As the day for your wedding comes closer, you’re getting more nervous about how well everything is going to come off. You’ve put hours and hours into planning out every step of the way, trying to make sure that not only is it going to be a memorable day for you, but that all of the guests are going to be happy with the day as well. However, people being people, some simply don’t get along or you’ve got people you want to have sitting together at the reception, but you don’t want to hurt feelings either. So paying attention to wedding place cards etiquette can make sure feathers don’t get ruffled.
The first step to get everything right is to send out invitations with RSVP cards. These are important so you’ll know exactly who is going to come to your wedding and who will be at the reception. By having the RSVP cards, you’ll be able to put together a seating arrangement to minimize conflicts and to enhance interaction and conversation. Once you have your guest list put together, here are a few things to keep in mind when putting together the wedding place cards.
– Put the person’s full name on the card. This enables people who don’t know each other to be able to break the ice without having to have a long round of introductions.
– Spouses should be seated at the same table, but apart from each other. This spurs conversation, and alternating males and females at a table is common.
– Couples that attend the reception that aren’t married are traditionally seated at separate tables.
– Put the place card at the top of the plate or over the napkin.
– Bi-fold place cards should have the person’s name on both sides.
– Place cards are usually the size of a business card.
– Using the same font on the place cards as you use on the menu and on the wedding program keeps everything thematically correct
When going through the planning process, being able to have a tool like place cards means you’ve got control over how things are going to go at the reception. Place cards may seem like a small detail, but following wedding place cards etiquette will mean you’ll be able to be comfortable that your wedding reception is going to be as much of a success as the rest of your wedding.
