How to make escort cards
Escort cards do one job: send each guest to the right table without a bottleneck at the door. Here is how to make a whole set at home without hand-lettering a hundred names.
What goes on an escort card
An escort card carries two things and nothing more: the guest's name and their table. Keep it that simple, because a guest reads it in a second on the way in.
A couple sharing a table can share one card. Everyone else gets their own, so no one is left hunting for a name that is buried on someone else's card.
Sort the list before you print
Escort cards live at the entrance, so they have to be found fast. Sort them alphabetically by last name, the way a will-call window is arranged, and a guest spots theirs without reading the whole table.
Your table labels can be plain numbers or names. Either works, as long as the same label is on the escort card, the tent sign, and the chart.
Print, fold, and set them out
Use cardstock in the 65 to 110 lb cover range so a tent card stands up instead of flopping. Print the name on both faces so it reads whether a guest walks up from the left or the right.
Run one test sheet before you commit the whole stack. Then lay the finished cards out in strict A to Z order on the welcome table.
Seatwright does the sorting for you. Paste your list once and it lays out the escort cards alphabetically, eight tent cards to a US Letter sheet with cut and fold guides, so you skip typing each one.
Related reading
Escort cards vs place cards
Two little cards, endlessly mixed up. They do different jobs, and knowing which is which saves you from printing the wrong thing.
How to make place cards at home
You do not need a calligrapher or a craft store run. A home printer, a stack of cardstock, and a straight edge will get you a full set of place cards in an afternoon.
How to word place cards
A place card only has room for a little, so the wording matters. The goal is simple: every guest finds their name fast and no one feels slighted.
Keep going
Escort cards
Escort cards tell each guest which table to find. Seatwright sorts your whole list A to Z and lays it out as tent cards, so the entrance table stays easy to scan.
Seating chart
One poster by the door lets everyone find their seat at a glance. Seatwright lays out your whole list alphabetically with each guest's table beside the name.
Wedding
The seating took weeks. The paper should take an afternoon. Paste your final list and Seatwright lays out the whole day-of set at once.
Charity gala
Sponsors up front, donors by table, everyone seated on purpose. Paste the list and print a polished set of cards.
Questions
What is the difference between an escort card and a place card?
An escort card sends a guest to a table and is sorted alphabetically at the entrance. A place card marks one specific seat and is grouped by table when you set up. Many events use escort cards alone; a plated dinner often uses both.
How do you display escort cards?
Lay them out in strict alphabetical order by last name on a table near the entrance, so every guest can find their own at a glance. Keeping them in order is more important than any decoration.
Do you need escort cards and a seating chart?
No. Both point guests to a table, so most events pick one. A large entrance can use both, but a single chart poster or a set of escort cards is usually enough on its own.
Paste your list, see it laid out
When the plan is done, Seatwright turns your guest list into the whole day-of paper set in one pass.
Start freeFree to preview. One payment per event to print.