At Flying Little Birds, we love creating unique ways to display our signature handcrafted sachets, which works as double duty as escort cards/name cards, and favors for your guests. We match the theme of the celebration, by customizing the personalized with your invitations. Or if you prefer, we also offer great design options for the tags.

There are many questions regarding what are place cards and escort cards; if you need both of them; if it is it one per guest and how should they be addressed?  If you are planning your wedding and have similar questions, this post is for you.

So let’s get started…

ESCORT CARDS

Escort cards will assist directing your guests to a designated table, while place cards are set on the table at the guest’s assigned seat. Ok, but which one(s) should I use at my wedding? Well, it will depend on a few facts; so let's check it out!

Why having an escort card can be helpful?

Guests tend to spread out and sit with those who they already know, creating empty spots that would not look good in photos. Creative a seating chart with escort cards can be an extra planning step on your agenda. But trust me, it is super helpful for your guest. We recommend that you start working on it as soon as you start receiving your RSVPs. There are many ways to collect RSVPs, but I encourage using the excel format that can then be easily uploaded to AllSeated. This is my little secret to help my clients in organizing their seating chart per tables. ;)

How many escort cards do I need to order? One per guest? Nope! Actually, we normally have one per couple (married or not married), single guests (with or without company) and families.. Here are a few tips when it comes to addressing these cards, depending on the formality of your reception.

Married Couples:

"Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith" - Formal 

"Robert and Catherine Smith - Less Formal

Unmarried couples:

"Jennifer Sloan and David Smith" - Alphabetize the guests according to their last name

Singles:

Anna Sinclair  

Anna Sinclair and Guest - If the person is bringing a guest

Family:

The Guedes Family

If you have a large guest list, having escort cards can be a particularly great idea.  You will be able to previously preset the seat of your guests and avoid unevenly distributed tables or empty seats.  Most weddings have escort cards placed at the entrance of the reception area as it makes it easier for the guests to find a table. The escort card will give peace of mind to your guests and prevent large parties from having to seat separating for lack of space at a particular table.

Place Cards or Name Cards:

When talking about place cards or name cards, this item will bring a bit more formality to your event. A place card designates where each guest will be seated at a wedding reception, pointing each guest to his or her particular seat at the table. Although place cards are optional, if you are planning a plated dinner offering more than one entrée, place cards can be very helpful for the serving staff to bring the correct meals to the guests. Have also in mind that every guest should have his or her own place card. Once again, my little secret to my clients is to use AllSeated. From ceremony and reception layouts, we can also easily manage RSVp and allocate them per table and even in each place set at each table!Easy Breezy! ;)

If you decide to have a place card at your reception, you may also consider having an escort card, in order to avoid having guests walking around at the reception looking for their names at each table. However, if you are hosting a small intimate reception with a long family table, you may only have the place cards skipping the escort cards. 

Check our Wedding Favor Collection for more inspirations!

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Xx,

Carol Guedes 

Event Design: @flyinglittlebirds

Flowers, Favors & Signage:@flyinglittlebirds

Venue: @501union