Wedding Ceremony Signs: Which You Need and Where Each One Goes

Guests reach the ceremony with three questions: am I in the right place, where do I sit, and what happens next. Every ceremony sign worth making answers one of them. The rest is decoration, and the ceremony already has your florals, your backdrop and the two of you for that.

What signs do you need for a wedding ceremony?

Start with the welcome sign, then add only what your ceremony calls for.

Sign	You need it when	Where it goes	Our size	From
Welcome sign	Always	Where guests first arrive	24x36 on a floor easel	$125 (18x24)
Reserved signs	You're saving rows for family	Aisle seat of each saved row	4x6 or 5x7	$10
Unplugged sign	You'd like phones away until you're married	Start of the aisle	18x24	$125
Open seating sign	Guests can sit on either side	Start of the aisle	18x24	$125
Order of events sign	Guests move between spaces, or you're skipping paper programs	Ceremony entrance or cocktail hour	24x30	$175
In loving memory sign	You're honoring someone who has passed	A saved seat, or a small table	18x35 linen or 8x10 acrylic	$95 / $40

Our verdict: a welcome sign and reserved signs cover a small ceremony. Add the unplugged or open seating sign whenever you have that request to make, at any guest count, at the start of the aisle so guests read it before they choose a seat. Outdoors or past about 150 guests, size it up to 24x30.

Choose the welcome sign first. Every sign in Haven, Capri, Claire and Quinn shares its collection's lettering, so the welcome sign, the aisle sign and the reception pieces read as one set.

Where should each ceremony sign go?

Follow the path your guests walk, in order. Each sign should meet them at the moment they need it, never after.

1. The ceremony entrance. The welcome sign, on a floor easel at standing eye level, with room on both sides so guests can pass while others stop for a photo.
2. The start of the aisle. The unplugged sign or the open seating sign, before anyone sits. Give it its own spot a few steps past the welcome sign, so the two don't read as one sign.
3. The front rows. One reserved sign on the aisle seat of each saved row. Two rows on each side means 4 signs. Our guide to reserved and memorial signs covers who sits where.
4. A saved seat. A linen in loving memory sign draped over the chair, in the front row.

Outdoors, put each easel where guests walk but the wind doesn't: against a hedge, a wall or the edge of the seating, and weigh down the legs.

What should a "choose a seat, not a side" sign say?

A short line that tells guests the sides are open and welcomes both families at once. Two or three lines read in the time it takes to walk past.

Warm and simple

• Choose a seat, not a side. We're all family today.
• Today two families become one. Please sit anywhere.
• No sides today. Find a seat and settle in.

A little more formal

• Please choose a seat, not a side. You are all here because you are loved by us both.
• Two families, one celebration. Kindly be seated on either side.

Light and modern

• Pick a seat, not a side. Either way, you're with us.
• Sit anywhere. You're with the right people.

If the first rows are saved for family, the reserved signs carry that, so the open seating sign never has to. Our custom quote signs take any wording you choose, in 18x24, 24x30, 24x36 or 24x47 acrylic, and you can send the final line about 4 weeks before the wedding.

Do you need a program sign or an order of events sign?

You need one or the other when guests would otherwise wonder what comes next. A paper program does that at each seat; a single sign does it at the entrance, for everyone, and it stays in the photos.

Choose by what guests need to know:

	Order of events sign	Ceremony program
What it lists	The whole day, with times	The ceremony itself: processional, readings, vows
Best for	Ceremony and reception in different spaces; a long gap before dinner	A longer ceremony with readings or cultural traditions guests may not know
Lines	4 to 6	6 to 10, plus the wedding party
Size we'd recommend	24x30	24x36 sign, or paper at each seat

An order of events sign reads best with one line per moment and the times aligned: Ceremony 4:00, Cocktail hour 4:30, Dinner 6:00, First dance 7:30, Send-off 10:30. Our wedding timeline signs are made for exactly that, from $125 at 18x24, and we'd recommend 24x30 ($175) so five or six lines stay easy to read from a few steps away. A full ceremony program works as a sign too: a custom quote sign can carry the wedding party's names and the order of the ceremony, and at 24x36 ($225) ten or more lines still read comfortably.

What size should ceremony signs be?

Size each sign by how far away guests read it, and whether it stands on the floor or a table.

Sign	Size we'd recommend	Material	Price
Welcome sign	24x36 acrylic on a floor easel; 18x24 on a tabletop easel; 24x71 linen on a hanging stand	Acrylic or linen	$225 (24x36 acrylic); linen from $155
Unplugged or open seating sign	18x24; 24x30 outdoors or past about 150 guests	Acrylic	$125 / $175
Order of events sign	24x30	Acrylic	$175
Reserved signs	4x6 or 5x7, standing on the aisle seat	Acrylic, with a clear stand	$10 / $20
In loving memory	18x35 linen on a chair; 8x10 acrylic on a table	Linen or acrylic	$95 / $40

Acrylic signs larger than 11x14 don't include a stand, so plan an easel or box stand for each floor sign; our Wedding Sign Stands page shows the ones we use. Linen hangs from a frame, a stand or an arbor rather than an easel. The background, whether clear, frosted, mirror, black, white or one of 19 hand-painted colors, doesn't change the price on these signs.

Can the ceremony signs move to the reception?

Yes, and the welcome sign almost always should. It greets guests at the ceremony, then stands at the reception entrance by the time cocktail hour ends. The unplugged and open seating signs stay behind; their job ends when you walk back up the aisle.

Two ways to make the move simpler:

• Use a double sign. Our double welcome sign is two acrylic panels, a 24x47 and a 24x36, for $495. One panel can stand at the ceremony and the other at the reception, or both together as one large entrance piece. No stand is included, and it comes with a free proof.
• Start from a bundle. Our Signature and Complete wedding sign bundles each include a ceremony sign (24x30 acrylic or 18x51 linen) alongside the welcome sign, in the same collection, with proofs and shipping included.

Hand your coordinator a one-line note for each sign that moves: what it is, where it goes next, and who carries it. For the signs that belong at the reception itself, see our guide to reception signs.

Frequently asked questions

What signs do you need for a wedding ceremony?

A welcome sign where guests arrive, and reserved signs on the front rows if you're saving seats for family. Add an unplugged sign or an open seating sign at the start of the aisle, an order of events sign, or an in loving memory sign when your ceremony calls for one.

Where does the welcome sign go at a wedding ceremony?

At the ceremony entrance, where every guest first arrives, on a floor easel at standing eye level. After the ceremony, move it to the reception entrance.

What does a "choose a seat, not a side" sign mean?

It tells guests the ceremony has open seating, so they can sit on either side of the aisle rather than the bride's or groom's side. Place it at the start of the aisle, before guests choose a seat.

Do you need a program at a wedding ceremony?

Not always. An order of events sign at the entrance tells every guest what happens next, with times. For a longer ceremony with readings or traditions guests may not know, a program sign at the entrance or paper programs at each seat can list the wedding party and each part of the ceremony.

What size should a ceremony sign be?

24x36 inches for a welcome sign on a floor easel, 18x24 for an unplugged or open seating sign at the aisle, 24x30 for an order of events sign, and 4x6 or 5x7 for reserved signs on the seats.

Choose your welcome sign first, and the ceremony signs in the same lettering. Order whenever you're ready and send the wording when it's final.