Wedding Sign Ideas: The Signs You Need and What to Write
Wedding signs do three jobs at once: they tell guests where to go, they set the tone before anyone has said a word, and they end up in a surprising number of photographs. Most weddings need fewer signs than the lists online suggest. This guide goes through the signs couples use most, place by place, with wording you can adapt and a note on which ones suit fabric.
1. At the entrance
The welcome sign
If you have only one sign, make it this one. It greets guests as they arrive and confirms they are in the right place. Three or four lines are enough:
- "Welcome to the wedding of Anna & Theo, June 14, 2027"
- "Together with their families, Anna & Theo welcome you"
- "Anna & Theo are getting married. Welcome"
Our welcome sign guide covers sizes and timing, and fabric, acrylic or wood compares the materials.
An unplugged ceremony sign
If you would rather guests watch the ceremony than film it, say so kindly at the door:
- "Welcome to our unplugged ceremony. Please put phones away; our photographer has it covered"
- "We would love you to be fully here with us. Phones off until the kiss, please"
An order of the day
Useful when the ceremony, drinks and dinner happen in different places. Keep it to times and places: "4:00 ceremony, 5:00 drinks on the terrace, 7:00 dinner".
2. At the ceremony
Reserved seats
Front-row seats for parents and grandparents are easier to protect with a marker on the chair than with a sign at the aisle. A chair sash works well because it stays with the seat. Ours are 2 m long, in frayed canvas 10 cm wide or satin 4–6 cm wide, and they are printed with the words you choose:
- "Reserved"
- "Reserved for family"
- "Mother of the bride", "Grandpa Joe", or simply a name
A memorial sign
A reserved chair or a small sign for someone who cannot be there is one of the most meaningful signs at a wedding. Our in loving memory guide has wording ideas and placement.
Open seating
If guests can sit on either side, a small sign saves the question at the door:
- "Sit anywhere. Both families become one today"
- "No sides today. Please find a seat you love"
3. At the reception
Seating chart
You need one if seats are assigned. List guests alphabetically by surname rather than by table; people find their name faster. If your favors carry each guest's name, like our engraved walnut napkin rings, they can also mark each place at the table.
Bar menu and signature drinks
Name one or two drinks after the two of you or a place that matters to you, and list what is in each. Keep prices off unless it is a cash bar.
Cards, gifts and the guest book
Short and practical: "Cards & gifts", "Please sign our guest book", "Leave us a note for our first anniversary".
The sweetheart or head table
A table runner printed with your names turns the table itself into a sign, and it appears in every photograph taken at dinner. Our personalized table runners come in several sizes, depending on the design; wedding table styling explains how to measure for one.
4. Before and after the wedding
The events around the wedding have signs of their own: a welcome sign for the bridal shower, a banner for the bachelorette weekend, a "pop the champagne" banner for the toast. These tend to be more playful, and they are good places for a nickname or an inside joke. See our bridal shower and bachelorette banners.
How many signs do you actually need?
For most weddings, the essentials are short:
- A welcome sign.
- A seating chart, if seats are assigned.
- Reserved markers for the front row.
Everything else is optional. A bar menu, an unplugged sign or a memorial sign earns its place when it answers a real question or means something to you. Five good signs look better than twelve rushed ones.
Keep the wording consistent
- One style. Use the same fonts and print color on every sign, so they read as a set.
- One way of writing your names. Decide on "Anna & Theo" or "Anna and Theo" and keep it everywhere.
- One date format. "June 14, 2027" and "06.14.2027" both work; mixing them looks unplanned.
- Fewer words. Guests read signs while walking. If a line can go, let it go.
Which signs suit fabric
Fabric is at its best on signs that hang or drape: the welcome sign, a backdrop, reserved chair sashes, a memorial chair banner and the table runner. It is light, it can be large, and it folds away afterwards. Small tabletop signs such as table numbers or a bar menu are usually easier as printed cards in frames or on acrylic, because they need to stand on their own.
Our ceremony pieces are made to order. Your first digital proof is usually sent within 1–2 business days, with unlimited revisions before you approve it. Production takes 5–7 business days after approval, and orders ship from Houston, Texas, typically arriving 5–9 business days after dispatch. We recommend ordering at least 3–4 weeks before the wedding.
