How to choose which signs you need at your wedding

What Wedding Signs do you need at your wedding?

Wedding signs add a personal touch to every wedding, welcoming your guests to your big day, directing them to the location of your ceremony and reception, sharing your wedding menu and drink offerings, and – most importantly – adding your voice, your brand and your personalities to this special day. Wedding signs have become a top wedding trend the last few years, and add elements of design/decor to the overall event.  Deciding on what signs you might need for your wedding can become overwhelming but luckily we have the answer right from  a local professional wedding sign designer!   Our friend Allyson, owner of The Pemberley Creative has just the answers you are looking for!

What Signs Do I Really Need for My Wedding?-  The Pemberly Creative
Congrats on your engagement! You have officially entered the fun, yet hectic world of wedding planning. At some point you will probably become overwhelmed with the enormous task of planning the most epic party of your entire life. But I’m here to help with my area of expertise – wedding signage.

If you’re new to this blog, I’m Allyson, owner of The Pemberley Creative. I offer a wide variety of hand lettering and calligraphy services, and I specialize in wedding signage. After reading this post (and downloading my free guide and checklist), you will be a wedding signage pro and have one more thing checked off of your wedding to-do list! If you have any questions about what wedding signage to include in your wedding, or if you are interested in my calligraphy wedding sign services, I would love to talk more! Simply fill out my contact form and I will be in touch to discuss your wedding signage.  LET’S TALK!

What is wedding signage?

Wedding signage is a broad term used to describe any kind of wording on surfaces you may have at your wedding that are used to communicate with your guests. Wedding signage includes seating charts, welcome signs, table numbers, place & escort cards, menu boards, bar menus, signature drinks signs, “pick a seat not a side” signs…you get the picture. Wedding signs can range from very simple, black and white signs with plain text, to elaborate signs with flourished calligraphy and illustrations. The majority of wedding signs I create are lettered by hand and include some combination of modern calligraphy and plain text.

The main thing to remember is that signage is about communicating with your guests. You may be thinking to yourself, “What do I need to communicate to my guests?”, but there is plenty! You (or your wedding planner/coordinator) don’t want to be fielding questions all day long about small details that could have easily been handled by some clear cut signage. Your guests won’t have to wonder when you will be making your grand entrance into the reception if you have an “order of the day” sign. Your favors with the monogram you agonized over won’t be left on the table if you have a “please take a favor” sign to clearly show guests where they are located. Simply put, there is information your guests need (or you want them) to know, and wedding signage is a straightforward way to share that information.

Let’s break it down even further into the top two questions you need to ask yourself about wedding signage:

What information do you NEED to communicate to your guests? and

What information do you WANT to communicate to your guests?

 

What information do you NEED to communicate to your guests?

There are certain details that your guests NEED to know, because if they don’t, they may end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. This kind of signage is what I’m going to focus on today.

I would consider must-have wedding signage to fall into a few main categories, as explained in the following paragraphs.

Wedding Seating Plans & Table Numbers

Think back to your awkward middle school days. Remember when you entered the lunch room on your first day of middle school and you didn’t know where your friends were or where you were supposed to sit? In case the thought gives you a mild case of anxiety like me, remember that feeling – people like to know where they are supposed to sit.

The most important seating arrangement sign is, of course, the seating chart for the meal of your wedding. I would recommend having some variation of a seating chart for every wedding. The rare exception may be a very small wedding where everyone knows each other, but even then, without some form of a plan, seating could get awkward!
wedding seating chart on a mirror

Wedding Seating Chart on a Mirror

The seating chart is typically a large sign that lists names by table or alphabetically with the table number listed after the name. There are some really creative ways to display your seating chart nowadays, but if you want to keep it simple a single sign can still be a beautiful addition to your wedding décor. Just make sure the sign is large enough to be able to read all of the names that need to fit.
wedding seating chart on wood

Wedding Seating Chart on Wood

Another wedding signage term you have probably heard of is place cards. Place cards show which specific seat at a table a guest is supposed to sit at. Place cards are typically accompanied by a seating chart so that guests don’t have to search every table for their name. If you are having plated dinner service, you will need some way to mark which meal choice a guest should receive, so you may need to consider place cards.

Agate Slice Wedding Place Card

Escort cards are a similar seating plan solution to a seating chart. You don’t need both a seating chart and escort cards – you pick one or the other! Each guest gets a card with their name on it along with their corresponding table name or number. These cards can be arranged in a creative display or simply laid out on a table for guests to grab as they enter the reception. You can also use escort cards to mark a guest’s dinner selection if you are having plated meal service.
acrylic wedding escort cards
That brings us to another must have sign for seating – table numbers! Your seating chart isn’t going to be very helpful without table number signs that correspond with the seating assignment on your chart. Again, legibility is key. Make sure the signs are large enough to see at a distance – 5×7” signs are plenty big enough – and that they are not hidden by your table décor.

Wedding Table Numbers on Frosted Acrylic

Wedding seating charts for the dinner portion of the day automatically come to mind, but don’t forget to address the ceremony seating arrangements. Make it clear to your guests whether or not you are going the traditional “bride’s side/groom’s side” route or if you’d like to encourage them to sit wherever. This is especially important if you have decided not to have an usher or greeter guiding guests into the ceremony space.
Pick a seat, not a side wedding ceremony sign

CLICK HERE to continue reading MORE about wedding signs and gather additional Wedding Sign inspiration from The Pemberly Creative!