Wedding signs: every sign you need, and what to write on them

Wedding signs do two jobs. They tell guests where to go and what to do, so nobody has to ask, and they carry the look of the day from the invitations through to the dance floor. You don't need many: a welcome sign, an order of the day, a table plan, something on each table, and a sign wherever you'd otherwise have to explain something. This guide lists every sign worth having, what to write on it, how big to make it and which ones you can print for free.

The signs most weddings use

Walk through the day in order and you'll see where a sign earns its place.

Most couples end up with eight to twelve of these. Start with the welcome sign, the order of the day, the table plan and the table cards; add the rest where your venue or your plans need them.

What to write on each one

Short, in your own voice, and consistent: pick one style of wording and keep it across every sign.

Welcome sign. Your first names and the date are enough. "Welcome to the wedding of Sarah and Tom, 14 June 2027." A line underneath is optional: "Thank you for being here."

Order of the day. Times on the left, events on the right, in the order they happen: "2pm Ceremony · 3pm Drinks and canapés · 5pm Wedding breakfast · 7pm Speeches · 8pm First dance · 11.30pm Carriages." Leave off anything that might slip; a sign that says 7pm for speeches that start at 7.40 only reminds people they're waiting.

Unplugged ceremony sign. Kind, not bossy: "We've hired a photographer so you don't have to be one. Please keep phones and cameras away during the ceremony and enjoy the moment with us. Afterwards, snap away." The unplugged wedding guide has more wording and the arguments for and against.

Table plan. Table names or numbers as headings, names underneath in alphabetical order within each table (or by table order). Print it large enough to read from a metre away in a crowd: guests arrive at the plan together.

Share your photos card. "Scan to add your photos and videos. Everything you share appears on the live wall, and helps us gather every treasured memory of the day," with the QR code, the live wall's address and, if you've set one, the PIN. This is the sign that gets you every guest's photos after the day, so it goes on every table, at the bar and by the guest book. The QR code guide covers how to make the code and how big to print it (at least 4 cm across).

Guest book sign. Say what the book is and what you'd like in it: "Please sign our guest book: leave us a memory, a wish or your best piece of advice." If guests can add a photo to their message, say so. The guest book ideas guide has options, and what to write in a wedding guest book has prompts you can print on cards.

Bar sign. Keep it to what guests need: what's included, when it opens and closes, and the signature drinks with a line about each.

Cards and gifts. "Your presence is our present. If you'd like to give a gift, cards can go in the box." If you have a gift list or a honeymoon fund, say where.

Send-off sign. The time and the place: "Sparkler send-off at 10.30pm by the front steps. Please pick up a sparkler and a lighter on your way out."

Sizes that work

• Welcome sign and order of the day: A1 (594 × 841 mm) or A2 (420 × 594 mm) on an easel, so they read from across the entrance. A2 is plenty for most venues.
• Table plan: A1 for more than about 80 guests, A2 below that. Names at 18 pt or larger.
• Unplugged sign, bar, cards and gifts, cake, favours, send-off: A4 (210 × 297 mm) or A3 (297 × 420 mm) in a frame or on a small easel.
• Table numbers and share-your-photos cards: A5 (148 × 210 mm) or A6 in a card holder, one per table.
• Guest book sign: A5 or A4 next to the book.

Test a sign by printing one page at home and propping it where it will stand. If you can't read it from where guests will be standing, go a size up.

Materials, and what to make yourself

Print at home or at a copy shop. Anything A4 or A5 on heavy card (250 to 300 gsm) looks fine in a frame or a holder, and it's the cheapest route by a long way. Welcome signs and table plans need a large-format printer, which copy shops and online printers offer as a poster or a mounted board.

Foam board or mounted print. The usual choice for the welcome sign and the table plan: light, stiff and easy to stand on an easel. It doesn't like rain.

Acrylic. Clear or frosted acrylic with vinyl or printed lettering looks modern and lasts as a keepsake. It needs a solid easel or a stand because it's heavy, and fingerprints show.

Wood. Painted or engraved wooden boards suit barns and rustic venues and can be reused afterwards as a house sign or a wall piece.

Chalkboard or mirror. Chalkboards are forgiving (you can rewrite them on the day); mirrors look striking but are heavy and fiddly to letter yourself.

Hire. Venues and stylists often hire easels, welcome boards and table plan frames, which can be cheaper than buying something you'll use once.

For a consistent look, use the same two fonts as your invitations (one display font for headings, one plain font for the detail) and the same colours. Mixing five fonts across ten signs is the quickest way to make a day look thrown together.

Free wedding sign printables

You can print these straight away; each one is a ready-made PDF:

• Share your photos table card (A5), with a space for your QR code.
• Unplugged ceremony sign (A4).
• Guest book sign (A4).
• Guest book prompt cards (A4, eight per sheet).
• Wedding photo scavenger hunt (two A5 cards on A4), for guests who like a mission.

The printable QR signs and templates guide shows each one, with printing tips and wording you can copy for the signs you make yourself. If your wedding has a DropSnaps event, the QR card comes ready made with your code and PIN on it: open the event, choose Share and print the card.

Where to put them

• Welcome sign: at the point guests arrive, before they reach the ceremony, with the order of the day beside it.
• Unplugged sign: at the entrance to the ceremony space or on the first row of seats, where everyone passes it.
• Table plan: between the drinks reception and the dining room, with room for a crowd in front of it.
• Share your photos cards: every table, the bar, by the guest book and near the dance floor. People pick up their phones at dinner, at the bar and when the dancing starts; that's when they scan.
• Guest book sign: on the guest book table, with pens.
• Send-off sign: by the exit, an hour before you need people outside.

Put the photo cards out before guests arrive and leave them until the end: the photos that matter most, the ones from the dance floor, are taken last.

A checklist to take to the printer

1. Welcome sign (A2, foam board or acrylic) plus an easel.
2. Order of the day (A2 or A3).
3. Unplugged ceremony sign (A4, free printable).
4. Table plan (A1 or A2) plus a frame or easel.
5. Table numbers or names (A5 or A6, one per table).
6. Share your photos cards (A5, one per table plus three or four spares).
7. Guest book sign (A4, free printable) and prompt cards.
8. Bar sign, cards and gifts, cake, favours, send-off (A4 or A3 as needed).
9. Card holders and small easels for everything A5 and smaller.
10. A spare of each small sign, and Blu Tack.

Print everything a week early so there's time to fix a typo, and give one person the job of putting the signs out on the morning.