You’ve set the table, you’ve got the food cooking (or the delivery driver is on his way…), your Lavender & May Spotify playlist is on. What’s left? Place cards! You’ve put thought into who was on your guestlist, so why not also put some thought into how you mix them up? Here’s our top tips on why (and how) to use place cards at your next dinner party:

• Placecards are so welcoming, they’re a really personal touch and make your guests feel special (even if it’s only pizza express and games night!)
• It doesn’t have to be professional to be perfect!  Grab a decent pen, and scribble away.   Don’t overthink it.
• Place cards take the uncertainty out of where to sit, and create the perfect opportunity to mix up guests who don’t know each other very well. Even when hosting the best of friends, switching around the usual suspects can make the conversation more lively.
• Mix up couples, but keep genders equally distributed throughout the table.
• And most importantly, placecards help everyone avoid that awkward guessing game of where to sit, which means you’ll be free to focus on more important issues (like pouring the wine)