Are Table Numbers Necessary?

For all of you that came here wanting the quick answer here it is: Yes, table numbers are necessary to have at your wedding! Now let’s get into the reasoning.

I know a lot of people now (particularly with the huge DIY wedding craze) tend to gloss over the table numbers, especially if there is no seating chart. But even without a seating chart it’s still important to include table numbers in your wedding decor list!

Table numbers help organize your wedding and make your vendors’ jobs so much easier, which in turn makes your guests’ experience a great one at your wedding! The main reason for having table numbers is so that your DJ/coordinator can release tables by number for dinner. If you’re having a dinner buffet and you make an announcement that dinner is ready every single one of your guests is going to rush up to that table, make a huge line, and then be upset when they have to wait forever in that line for food. With table numbers your DJ can make an announcement and release 2-5 tables at a time so that there is no line and guests have a more pleasant experience. Alternatively, if you’re including a sit down meal at your wedding the table numbers will help the waiters serve all the guests quickly as well as acting as a handy way to remember which table needed more water and which table wanted salt and pepper.

So that’s the big reason you need table numbers, but another reason is because they can be personalized to you and your spouse and be just one more thing that makes your guests realize how much love and attention and care you put into planning your wedding! They don’t have to be extravagant or expensive. I was at a wedding where the groom was a big golfer and their table numbers were just pieces of paper in a card holder but they had the golf course map printed on them along with the number and it was a huge talking point and was very personalized to the couple!

Photo by Ashley Gillen Photography

So tablet numbers are not an absolute necessity at your wedding, but they can be a very helpful and personalized touch to your big day!