Place Cards

Place cards at events are primarily needed to introduce a certain order - simply to arrange event attendees, guests at a table or individual tables, in a logical sequence. This is especially important when an event is expected to have a large number of participants. When placing place cards, take into account the interest groups of the attendees, family ties, social and marital status, as well as gender. It has long been customary to seat ladies and gentlemen alternately.

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Place cards are a personal greeting to each of the guests, as well as a token of attention and gratitude for their attendance. But a place card can also serve as a gift that each guest can take home after the celebration. A few years ago I had the chance to attend a wedding in Germany, where the newlyweds had arranged for each guest to receive, alongside their place card, a bottle stopper topped with a silhouette of the bride or groom. A truly lovely token of appreciation for the guests!

Most often place cards are made in a unified style with the invitations, and they undeniably serve as table decoration too. They can beautifully complement the existing décor and help conjure the right festive mood, especially at weddings or themed events. Below are several ideas for place cards with a nautical theme, using natural materials - seashells, sand, starfish, pebbles, cork, and the like.

Ideas and Examples for Place Cards

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Place cards come in many forms - classic, restrained, paper, rectangular, bought ready-made at a stationery shop or made to individual order; but there are also creative ones (as you may gather, that is mainly what this article is about), handmade, non-traditional, original, and "edible" ones. The last of these serve both as seat markers and as an extra little treat.

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Most often a place card bears only the specific guest's name, but you can also write a folk song, a poem, or a quote related to the theme of the particular event; a thank-you to guests for their presence; the date, occasion, or theme of the event, the names of the guests of honour; a personal message to a specific guest; and so on. If event participants are to be seated at separate tables, then the table number as well.

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Classically, a place card is positioned to the left at the top edge of the plate or on the serviette, but it can equally well be placed on the chair or even on the plate, if the particular place card's style calls for it and if it fits the table setting. I also came across a variation where the place card is hung or clipped onto the glass. Quite original, wouldn't you say?

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When making place cards, you can let your imagination run free - of course, if it is not a formal event. A guest's name and table number can be written on a pebble or a lemon; you can order an engraving on a mug or a print on a serviette or ribbon; the place card can be folded as origami; inserted into a floral arrangement, and so on. I hope the ideas gathered here will inspire you to make the planned dinner party table setting more original, and bring joy and a pleasant surprise to yourself and your guests.