Ideas for Wedding Place Cards

Have fun with this small wedding detail

By Jen Whitten

Photo by Jessi Ringer

Formal or large weddings require order to keep everything moving at a smooth pace. To avoid confusing your guests in a sea of tables, create a seating chart in advance to remove the guesswork. Plain white cards may be okay for last-minute plans, but creative wedding place card ideas can incorporate your theme into an otherwise dull detail.

Edible Place Cards

It is no secret that people love to eat. Give them what they want while showing them where to sit by incorporating your place card with sweet or savory treats. Find giant lollipops and place each in an empty water glass with the guests' names written on the outside of the plastic wrapping. To keep germs to a minimum, leave every treat wrapped. To satisfy salt cravings, mix your favorite cocktail nut into small dishes with chocolate. Prop up the cards featuring the guests' names in front of the dish to give them something to snack on while they await your entrance. If you find the drab, brown shade of chocolate unappealing, use candy-coated chocolates in your wedding colors. Dried fruit also works well for health-conscious couples.

Natural Place Cards

You can borrow the beauty from nature for your place cards even if you are not hosting a rustic wedding. Lay roses or flowers from the bridal bouquet at each place setting with a name card attached by coordinating ribbon or floral wire. For a simple approach, use colored paper cut into the shape of a bird, butterfly, flower or any other natural shape you like. Other elements from the outdoors can enhance your theme without a hefty price tag. Visit a craft store or keep your eyes on the ground to find beautiful rocks with distinctive veining or colors. Thoroughly clean them and adorn each with the name of a guest, using a permanent marker. Using craft leaves to decorate a basic place card elevates it from common to special. You could even use miniature plants with each guest's name marked on the flowerpot. Consider doing one per couple to control costs.

Themed Place Cards

Whatever the theme of your wedding is, consider reinforcing it with your place cards. If your wedding is in a vineyard with grapes as decor, wine bottle corks make the perfect place cards, while beach weddings can have shell place cards. If daisies are a significant part of your floral decor, a place card with a daisy graphic in the corner would be a nice touch. If you don't have an overt theme, you can still nod to the decor by choosing place cards that correspond with your wedding's colors.

Creative Table Names

Instead of using numbers to classify your reception tables, get creative by giving them each a name with a common theme. For instance, you could name each table after a city that you and your fiancee have visited together. Then, use postcards from each city for wedding place cards. Or you could give each table a title consistent with a street in your hometown, and make miniature street signs as place cards. Table names are a fun way to incorporate a theme into your wedding place card design.