What's the Difference Between Escort & Place Cards?

For most, these terms are two of the same, but this is actually incorrect. These are not interchangeable words and have two separate purposes. Yes, both Escort Cards and Seating Cards inform your guests where they are assigned to sit. Where these are displayed are completely different!

Escort Cards are usually displayed in a common area that all guests will see and pass by before they are asked to be seated. These Escort Cards have two pieces of information on them; the guest's name and table they are seated at. There are many creative and absolutely beautiful ways to present your escort cards, and for many it is a main focal point during the cocktail hour. Here are some stunning and truly creative ideas of Escort Card displays. (JW Impressions Secret Fact: The Escort Card display is actually my all time FAVORITE wedding detail to work on! Over table centerpieces, favors, cakes, dare I say invites too!?!?!)

There is also a new trend that is becoming more and more popular with every wedding I work on... Seating Charts! I am currently working on two of these and I must say it's a pretty cool concept and I am very excited to see the finished product of both! The idea behind this concept is to eliminate the Escort Card all together and have one big chart that lists all of your guests names next to the table they are assigned to. You can display this on a table or floor stand, usually in a frame. Here are some examples of Seating Charts.

Last but certainly not least, the most traditional element of informing your guests where to sit is the Place Card. Place Cards are in most cases never used in weddings today, but if you want to go completely over the top in formality this is a really inexpensive and classic touch. A Place Card has the guest's name on it and that's it! These cards designate each seat for each guest.This will require a very specific seating chart sketch for your caterer/wedding coordinator. Yes, it could be a lot more work then you may want to do on top of everything else you are doing. With that said; the impression left with your guests will go miles! If you decide to do Place Cards, you will need to do either a Seating Chart or Escort Cards to direct your guests to the correct table before they start searching for their name at each place setting. Below are some examples of Place Cards.

As always, thank you for reading! 'Til the next time!