Table numbers or table names
Numbering your tables is fast and foolproof. Naming them adds personality but asks a little more of your guests. Here is how to choose, and how the choice ripples through the rest of your paper.
The case for numbers
A guest reads 1 through 12 in a second, and an escort card points straight there with no thinking. Numbers are the safe pick for a big room or an older crowd, and they never get muddled.
They are also the fastest to set up, since the order is obvious to everyone helping you arrange the room.
The case for names
Named tables give the room character and make good conversation: cities you have traveled to, favorite books, the surnames of the families joining. It is a small touch guests remember.
The catch is that a guest has to carry the name from the escort card to the table, so keep names short and print them large on the tent sign. A long or clever name that no one can find defeats the purpose.
Keep the label consistent everywhere
Whatever you choose, the label on the escort card, the place card, the tent sign, and the chart all have to match exactly. One table called Rome on the sign and Roma on the card sends people in circles.
Seatwright uses one label per table across all four pieces, a number or a name, so they can never drift apart. Mixing a few named tables with numbered ones is fine too, as long as each label is unique.
Related reading
How to make table numbers
Table numbers look like the easy part, right up until a guest is standing in the middle of the room squinting at a card the size of a business card. Here is how to make numbers people can actually find, and keep them in step with the rest of your plan.
Day-of wedding stationery checklist
The invitations went out months ago. The day-of paper is a different list, and it is easy to forget a piece until the week of. Here is what most receptions need.
Keep going
Table numbers
A table needs a number a guest can read from the door. Seatwright prints one foldable tent sign per table, large and centered, straight from the tables on your list.
Escort cards
Escort cards tell each guest which table to find. Seatwright sorts your whole list A to Z and lays it out as tent cards, so the entrance table stays easy to scan.
Wedding
The seating took weeks. The paper should take an afternoon. Paste your final list and Seatwright lays out the whole day-of set at once.
Charity gala
Sponsors up front, donors by table, everyone seated on purpose. Paste the list and print a polished set of cards.
Questions
Should wedding tables be numbered or named?
Numbers are faster to find and foolproof for a large room. Names add personality but ask guests to remember them. Many couples number the tables for a big reception and save names for a smaller, relaxed event.
Can you mix table numbers and names?
Yes, as long as every label is unique and clearly printed. Seatwright keeps whatever label you give each table in sync across the cards, the signs, and the chart.
Do named tables need numbers too?
Not necessarily. Some couples add a small number under the name so the cards still sort in a set order, but it is optional. Keep it to one clear label per table and guests will manage fine.
Paste your list, see it laid out
When the plan is done, Seatwright turns your guest list into the whole day-of paper set in one pass.
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