If you plan on having designated seating at your wedding reception, then you’ll also need a seating chart. Featuring a list of names or escort cards, a seating chart will help your friends and family quickly find where to sit for dinner. However, in recent years, seating charts have also doubled as decor! By tying the display into your color scheme or theme, or adding an interactive element, it will lend to a more cohesive and memorable reception. Check out some of our favorite wedding seating charts to get inspired for your wedding!

Keep It Simple

Sometimes simple is best, especially if you’re hosting a minimalistic wedding. This neutral colored seating chart is about as standard as it gets, yet fun and trendy. In a unique twist however, it prompts guests to do a little work to find their name and table number.

Play With Different Shapes

By no means do you have to feature a plain wall for your seating chart. In fact, showcasing a fun shape, like this geometric display, will make it more eye-catching. While this seating chart is relatively simply, listing names beneath table numbers, the shape lends a chic and youthful look.

Classic Calligraphy

Calligraphy is undoubtedly one of the most popular choices for a seating chart. This romantic handwriting lends a classic touch, especially when used on found items. Some popular options include glass lanterns or vases, terracotta pots, and mirrors. This option is also one of the easiest to DIY!

Escort Favors

Wedding favors are a tradition, although the items that couples are now gifting their guests have become more modern. But whether you’re gifting a candle, some sweets or a jar of jam, consider using it to guide guests to their seats. Simply attach a basic escort card to each gift, and display it on a shelf or wall for guests to grab as they enter the reception venue.

Modern & Clean

If you’re hosting a more modern or glam event, then you’ll want to maintain a sleek and sophisticated look. This seating chart features envelopes with the name of each guest, carefully laid out in a grid. Once opened, guests will find their table number. This is also another easy to DIY option!

Personal Pictures

Seating charts aren’t usually sentimental, but they can be! This fun display is relatively simple, but what makes it special are the photos of each and every guest. These photos, printed as Polaroids, feature the guest’s name and their table number. It’s a display that everyone will revisit, to see what picture you opted to use.

Rustic Chic

Whether you’re hosting an intimate backyard wedding or a barn wedding, you’ll want a seating chart that is equally homely. This display features wood cutting boards, engraved with the guest’s names and table numbers. You can attach them to a boxwood wall or hang them from a copper pipe stand.

3D Displays

One of the more unique displays, a 3D seating chart is the most decorative option - as guests can enjoy it from every angle. Take this cactus for example, a beautiful option for a modern desert wedding. Get creative with the shapes you use, but be sure to stay on theme!

Cocktail Welcome

If you’ve ever been to a wedding, then you know how anticipated the post-ceremony cocktail hour is. Which is why some couples are opting to let a refreshing cocktail double as an escort card. These can be displayed on a shelf at the entrance of the reception, and feature a dissolvable wafer or an acrylic stirrer.

Mirror Mirror

A beautiful choice for a vintage-inspired event, mirrors of all shapes and sizes can be used to create an elegant display. Just hang them on a wall, and write the guest’s names and table numbers with a thick black, white, or gold marker. The best part is that you can find these for reasonable prices, at thrift stores and antique malls.

Love these seating chart ideas? Let us know which one is your favorite! Or let us know about your own seating chart plans.