You’re planning your wedding, minding your business, when BAM. You realize, oh shoot, I don’t have place cards and a seating chart. The question is: do you need place cards and a seating chart?
What’s the big deal about skipping place cards? Why not just skip a seating chart altogether?
Here’s the thing: as a rule of thumb, you should have place cards and a seating chart at your wedding. At the very least, you need to have a seating chart.
If you like chaos and craziness, skip both! But I happen to like non-chaos and organization, so I vote for couples using place cards and seating charts at their weddings. Here is an easy list to help decide for yourself.
Place Cards and a Seating Chart
What are the benefits of having both place cards and a seating chart? Let’s examine what both wedding tasks accomplish first.
– A Seating Chart tells your guests at which table to be seated.
– A Place Card is placed at each guest’s place setting, letting them know exactly which chair is reserved for him or her.
A seating chart will keep your wedding organized and seat likeminded guests together to maximize the best conversation at your wedding.
A place card will make sure guests are seated at specific places. This helps so couples are seated together or families are all seated in a row, or how you’d like them to be seated.
In conclusion, placing cards at guest seats and having a seating chart will eliminate any confusion. Guests can easily walk into your reception site, find out where they are sitting, grab a drink, and mingle.
Otherwise, guests would enter the reception site, look around, wondering where to sit, people wouldn’t sit together, some family members would be across the room from others, etc.
While it is true you can have a seating chart and guests can pick any seat at that particular table, we still think it keeps things more organized when you have assigned seating. It also makes you feel a warmer welcome as a guest when you see your name written out on a place card, knowing that you’re in the right place.
Now that you know if you need place cards and a seating chart, you can browse for inspiration:
Hope it helps!
xo
Emma
