It’s easy to learn how to write place cards for wedding when you know what to put. We will also discuss properly addressing your guests, whether they are single, married, or have a title.
More than the place cards, make sure that the tables in your reception where you’ll put them will also be set up attractively. You may want to give this tutorial on how to fold napkins for a wedding a quick read as well.
How Do You Write Out Place Cards For A Wedding?
- Check with your wedding vendor to know if they have specific information that they want on each place card (e.g., the guest meal choice, dietary restriction, and other helpful information when serving each table)
- Determine the difference between a place card and an escort card; a place card is placed in front of each place setting on the table, and it has the name of the guest, while an escort card only has the table number and is usually placed at the reception entrance
- Put the guest’s name, meal preference, and table number on the place card
- You can write the information on each card by hand, hire a calligrapher, or print them
- Make sure that the information is easy to decipher or opt for a symbol for the meal preference to help servers recognize them easier
- If the place card is not flat, write the guest’s name on the front and back
- Make sure that all the place cards are uniform in terms of font, color, and paper type
Do You Put Surnames On Wedding Place Cards?
The wording for the place cards for a wedding will include the surname of each guest. You’ll write the guest’s first name followed by their last name as this will avoid confusion in case there are wedding guests with similar names.
It will also feel more personal on the guest’s part as they are addressed thoroughly. However, if you write the complete name of guests in some place cards, you must do the same for the rest.
Do You Have To Put Mr And Mrs On Place Cards?
Formal vs informal
Formal wedding occasions will use Mr and Mrs on place cards when addressing married couples. You can write them as Mr and Mrs with their last name.
Couples with the same last name
Couples with the same last name can be confusing, so you must include the spouse’s first name with the surname that they’re similar with. Another option is to have the full name of each person altogether.
Couples with different last names
A consideration that you must keep in mind is that some couples also have different last names. So for this instance, you’ll remove the Mr and Mrs, then write their names or address each person’s name with the respective titles.
If you’ll be having a less formal wedding reception, it’s possible to use each person’s full name without the title. But what about unmarried couples or guests with plus-ones?
Unmarried guests
Unmarried guests can be addressed on the place cards the same way you’ll address married couples with different last names. For example, you can omit the Mr and Mrs and write each person’s name with the respective title, except the Mrs becomes Ms.
Plus-ones
On the other hand, how should you write a single guest and their plus one on the wedding place card? The plus-one can be written as their partner’s guest or address them accordingly as Mr or Ms with their full name to be more formal and polite.
You can check the RSVP for the full name of the plus-one rather than addressing them in a less personal manner as their partner’s guest. What about single guests without any partner or plus-ones?
Single guests
If you have already decided to title the married guests, you must be consistent and title all the other place cards. For example, address your single guests as Ms or Mr and only omit the titles if you did the same for the married guests.
What about kids and young guests? As for guests under 18, it’s possible to omit their titles altogether.
What about pronouns?
Be careful when including pronouns in the wedding place cards. Only address guests with their pronouns if you’re 100% confident, or request their pronouns when collecting the RSVPs to be sure.
If you forgot to ask, you can reach out to them or have a friend ask for you. But when unsure, never include pronounce and skip the titles altogether to avoid assuming.
Do You Put Dr On Place Cards?
You can put Dr on your guest’s place card if they are a medical doctor. They might’ve also written themselves with Dr, or you can ask them yourself if you’re unsure how they should be addressed.
Read how early is too early for wedding invitations so you can send them in time and address potential queries to your guests.
Conclusion
And that’s it! We just learned how to write place cards for wedding, where you must have the guest’s full name, meal preference, and table number.
Remember that if you titled one place card, you should do the same for the rest. Feel free to clarify with your guests if you’re unsure how to address them.