that doesn’t mean your efforts can’t be a beautiful part of your wedding.
Whether you prefer one large seating chart with guest’s names, or individual escort cards, you can display this element in a unique way that ties in with the theme of your wedding, and gives guests a fun sneak peek at what’s to come with the rest of the reception.
Calligraphy Vintage Mirror
There is something so romantic and chic about a large vintage mirror (or frame) in gold or silver. The touch of metallic adds glamour to any style of reception, and displays the guest’s names in the form of one large seating chart. Hire a calligrapher to write with marker on a mirror that’s set in a vintage frame, or swap out the mirror for regular paper. Adorn the frame with flowers and lush greenery for a very regal way to show guests to their seats.
Refurbished Antique Dresser
Totally revamp or simply fix up an antique dresser and use it to display escort cards on. You can prop up the individual cards folded tent-style and set them on top of the dresser and inside the pulled-out cabinets. For a little extra décor, incorporate unique touches like vintage mirrors, framed wedding pictures of your parents and grandparents, or cartons of fruit that you use to anchor the cards, whether they are folded or secured onto sticks.
Luggage Tags
Write each of your guest’s names on a luggage tag and lay them out on top of a nice table, or on top of vintage suitcases if you’re decorating with a travel-inspired theme. This is a great escort card display if you and your partner love to travel and have vacationed in a number of locations together. Assign each table to a destination you’ve both been to together, and write that location on each guest’s card.
Hanging Watercolors
Have a calligrapher (or talented friend or family member) write guest names with pretty lettering on pieces of watercolor-painted paper. Then, secure each piece of paper on a ribbon and hang the ribbons from a pretty branch, from an arbor, or secure them on an ornate iron gate. For a romantic, garden-inspired look, hang flowers and pieces of greenery like vines and ferns along with the cards. Displaying the guest names and table numbers this way can be done as one large seating chart, or in the form of escort cards where guests will take their name back to their seat.
Window Pane
Similar to the mirror and frame idea, write guest’s names in their seating groups on the glass panes on a vintage window, and hang it if your venue allows. If you would like a more clean-lined, modern look, opt for a frameless sheet of acrylic and hire a calligrapher to write the names and table numbers using a black, white, or colored marker. You can rest this up against something, place it on a picture support, or hang it using clear fishing line above a table for an unexpected display.
Chandelier Cards
Rather than stringing escort cards across a frame or mirror, tie them to a string or pretty ribbon from a hanging chandelier. Supports can be provided from the ceiling in an indoor venue, or you can hang the chandelier from a stand with an extended arm.
Colorful Tiles
An excellent way to tie in your wedding colors with your table seating is to have guest names elegantly printed onto painted ceramic tiles that look like a gorgeous mosaic when laid out.
Extravagant Scrolls
Want your guests to feel as if they’ve been invited to dine at the royal court? Hire a calligrapher to write each guest’s name with their table number on long scrolls of printed paper. Have the writer use an ink color that coordinates with the prints on the paper, or consider using a gold ink to print the names in an over-the-top scroll font, and the seating chart will be its own décor element of the venue.
Gem Stone Cards
What could be more glamorous and luxurious than giving each guest a gem stone along with their escort card? This will add a ton of sparkle to your venue and can double as your favors that guests take home with them. Attach the gem stones, including clear quartz, rose quartz and lavender quartz for romantic pastels, to thick card stock and place them on a simply decorated table.
We’ve got something here for every bride to style their seating chart or escort card display in a fun, elegant, and totally unique way. Be sure to check out our previous blog posts for other unique wedding ideas, advice and much more.