The Best Place Card Holder

Buying Guide

Place cards are popular for weddings, dinners, parties and other events where table and seat assignments matter. A place card will typically show the guest’s name alongside their place assignment. While some place cards come in a tented format that can stand up, a place card holder has a clip that makes it easy to hold and display any place card on a table. This accessory also suits outdoor settings where the wind could easily blow away loose cards.

You can find place card holders in many shapes and styles. Available in various heights, the most common ones are made of wire and feature a spiral base and a shaped clip on top to secure the card. More low-profile designs are short, made of metal or plastic and resemble thick clips with a weightier base. If you’d like something more unique, there are place card holders with bases that look like small wooden stumps or blocks for a nature theme.

Your event’s theme and the tables themselves can guide you on the type of place card holders to buy. For example, the wooden ones can suit a Thanksgiving dinner, while elegant wire holders that are gold or silver can work well for a wedding. If you plan to seat guests at small tables, going with low-profile clips might be a good option for saving space.

Make sure that the place card holders are sturdy enough and properly sized for your cards. Place cards most often come in a business card size for which manufacturers design the holders. So if you plan to use larger cards, make sure the clip can adequately support them. You’ll also want to choose holders with a height that suits the specific card size and table.

While many options just include the holders themselves, you’ll also come across sets with matching place cards. You might find this convenient if you didn’t already buy cards separately, and it may be a more economical option in some cases. However, you might prefer the flexibility of choosing your own place card style or having some made professionally.

• Review your guest list before you buy packs of place card holders so that you get enough. You might want to get an extra pack too in case you end up with some last-minute guests.
• Your budget can guide you on the right type of place card holders to buy. If you need enough for a very large wedding, you might go with something simple to avoid overextending your finances. On the other hand, you might feel more willing to splurge on fancier place card holders if you only need a few packs for a small dinner party. You can always divide the package’s cost by the number of holders to see how much you’d pay for each one.
• While the place cards displayed will help your guests find their place once they locate the table, still consider having a seating chart. Ideally, you’ll display this near the entrance so guests won’t miss it. When designing the seating chart, you can either list guests’ names by table or use alphabetical order. If you want, you can also have escort cards at the entrance to guide guests to their tables.
• Some manufacturers include a recommended place card size for their holders. If they don’t, you can get an idea if you look at the product images to see the types of cards shown in the holders.
• Make sure that you stick the place card securely in the holder’s clip.
• To avoid confusion, verify that you’ve put the place card holders at the right seats for each guest.
• Display the place card holders somewhere easy for guests to see, especially if there are other table decorations that get in the way. The text on the cards needs to be easy to read to help guests, so be careful with small text or fonts that make letters look confusing. You should also check for any spelling issues.
• You can also use place card holders to display photos or notes at an event or in your home. Restaurants may find them useful for holding small menus for diners. 
• If you have concerns about the place card holder getting bumped over easily or knocked down by the wind, look for something with a heavier base.