You’ve asked and we’ve answered! Welcome to your weekly column ‘Planning Your Happily Ever After’ with wedding consultant Shikima Hinds.

Small details are crucial in any wedding design. Wedding signage is one of the often forgotten yet important details to be considered. Your wedding ceremony and reception signs are some of the small details that will make the wedding more cohesive and elegant, even whilst adding some personality to your celebration. Regardless of the size of your wedding, your guests will need direction.

Think through the flow of the wedding day from the guests’ point of view. Your guests will be pulled in many different directions on the wedding day; however, proper wedding signage can do wonders in cutting down the number of queries you find yourself handling during the event.

Enter: cute, quirky, and personalised signs that share all the important information. These signs can also double as creative wedding décor if thoughtfully displayed.

What signs are needed for a wedding?

Everyone’s wedding is unique. So, what signs should you order? And how many do you need? Some simply welcome guests and other wedding signs help guide them in the right direction, but there are many other fun signage ideas.

Consider the various components of the wedding weekend and make a list of all the signs you think you’ll need before going into the design process. Here are the most popular signs:

Welcome signs

First impressions are everything! Ensure this sign really reflects what your guests can expect for the day. This usually is personalised with the couple’s name and wedding date. It’s a nice, heartfelt sentiment to start the event off by welcoming your guests to the venue with a beautiful sign.

Seating charts

Seating chart signs will help guests know which table they are sitting at during the reception. These seating charts are typically located close to the entrance of the wedding reception. I recommend making the sign large enough to catch your guests’ attention. Make it pretty, too, as this is often a statement piece.

Table number signs

Table numbers can really add to your centrepiece décor. Your table numbers will be used to help guests find their seats. Once they look at the seating chart, they will need to find their table with the corresponding number. These table numbers are essential for keeping things running smoothly.

Direction signs

It’s important to let your guests know where they need to go. Directional signage should have very clear instructions to point your guests in the right direction. Having signage pointing out where the bar, bathroom or dance floor are will come in very handy!

Table signs

This is where you can get really creative with small signs that don’t take up too much space on a table. These small signs have many uses and are ideal to request that attendees sign the guest book, instruct them where to put gifts and cards, label desserts on the tables, for your wedding #hashtag, and so much more. It’s time to let your imagination loose!

Menu and bar signs

These signs can let guests know the dining options available at the reception. Instead of printing out individual menus think about having one or two large menu signs. While it’s common to have menus placed on the reception tables, paper cards generally don’t include the beverage options available. Save your bartender from having to repeat the menu all evening by designing a fun and on-theme sign.

Unplugged ceremony sign

If you are having an unplugged ceremony, this is the perfect sign to accompany your welcome sign. This signs requests that your guests be fully present by putting away their phones.

Tips

Achieve a cohesive wedding look: Your signs don’t have to be “matchy-matchy” but you definitely want a cohesive look. I recommend that you try to achieve a professional balanced look across your wedding invitations, wedding signage, and save the date, and thank-you cards.

Plan ahead: Although signage is one of the final items you’ll handle on your wedding to-do list, it shouldn’t be overlooked because they need time to be produced.

Play with colour and texture: Have some fun with the design, but ensure you keep it legible. Don’t lean so far into a creative design that functionality suffers, and guests aren’t able to read the signs.

Many signs from your wedding can be repurposed as décor around your home to add a sentimental touch.

With wedding signs, you get beauty and function.