Martha Stewart Weddings

Outdoor Escort Cards That Won't Fly Away

By Emily Platt
March 15, 2012
Credit: Justin Tearney

Give guests direction without worrying about the elements, all thanks to these creative seating charts and displays.

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Credit: Justin Tearney

Escort cards (or their alternatives, seating charts) are basically wedding necessities, unless you aren't giving your guests table assignments. They guide celebrants to their designated spots, which helps the reception run smoothly. But if your event is being held outdoors, they might not feel as easy to incorporate as they would be for an indoor affair. When potential weather issues—including wind and rain—are involved, choosing the right seating display gets even trickier. Don't let nightmares of blown-away, soggy, or otherwise ruined paper goods get you down, though. With the help of these ideas, you can marry outside and still direct everyone to their seats with ease.

As you're planning your seating cards, keep materials in mind—most of the following examples don't actually involve stationery. Instead, it's smart to work with something hardier, be it wood, stone, leather, acrylic, or another weighty material. Bonus points if its waterproof, too! If you really love the look of paper, however, you can work around the elements in other ways. Try securing your escort items with pins, clips, paperweights, or the likes. To see those ideas (and more) in action, turn to the slides ahead for inspiration.

No matter your wedding's formality and theme, there's an outdoor seating display for your affair. The following parties varied greatly, but they all involved unique and beautiful escort cards or charts. With their help, you'll have no trouble brainstorming an option for your al fresco celebration, and your attendees won't have any trouble finding their places, either.

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Acrylic Display

Credit: Birds of a Feather
Get More Acrylic Wedding Ideas

If you and your partner have serious wanderlust, consider luggage tags instead of traditional escort cards. They're meant to be durable, and they'll contribute to a travel theme. These acrylic examples were thought up by Lady Liberty Events.

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Beach Balls

Credit: KT Merry

If your venue has a pool, pull a page from this couple's book and turn beach balls into unique escort "cards." Laura Hooper calligraphed these, and synchronized swimmers fetched them for guests!

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Fruit

Credit: Paige Jones Photography

Tuck cards into produce for an organic display that'll keep the paper goods down. This cheerful setup featured calligraphed stationery by Joya Rose.

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Boutonnières

Credit: Gretchen Gause

Elise Events, Bluejaye Papers and Press, and Mindy Liu teamed up to make this escort wall. Seating cards were hung using clips and attached to floral accessories for each celebrant.

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Horseshoes

Credit: N Barrett Photography
Get More Hobby-Inspired Wedding Ideas

We like this look for a ranch wedding (or for any couple whose hobby is horseback riding). Alli K Design created the stationery shown here.

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Seashells

Credit: Harwell Photography
Get More Beach Wedding Ideas

Seaside brides and grooms can't go wrong with nautical seashell seating "cards." Eva Clarke Events dreamt up these oyster ones, which featured names and table numbers written in metallic. 

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Sealed Cards

Credit: Jasmine Lee Photography

Even something as simple as the addition of your wax seal can keep paper cards down. Charmed Events Group and Chatham & Caron worked together on this seating display.

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Macramé Display

Credit: Jillian Mitchell Photography
Get More Leaf Wedding Ideas

This casual-cool idea by Nicoella involved leaf-inspired escort cards attached to hanging fabric to achieve a tropical vibe.

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Cards on Sticks

Credit: Kelly Brown Photography

By putting your paper goods on sticks like these, you can rest assured that they'll stay standing. Duet Weddings, Amber Moon Design, and Anne Robin Calligraphy collaborated on this whimsical animal display.

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Leather Tags

Credit: Michael Radford

Leather tags paired with colorful tassels made up this chic seating display. Sophia Loves Letters provided the calligraphy for the keepsakes.

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Wood Display

Credit: Rachel Solomon

Cut little grooves into logs of wood for rustic reception décor. Outstanding Occasions planned this example; the stationery was by Foil & Ink.

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Foil Cards

Credit: The Edges Wedding Photography
Get More Gold Foil Wedding Ideas

Depending on the variety, foil can be weightier than regular paper. Plus, it's stunning! Underwood Letterpress and A Savvy Event designed this seating display.

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Arrows

Credit: Amber Gress

It was hard for anything (besides the guests!) to dislodge these Designs by Ahn escort arrows, which were stuck to a target for a camp-themed wedding.

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Photos

Credit: Adam Barnes

These strips were actually photos from the bride and groom's engagement shoot, with celebrants' names and table assignments written on by Ivory Plum Lettering.

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Kite Display

Credit: Kristina Lee Photography

Wind will only play up the theme of kite-inspired escort displays like these ones planned by Wife of the Party.

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Keepsake Boxes

Credit: Stefano Santucci

These wooden boxes were filled with herbs and escort stones calligraphed by Julie Song. The creative items doubled as favors.

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Wall Display

Credit: Meiwen Wang Photography

For this Amorology event, house-shaped glass décor was arranged on shelves for the seating display. Each item had guests' seating assignments written on them—the creative idea represented the community feel that the couple craved.

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Tiles

Credit: Elizabeth Messina Photography
See More Calligraphed Escort Cards

Bash Please planned these marble escort tiles, featuring gold calligraphy. Something this solid will withstand any weather.

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Table Display

Credit: Jose Villa

This wedding featured plaid escort cards (calligraphed by Curlicue Designs) that were ingeniously placed between the planks of a wooden table to keep them stable.

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Bottles

Credit: Wild Whim Design & Photography

La Bohéme Events used bottles as escort cards for this fun seating wall.

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Pinned Cards

Credit: Jodi & Kurt Photography

Utilize common supplies like pushpins to keep even the lightest of paper goods secure. That's what this couple did for their Revolution escort wall.

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Card Catalog

Credit: Mademoiselle Fiona

Draw inspiration from your local library and file your seating assignments into retro cabinets.

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Lawn Flamingos

Credit: Katie Stoops Photography

How kitschy-cute was this lawn décor (planned by Bash Please), which directed guests to their seats?

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Keys

Credit: Amy & Jordan

Give attendees the literal key to their seats—the items are heavy enough to hang without worry. The bride at this celebration made the escort display herself.

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