Style your Wedding Seating Plan with an Ombre Effect

Ombre (a method of using gradually darkening hues of a colour) is a modern, on-trend way to add style to your wedding colour scheme. We take a look at how you can use this versatile and eye catching idea in your seating plan and reception décor.

Wedding seating plans and escort cards

The lovely escort cards shown here double up as a seed-packet favour. They have a fuchsia ombre effect which, when they are all displayed together, provides a great burst of colour to your seating plan.

For a DIY ombre effect similar to this, buy a selection of white escort cards or tags. Mix some coloured ink in a bowl of water, and dip a card in so that you submerge about ¾ of the card. Take the card out, and add some more ink to the water. Dip the card again – but only ½ way in this time. Add another dash of colour to the water to do your final dip, just ¼ of the way up the card. Leave to dry and either use calligraphy or stencils to write guests’ names and table numbers.

This ombre seating plan is cheerful and modern, guaranteed to brighten up your wedding reception.

For a DIY ombre seating plan, make or buy some cards in all shades of your chosen colour – maybe 5 or 10 cards in each of 5 or 6 shades. Print or write your guest’s names and table names on them. Mount them on a canvas or picture frame, or hang them from ribbons. The effect of the gently graduating tones throughout your seating plan will be sure to wow your guests.

Table names and numbers

These really pretty table numbers successfully combine the crafts of decoupage and ombre watercolour, and are elegant and detailed.

Use the DIY ink technique described above to make your very own table names or numbers to coordinate with your colour scheme.

To really embrace the ombre theme, why not name your tables after different hues of your wedding colour scheme. For example:

Red: Cherry, crimson, ruby, blush, berry and rose
Blue: Azure, sky, navy, teal, spruce, indigo and lapis
Green: Fern, olive, sage, mint, moss and lime

Table décor

Use ombre table confetti (table confetti in various hues of a given colour) to highlight your theme.

Coordinate your place settings – a dark coloured mat under a lighter plate, under a lighter smaller plate with a light coloured bowl on top.

Ask your florist to create floral centrepieces using flowers with varying shades of your chosen colour, arranged from dark to light across the arrangement.

Tie ribbons across the backs of chairs, from darker hues of your chosen colour at the bottom, to the lightest at the top.

Other ideas

Make your wedding cake ombre too! Use food colouring gels to create a layered effect sponge cake, graduating from dark through to light. A guaranteed showstopper when you cut the cake!

Don’t forget to have a look at our ombre-inspired Pinterest board for plenty more ideas about incorporating this delightful colour scheme into your seating plan.