How to Make Wedding Place Cards (Printable, Step by Step)

A place card does one small job perfectly: it sits at the seat and tells one guest "this chair is yours." Here's how to get the style, wording, and sizing right — and how to generate all 150 of them from your guest list in one pass.

What place cards actually do (and don't)

Place cards mark the exact chair — one card per person, at each setting. They are not the entrance card that tells guests which table to find; that's an escort card, and the two get mixed up constantly. Deciding between the systems? Read escort cards vs place cards first. This guide assumes you want seat-level assignments — usually a plated dinner where the caterer needs meal choices matched to chairs.

Flat vs tent style

Two standard formats, and the choice is mostly practical:

• Tent cards fold in half and stand on their own — the safe default: visible across the table, no holder required, and you can print the name on both faces.
• Flat cards lie on the napkin, lean against glassware, or slip into a holder. They photograph beautifully but disappear once guests are milling, so anchor them with a charger plate or menu card.

Outdoors, tent cards plus a dab of museum putty beat flat cards, which become confetti in one gust.

Wording and etiquette

Keep it consistent across every card:

• Formal weddings: title plus full name — "Mr. Daniel Rivera," "Dr. Amara Okafor." Use "Ms." unless a guest prefers otherwise, and honor professional and military titles.
• Casual weddings: first and last name, no titles. First-name-only works only if no two guests share a first name.
• Couples: at the seat, everyone gets their own card, because a place card marks one chair. A shared card per couple belongs at the entrance, on escort cards only.
• Kids: first names are fine, and children love having their own grown-up card.

Adding the table number to each card? Write "Table 7," not just "7."

Size and readability

The US standard is a 3.5 × 2 inch card — tent versions print at 3.5 × 4 inches and fold in half. The name has to carry from arm's length, so aim for roughly 24pt or larger and save the script font for a flourish, not the whole name. Quick test: print one card and read it standing up — if you squint, your grandmother will too. Contrast beats color: dark ink on a light card survives dim reception lighting; pale gold-look text on white does not.

Bulk-generate the cards from your guest list

The slow way is typing 150 names into a template one at a time — and retyping when RSVPs change. The fast way:

1. Pick a place-card template in the builder and set fonts and colors once. Each card can carry a QR code too.
2. Open Attendees and paste your guest list or import the CSV from your RSVP spreadsheet.
3. Generate — one personalized card per guest, each with its own QR code if you've added one, all styled identically.

Everything runs in your browser, and your guest list stays there — nothing is stored on a server.

Print many per page, with cut lines

At 3.5 × 2 inches you can fit eight to ten cards on a letter sheet — the difference between 4 pages of cardstock and 40. The Design Studio's multi-up grid tiles your cards across the page and adds cut lines, and the print dialog handles paper size and orientation. Use 80–100 lb cardstock (regular paper tents collapse), cut with a paper trimmer rather than scissors, and score tent folds with a butter knife and ruler for a crisp crease.

Match them to the seating chart

Place cards are the last link in a chain that starts with the seating chart: the chart assigns tables, escort cards or a poster announce them, and place cards mark the chairs. Generate all three from the same guest list so a late name change propagates everywhere — maintaining three separate lists is the fastest route to a wrong-name card.

When you can skip place cards entirely

Honestly: often. If dinner is buffet or family-style and you're assigning tables rather than seats, a seating chart poster or escort cards cover it, and guests pick their own chairs happily. Save place cards for plated meals with seat-level meal mapping, head tables, or any table where you're deliberately separating two people who shouldn't share elbows.

FAQ

What size should wedding place cards be?

The standard tent card is 3.5 × 2 inches folded (printed at 3.5 × 4 inches); flat cards use the same footprint. Keep names at roughly 24pt or larger to read at arm's length.

Do couples share one place card or get two?

Each person gets their own card — a place card marks one chair. A couple shares a single escort card at the entrance, because that card only announces their table.

Can I make wedding place cards for free?

Building and previewing everything is free, and your guest list stays in your browser. Downloading the print files uses tokens: 3 free at signup, one-time packs from $9 for 50. No subscription.