Once guests have found their table cards during the cocktail hour, how will they locate their tables in the ballroom? Once again, this is an excellent opportunity to showcase your creativity and event theme, both with the way you name or number the tables, and how the table identifiers are displayed on the tables.

Identifying The Tables
Of course, everyone has seen the traditional table numbers. It is perfectly fine to use these, especially if your wedding is quite formal. There are lovely preprinted, numbered cards available for purchase at stationers’ shops or online, or you can make your own. However, why not incorporate a theme for your tables that reflects your interests and/or history as a couple? Some ideas I have seen at weddings I’ve done:
• Names of different places to which the two of you have traveled
• Names of the streets in the neighborhoods in which you grew up
• Princess names
• Flower names (which can also then be incorporated in the centerpieces)
• Names of players from the two families’ home football teams

Discussing your chosen theme can be a fun icebreaker for guests as they find their seats.

Displaying The Table Names
There are several options for displaying the table names. I like tall metal stands with a clip on the top, as they add height to the table and are simple enough that they will not detract from the centerpieces. Low stands or small frames also work well, and there is certainly an abundance of choices, in any style you can think of. You can even just fold the table name cards into tent cards and place them directly on the tables, as long as there are not too many other things there (favors, cameras, place settings, large centerpieces, etc.).

No matter which option you choose, it is crucial that guests be able to easily see the table names as they enter the ballroom, so make the name cards as large as possible. Be sure that the person who places them on the tables sets the cards facing the main entrance. It can also be a helpful touch to station a greeter or two near the doors, with a map of the room to assist guests in locating their tables.

This article is the third in a three-part series.