place card per individual or per couple?

[nclrgirl]

I have an etiquette question. I''ve been to wedding that have done both, but in your opinion, should I have a place card for each individual or is it ok to have one place card per couple/family?

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[mimzy]

i''m not an expert, but i think it is perfectly okay to have one per couple. maybe if your wedding is super formal you might want to go individual, but i can''t think of any real pros to doing it like that. depending on the size of your wedding, people might appreciate having fewer place cards to sort through to find their own as well.

 

[rockzilla]

The only complication I can see here is determining whose name it should go under, if is is a couple/family who are either unmarried or do not share the same last name.

Say you have Mr. John Smith and Ms. Mary Jones as a couple - would you alphebetize under Smith because it is the guy? Jones because it is the woman? Or if you are mainly friends with John, and Mary is his wife(or vice versa), do it under that name? Or just split these people up?

But, if everyone you are inviting has just one last name for their family, this may not be an issue.

 

[Pandora II]

I''m doing one per person - but I do have assigned seating

 

[Rhea]

I think per person is correct.

 

[ladyciel]

One issue I see is if you will also be using the cards to indicate each person''s meal choice for a plated dinner, in which case you''ll need one per person. Not an issue if you''re having a buffet, of course.

I assume you''re using them as escort cards, meaning the guests use them to find out where they''re sitting? In that case, what about using a seating chart instead? It''s something I''ve come across at several bridal shops (where they rent the stands and have the software to make the chart for you). You could probably just have one printed and put on foam board for you at a local print shop. The catch with the chart is it would be more difficult to accommodate last minute changes, I think.

 

[Haven]

We''re doing one per person.

The only issue I''ve heard of with doing them per couple or family was from a magazine that listed the guests'' top complaints about weddings. One woman wrote that she resented it when people do one card per couple because it draws attention to the fact that the singles are there alone. I''m not sure that''s a valid reason to choose to do them individually, it''s just something I read in a glossy.