Fall Wedding Seating Card Ideas

Seating cards, also known as escort cards, help guests find their places for a sit-down dinner reception. They also can be a fun way to carry out the theme of your wedding. Seating cards with a sense of style, whimsy and charm are a great way to welcome guests to your reception. Fall wedding seating cards can make use of all the rich, beautiful colors of autumn, as well as some of nature's most stunning seasonal attributes.

Colors and Materials

Nothing says fall like the rich hues of autumn leaves. Choose colors for your seating cards in warm browns, tans, golds, reds and oranges.

Seating cards can be made out of almost any material. In their most basic form, card stock is cut into simple, business-card size rectangles and printed with each guest's name and table number. Tented cards are also popular. Select colored paper and print in brown, instead of black ink, for a simple presentation.

For an extra burst of creativity, use things like silk leaves, textured paper and fabrics for seating cards. Use fabrics like gingham and plaid or natural paper as a backing for printed cards. Use a fabric pen to write names directly onto silk leaves, or use smaller leaves or stickers as embellishment on traditional cards. Tie fall-colored ribbon to any card for added interest.

Presentation

Sometimes, it's the presentation that matters more than the card itself. If you opt for more traditional seating cards, have them hanging by warm-hued ribbon, twine or raffia from a tree branch. For tent escort cards, line them up in rows using apples, leaves or fabric to divide the cards. Or, simply sprinkle fall leaves on the table where cards are displayed. If you're hosting an outdoor reception, cut seating cards in the shape of leaves and use clear thumb tacks to attach them to the trunk of a tree or a branch near your reception entrance.

Use fall fruits or foliage to display seating cards by attaching cards -- either with ribbons or a stick pin -- to the tops of apples, gourds, miniature pumpkins or pine cones.

Seating cards can also double as favors for your guests. Tie small tags with guests' names and table numbers to wrapped candied apples, small bags of leaf-shaped cookies or votive candles. Or, include seating information on custom-made labels attached to bottles of maple syrup or packages of spiced cider mix.