Do you put full names on wedding place cards?

For a formal wedding, use full names — first name and surname — on the place card so guests who do not know each other can introduce themselves. For a relaxed or family-heavy wedding, first names only reads warmer. The one rule: be consistent across every setting, and never mix titles on some cards and not others.

How do you write names on wedding place cards?

Write the name exactly as the guest introduces themselves, not as it appears on the RSVP envelope. Use "Dr", "Rev" or military titles where they matter to the guest, drop "Mr/Mrs" unless your wedding is black tie, and check the spelling of every name twice — a misspelt place card is the one detail people remember.

Can a coaster be used as a wedding place card?

Yes, and it is one of the neatest tricks in wedding stationery: the coaster sits at the place setting with the guest's name printed on it, holds their glass through the meal, and goes home in a pocket as the favour. One item, two jobs, one budget line instead of two.

How much do coaster place cards cost per guest?

Personalised cork coasters land at roughly £2.50–£3.10 each in wedding quantities. Printed card place cards are typically £0.80–£1.50 each and a separate favour is £2–£4 — so combining the two into one coaster usually costs about the same or less overall.

How far in advance do I need the names finalised?

Because every coaster is individually named, we need the final guest list four weeks before the wedding. Late RSVPs are the usual culprit, so we always print a small stack of blank-name spares you can hand-write on the day if someone drops in or out.

What if a guest cancels after printing?

Keep the coaster. Couples routinely post the unused ones out with a thank-you note afterwards, and the spares double as bar coasters for the evening reception.

Wedding stationery

Wedding place name cards that double as the favour

Place cards are the last job on the wedding stationery list and the first thing to end up on the floor. Printing each guest's name onto a cork coaster solves both problems at once: it marks the setting, it holds the glass, and it goes home in a pocket instead of a bin bag. Here's the wording etiquette, the quantities and the practical bits nobody tells you.

One item, two jobs

The place card and the favour become the same object. Fewer things to make, fewer things to carry to the venue, one fewer line on the budget spreadsheet.

Wording that works

Full names for formal, first names for relaxed — and the table number on the reverse so re-setting the room between courses takes minutes, not an hour.

Actually taken home

A card place card ends up under the table by dessert. A coaster with your name on it goes in a handbag. That is the whole argument in one sentence.

How to write names on wedding place cards

Pick one register and hold it across every single setting. Mixing "Mrs Patricia Hale" on one table with "Paddy" on the next is the sort of thing a guest notices and mentions. Four registers that work:

Formal / black tie

Dr Eleanor Whitcombe

Titles and surnames throughout. Consistent across every setting, no exceptions.

Traditional

Eleanor Whitcombe

Full names, no titles. The safest default for a mixed guest list.

Relaxed / family

Eleanor

First names only. Add surnames just where two guests share a first name.

Playful

Ellie — 'the one who taught Tom to surf'

A one-line descriptor under the name. Brilliant icebreaker; needs a proofread.

Two more rules worth following. Write the name the guest actually uses, not the one on the RSVP envelope — nobody wants to be "Margaret" for the only time in a decade. And proofread the list twice, out loud, with someone who knows the guests: a misspelt name on a keepsake lasts a lot longer than a misspelt name on a card.

Quantities: name every guest, then add spares

One named coaster per seated guest, plus 5–10% unnamed spares in the same design. The spares cover late RSVP changes, the guest who moves seats, and the bar during the evening. For a 100-guest wedding that's 100 named coasters and roughly 10 blanks — we print them together so the stock and finish match exactly.

Names need to be locked four weeks before the wedding. If two or three RSVPs are still outstanding at that point, print the confirmed list and hand-write the stragglers on blanks — it looks intentional, and it beats holding the whole run for one cousin.

What it costs versus doing both separately

Printed card place cards run £0.80–£1.50 a head, and a separate favour is usually £2–£4. Combining them into one personalised cork coaster sits at £2.50–£3.10 a head, plus a one-off artwork fee from £45. For 100 guests that's roughly £295–£355 all in, against £280–£550 for doing the two jobs separately — and one delivery to chase instead of two.

Laying them out on the table

Coaster flat on the charger plate, name facing the chair — the classic, and the easiest to photograph.
Coaster tucked into a folded napkin with a sprig of eucalyptus or rosemary across it.
Coaster to the right of the setting, glass already sitting on it, so it earns its keep from the first pour.
Table number printed on the reverse so the venue team can re-set and sort quickly.
Evening-only guests: a smaller unnamed stack on the bar in the same design.

Design ideas for named coasters

Guest name on the front, your monogram and wedding date on the back.
Guest name with the table name (Trebah, Kynance, Porthcurno) rather than a number.
A venue line-drawing behind the name, printed pale so the type stays legible.
A tiny illustration per guest — a dog, a surfboard, a pint — matched to the person.
Menu choice marked with a small discreet symbol in the corner for the waiting staff.

Keep the name as the loudest thing on the coaster. Everything else — monogram, venue sketch, date — works better printed pale behind it or moved to the reverse. A place card that takes a second glance to read is a place card doing its job badly.

Have your place cards made in Cornwall

We design and print individually named cork coasters from our Cornwall studio — digital proof before printing, two free rounds of revisions, minimum 54, UK-wide tracked delivery. Send us your guest list as a spreadsheet and we'll handle the rest.

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Place card questions, answered

Do you put full names on wedding place cards?: For a formal wedding, use full names — first name and surname — on the place card so guests who do not know each other can introduce themselves. For a relaxed or family-heavy wedding, first names only reads warmer. The one rule: be consistent across every setting, and never mix titles on some cards and not others.
How do you write names on wedding place cards?: Write the name exactly as the guest introduces themselves, not as it appears on the RSVP envelope. Use "Dr", "Rev" or military titles where they matter to the guest, drop "Mr/Mrs" unless your wedding is black tie, and check the spelling of every name twice — a misspelt place card is the one detail people remember.
Can a coaster be used as a wedding place card?: Yes, and it is one of the neatest tricks in wedding stationery: the coaster sits at the place setting with the guest's name printed on it, holds their glass through the meal, and goes home in a pocket as the favour. One item, two jobs, one budget line instead of two.
How much do coaster place cards cost per guest?: Personalised cork coasters land at roughly £2.50–£3.10 each in wedding quantities. Printed card place cards are typically £0.80–£1.50 each and a separate favour is £2–£4 — so combining the two into one coaster usually costs about the same or less overall.
How far in advance do I need the names finalised?: Because every coaster is individually named, we need the final guest list four weeks before the wedding. Late RSVPs are the usual culprit, so we always print a small stack of blank-name spares you can hand-write on the day if someone drops in or out.
What if a guest cancels after printing?: Keep the coaster. Couples routinely post the unused ones out with a thank-you note afterwards, and the spares double as bar coasters for the evening reception.