The most popular wedding table name ideas are places that matter to you as a couple (where you met, travelled or got engaged), favourite songs, films or books, flowers, and drinks. Whatever theme you pick, add the table number to the name card and your seating chart, for example "Table 4: Lisbon", so guests can still find their seat quickly.
Table names are a small detail that guests actually talk about. They start conversations ("why Lisbon?"), make the seating chart more personal and give your photographer something to capture. Here are over 100 ideas, grouped by theme.
Should you name your tables or number them?
Numbers are the easiest for guests to find. Names add personality. You can have both: name each table and keep the number on the card, the seating chart and the floor plan for your venue and caterer. Waiting staff work by numbers, so they'll thank you.
Places you've been together
The most popular theme, and an easy one: use the trips, cities and moments from your relationship.
- The city where you met
- Your first holiday together
- Where you got engaged
- Your honeymoon destination
- Cities you've lived in
- Places on your wish list
Ideas: Lisbon, Paris, Barcelona, Santorini, Bali, Marrakech, New York, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Cape Town, Zanzibar, Kyoto, Lake Como, Mauritius, Copenhagen.
For a South African wedding
Table Mountain, Kruger, the Karoo, the Drakensberg, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, the Garden Route, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Wilderness, the Cederberg, Hermanus, Clarens, Durban, the Wild Coast.
For a UK wedding
The Lake District, Cornwall, the Cotswolds, Snowdonia, the Isle of Skye, the Peak District, Brighton, Bath, York, St Ives, the Yorkshire Dales, Loch Ness, the Gower, Whitby, Tenby.
Your story
Name each table after a moment in your relationship, and add a line on the card explaining it:
- First date
- The first "I love you"
- Moving in
- Our first dog
- The proposal
- The road trip that went wrong
Guests love reading these, and it fills the gap between courses.
Songs and albums
Your first dance, the song from your first date, or one artist's albums. For one artist, try Fleetwood Mac (Rumours, Tusk, Mirage), Taylor Swift (Lover, Folklore, Fearless, Red, 1989) or The Beatles (Abbey Road, Revolver, Help, Let It Be).
Or use love songs: At Last, Perfect, Thinking Out Loud, Can't Help Falling in Love, Lovely Day, Make You Feel My Love, Crazy in Love, Your Song.
Films and TV
Your favourite films, a franchise you both love, or classic romances: Notting Hill, Love Actually, The Notebook, Casablanca, La La Land, Pride and Prejudice, Four Weddings, When Harry Met Sally, Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia.
Books and authors
Favourite novels, children's books you both grew up with, or one author's titles. Book lovers sometimes put a copy of each book on its table as a centrepiece.
Flowers and plants
Peony, Rose, Protea, Fynbos, Lavender, Eucalyptus, Olive, Jasmine, Magnolia, Sunflower, Hydrangea, Daisy, Ranunculus, Wisteria. Tie it to your flowers by putting a stem of each on its table.
Drinks
Cocktails (Negroni, Margarita, Espresso Martini, Aperol Spritz, Mojito, Old Fashioned), wines from a region you love, or coffee orders for a brunch wedding (Flat White, Cortado, Cappuccino, Americano).
Stars and the night sky
Orion, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Polaris, Sirius, Lyra, Pegasus, the Southern Cross. Lovely for an evening or winter wedding.
Sports
Stadiums or teams for a sporty couple, famous golf courses, or race tracks. Keep it to teams everyone can laugh about, not ones that start arguments.
Fun ones
- Your pets, past and present
- Inside jokes (explained on the card)
- Your favourite foods: Pizza, Tacos, Sushi, Braai, Sunday Roast
- Board games: Monopoly, Scrabble, Cluedo, Catan
How to make named tables easy to find
Named tables can turn finding a seat into a scavenger hunt. A few things fix that:
- Put the number on the card too. "Table 4: Lisbon" is easier to spot across a room.
- Use an A–Z seating chart. Guests look up their surname and see their table name and number together. Our guide to wedding seating chart ideas has examples.
- Keep names short and easy to spell. Guests should be able to read them from a few metres away.
- Make the table card tall. A stand or frame stops it disappearing behind the centrepiece.
In our free seating plan maker you can name each table, for example "4 Lisbon", and the A–Z board, by-table list and floor plan you download all use that name, so your guests and venue work from the same plan. If you're still placing guests, start with our step-by-step seating plan guide.
