Expert Tips for Crafting Eye-Catching Escort Cards

Get ideas for your escort cards and seating chart.

By Emily Lasnier

Photo: Laurie Bailey Photography

Deciding where everyone should sit at your wedding can be one of the most stressful parts of planning. However, showcasing where your guests can find their seats is another opportunity to add another design element to the big day. Whether you decide to go with a displayed seating chart or individual escort cards, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Be sure to remember to include place cards as well, if you want to determine the exact seating order, rather than just the tables. As long king’s tables become more popular, place cards may feel more necessary than in the past, when a group of eight or 10 can easily arrange themselves into optimal pairings.

As with wedding planning in general, there are so many different options for escort cards and seating charts that it can become overwhelming. Celebrity event planner Tessa Brand of Tessa Lyn Events has five tips on the subject to help make sure this seemingly small detail goes off without a hitch. After all, escort cards and seating charts aren’t just about aesthetic, but also about the organization of your reception meal.

See her tips, as well as examples from her past real weddings, below!

Five Tips for Eye-Catching Wedding Escort Cards

- Your escort card display is an opportunity to get creative. There are so many fun ideas of which to take advantage.
- Oftentimes your escort card can double as a favor – like a macaron box, olive oil, or a mini bottle of bubbly.
- If you have over 100 guests and are doing a chart instead of individual cards, I recommend alphabetizing by last name rather than organizing by table, which leaves guests searching for their name.
- Always place your escort-card display at cocktail hour where guests have a full hour to stop by and find their name.
- If your escort card also shares your meal choice from the RSVP, always have a sign instructing the guest to display it at their seat for the catering staff.