Wait...What's an Escort Card

I know everyone is familiar with the sight, outside the entrance to the reception, of a rather snazzily or not so snazzily dressed easel or table upon which is precariously perched a seating chart. The mission... should you choose to accept it... is to scan the chart, as quickly as possible, without knocking over the chart or any of the other guests, find your name and your name only, the table assigned to you and perhaps for the single ladies (and gents!) figure out if tall, dark and whoa!! is sitting next to you. Wink! Wink! Nudge.

Now that you have accepted your mission... quick, commit it to memory! Cuz, the moment you step two feet away from the chart it will feel as though it self detonates, taking the knowledge of where the heck you're sitting at up in a haze of smoke and paper bits. No, not really...but feels like that doesn't it?

Which is where escort cards or seating cards come in.

Escort cards ( not to be confused with place cards as they are NOT the same thing - place cards are the handy dandy tented ones placed at each guests assigned seat), are traditionally small cards placed inside an envelope (yes, an envelope). The envelopes have your guests names written on the outside. Inside, is a flat card with the guests assigned table number written on it. Escort cards serve the same purpose as a seating chart, only smaller and with the handy dandy feature of being less likely to succumb to self detonation and quite a breeze to rearrange to accommodate last minute seating changes!

Most brides will opt to skip the envelope and choose to display the cards as creatively as possible. Look on for some super cute options!

photos: 1 - Escort cards featured in Style Me Pretty photographed by  Pure7studios ; 2 - Lanterns photographed by  Jasmine Star;  3- cookie escort cards via Merriment Events ; 4 - Match box escort/favor cards via Martha Stewart; 5 - Skeleton Keys escort cards via Emmaline Bride