Planning your wedding is stressful, but it’s also one of the most beautiful moments you can experience. From organising the whole thing to choosing the details – there’s a lot to consider.
Despite seeming small and unimportant, little details greatly affect the way your wedding ceremony and reception will feel and look. So, make sure to invest some time and effort into choosing the right candles, flowers and even place cards.
Acrylic vs. Paper Place Cards
When it comes to place cards, you usually have two options available: acrylic or paper. However, most couples tend to pick acrylic place cards instead of paper ones.
The reason is pretty simple, acrylic place cards are eye-catching, easy to customise and look more expensive. These table adornments can be tailored to look exactly how you want them to and you can place them literally anywhere you want.
Unlike paper, acrylic is a durable material, resistant to wear and tear. It’s available in a range of colours, sizes, shapes and textures. It’s also water-resistant and weighs more than paper, making these cards perfect for outdoor weddings. Even though they’re sturdier, more durable and appealing, these cards won’t break the bank.
Since acrylic is easily customised, aside from cards, you can also order acrylic signs, menu boards, wedding signs and so on. This modern material can be moulded literally into anything you want. All it takes is choosing designs that’ll best meet your needs.
You can even mix and match shapes, sizes and colours, just make sure that they look well together. And if you’re not able to write down the guests’ names on them, you can order ready-made cards and signs to save time.
Speaking of place cards, did you know that even though they look the same, they differ from escort cards?
What Are Wedding Place Cards?
When comparing place and escort cards, the former is more specific and formal than the latter. The purpose of place cards is to direct guests to the table where they’ll sit during the wedding reception and point each guest to his/her particular seat. Consequently, they’re placed at each table, so that guests can find their place easier.
These cards are the perfect option for a sit-down dinner reception. You can also use these cards in case there are different menu options at your wedding venue. You can subtly mark the cards with different colours or different letter colours so that the server can know what to serve to whom.
What Are Escort Cards?
If acrylic cards are formal, escort cards are more informal options that only direct guests to the table but not specifically to their seats. Once guests get to the table, they have the freedom to choose where to sit. While at most weddings these cards are placed at the table, at some weddings, they can also be found in a grouping just in front of the dining area entrance, so that guests can find their own table.
With this in mind, more often, people decide to use table cards because they’re more specific and guests feel more special and connected to the couple when they see their names written on a sign where they’re seated. They’re usually placed above the dinner plates or on a folded napkin which is designed to rest on the dinner plate.
Do You Really Need Them?
While they aren’t mandatory, having table cards on each table can prevent the guests from feeling confused and seating randomly and whenever they want. Having no cards may lead to the need of adding extra tables since some people tend to come in a group and like to sit together, so if there are no tables with enough seats for all of them, they ask for another one.
Consequently, the placement of more tables can reduce the free space that could be used for dancing, and will lead to extra costs since you’ll need more linens and centrepieces. And all of this can end up with lots of scattered empty seats and that won’t make for attractive photographs.
So, in order to avoid these problems and have the wedding of your dreams, it would be best to place table cards on each and every seat. The best thing of all is that guests can take these cards with them and repurpose them if they want. They’ll just need to remove their name from it with the help of an acrylic remover or acetone or oil. They can even use it as a practice blank on which they can practice their own calligraphy and lettering skills.
What Size Should Placecards Be?
In most cases, acrylic cards for weddings come in sizes of around 3-5cm high and 8 – 10cm long. However, you can have them customised to whichever size you need. Regarding the thickness, it’s recommended to be around 3mm – not too thick and not too thin to break either.
