The Question of Seating Guests

There are a couple of options available when directing guests to their seat at the dinner reception. A couple things to consider before you make your decision is your venue space and the flow of traffic as guests enter, as well as if you want to have assigned seating at each spot of the table or just assigned tables. If you have a large space or cocktails before dinner it nice to have guests circulate around a table to find their escort card. One problem with seating charts is they can cause a crowd of guests trying to see where they are sitting. To avoid this I suggest displaying two seating charts or positioning the single seating chart in a position where there is lots of room for the flow of traffic.

The first option is using a seating chart with coordinating numbers at each table. If you choose to have assigned seating at the table you will also need to include place cards at each setting. Below is an example of a seating chart courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings. 

The next option is to use escort cards with coordinating numbers at each table. Again, if you want to have assigned seating at the table you will also need to include place cards at each setting, but this can be a bit redundant having two cards with the guest name on it. I really enjoy this option because you can get totally creative in the shape, size and presentation of the escort card. I had a couple double their favor of wine glasses with the escort card by getting me to design wine bases which had the guests name and table number on it. Below are some creative escort card examples courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings.