Tablescaping DIY; Place Card Holders, What, Where, and When

Everything you need to know about place card holders

Place card holders are a great way to add a personal touch to your dining event. They can also be used to help direct your guests to their seats. Here is a guide on how to create and use place cards for your next dining event and where you can find them.

Tips on setting up the table for a dinner party with place cards

Start by designating one end of the table as the head of the table. This is where your guests will sit who are hosting the party. Next, determine where each guest will sit. If you have an even number of guests, simply put them in pairs and alternate their placement around the table. For more information about this Valentine’s Day place card holder and this Valentine’s Day tablescape please click here.

If you have an odd number of guests, place the extra person at the head of the table. Once you’ve determined where each guest will sit, it’s time to start setting up the place cards. More information about this stacked dice place card holder and this Playing Card Tablescape here.

While you are looking for place card holders keep in mind that whatever you find can sometimes be painted another color if needed. This metal pine tree place card holder was black when I bought it but Hubby painted it forest green for me. More information about this pine tree place card holder and this Winter Pine Trees tablescape here.

If you’re making your own place cards, print out each guest's name on a small card and then attach it to the front of their respective place card holder. More information about this Black Widow Spider place card holder and this Black Widow Spider tablescape here.

Alternately, if you’re using pre-made place cards, all you need to do is take out each card and set it in front of its corresponding seat at the table.

Place card holders provide formality and personalization

At a dinner party, guests are typically assigned seats according to their relationship to the host. This practice helps create a sense of formality and order at the table. It also ensures that everyone has an opportunity to converse with one another. Placing guests in assigned seats also allows the host to control the conversation by seating people who they want to talk to together. The easiest way to nudge your guests to sit where you want them is to literally put their names on the table. A simple gold place card holder is a good addition to your tablescaping collection. Read more about this place card holder and Old Country Rose Tablescape here.

From formal wedding to personal

To take the edge off of getting forced to sit in your assigned seat, I love the idea of making place card holders into favors. Although I don't often do this for the tablescapes I post on my blog (since I like to reuse my place card holders). Making place cards into favors is a great way to show your guests how much you appreciate them coming to your house. You can either make simple place card holders out of materials like paper or metal, or get creative and make something more elaborate like a miniature photo album or bookmark. At the last wedding I attended the wedding place cards were all custom chocolates that each guest could take to remember the big day. Sometimes themed party favor boxes can be used as place card holders to help carry out your theme. This simple decorated box can be written on or a place card can be leaned against it. More information about this place card holder and this 4th of July Celebration Tablescape here.

How to find place card holders

There are many different ways to make or find place card holders for your next event. Here are a few ideas to get you started. This palm trees place card holder is actually a group of two small plastic trees that I purchased online from a party supply site. I am constantly looking for small items that I can use as place card holders even though they weren’t made for that function. Also when I have a theme in mind I do a google search for the theme and the word place card holder and often something pops up that I can use. If you're looking for something elaborate, you can find creative place card holders online or in specialty stores. Some popular places to find these holders include wedding stores online, craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s, and online retailers like Etsy and Ebay. I love looking for vintage place card holders because they are so unique. For more information about this place card holder and this Palm Trees Summer Tablescape, please click here.

A simple clear crystal glass place card holder is a great addition to your place card holder collection. I like them because they pick up the color of the tablecloth when you don’t have a place card holder that is the right color. This was a special Waterford Crystal St. Patrick’s Day Tablescape that I created. More information about this place card holder and that tablescape here.

This crystal box place card holder can also be used as the base for a small item to sit on. More information about this small Santa that I used as a place card holder and this Santa on a Christmas Tablescape that it was a part of here.

Write-On place card holders are available and can easily be reused over and over. More information about this write-on pumpkin place card holder and this Pumpkins on a Fall Tablescape here.

I found these colorful butterflies online. They are not really place card holders but they have wires on the back that I bent into a stand for them. I knew the place card would slide in front of the antennae. More information about these butterfly place card holders and this Butterflies on a Spring Tablescape here.

These plastic black cat place card holders are magnetic. Such a clever design, it looks like they just cut a small plastic cat in half and glued a magnet to each side. More information about this black cat place card holder and this Black Cat Halloween tablescape here.

There are so many wonderful place card holders available for your tablescapes and they can add so much to the illustration of your table theme. This music stand place card holder is one of my favorites. More information about it and this Musical Tablescape here.

To see over 260 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my new Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas Facebook group for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas or click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2553689988183392

If you live in Southern California join our Facebook tablescaping group Southern California Tablescapers BTS Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 We are planning a gathering for tablescapers in January in the Los Angeles area..

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks.

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week, please check back!