Missing puzzle piece: found!

A while back, I posted about my hopes of doing a twist on the traditional escort cards.  I really wanted to make a grandiose seating chart, so our guests could just mosey on up to the chart, find their assigned table, and then continue enjoying cocktail hour without having to carry around a little seating card.  However, I was grappling with how to combine a central seating chart with entree choices - how do you inform the waitstaff of who ordered what in a timely, organized manner?

Thanks to a little pow-wow with our venue coordinator, that issue has been resolved!  Mr. Snow Cone, my parents, and I all scooted over to Sunnehanna to have a little tasting of our reception menu choices.  As we considered the logistics of the evening, we all came to the same conclusion - the entire evening would be a bit smoother and easier if guests' entree selections were limited to chicken or vegetarian.  The chicken dish was tasty enough to stand on its own, having a streamlined list of options would expedite the table service, and this plan allowed me to follow through with my seating chart plan!  Now, with only chicken and veggie entrees, all I have to do is let the coordinator know how many vegetarian entrees to deliver to which specific tables, as we're expecting the vast majority of guests to go with the chicken option.

One of my favorite parts of this idea is how many different directions you can go - you can keep it crisp and minimalist, using only names and table numbers, or you could incorporate one of your engagement pictures:

Image via Wedding Girl

Or a wedding theme:

Image via Kris Lee Creations

Or something really personalized, like having pictures of all of your guests with their assignments:

Image via Heidi Ryder Photography

I'm so excited to have this opportunity pretty much fall into our laps; what a great way to infuse some personalization into a detail that normally is so standardized and overlooked!

How are you displaying your seating arrangements?  Are you taking a traditional approach or mixing it up a bit?