A place card is a piece of paper indicating what table a guest at an event, such as a

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

banquet A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

, is assigned to sit. Place cards generally have the guest's name and table number, and frequently have some design as well to add style.

Background

Place cards also serve the function of identification of those who may otherwise be unknown to one another. Once taken by the respective guests, they are placed at the assigned seat, and once there, this enables others to identify the person sitting in that seat by name. At some weddings, place cards can double as the

menu In a restaurant, the menu is a list of food and beverages offered to customers and the prices. A menu may be à la carte – which presents a list of options from which customers choose – or table d'hôte, in which case a pre-established seque ...

for the food that is served at the wedding. Place cards are not only used for weddings and are not always pieces of paper. Theme based celebrations have become extremely popular for such party celebrations as Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebration meals, as well as birthdays, sports banquets, anniversaries, retirements, corporate events, etc. Custom place cards coordinated with the celebrant's theme have become very popular as well. Place cards can be decorated to fit the party's theme. For example, if the theme of the wedding or party is a beach theme, the card might have a tropical flower on it. Cards can also indicate tables using token objects. Sea shells, party gifts, color of the tablecloth, plates or cups on the table may be used to identify the assigned table.

Issues

Place cards, especially if fancy, can be an added expense for the couple. The use of place cards in some circles may be controversial. Some guests may want to sit wherever they wish.

Background

Issues

See also

References

Bibliography

External links