What size should a wedding welcome sign be, and what should it say?
Murat · from our family workshop ·
A wedding welcome sign has one job: to tell arriving guests they are in the right place, and to set the tone before anything else does. The short answer on size: 16 × 24 inches for a welcome table or a narrow entrance, 21 × 31 inches for a ceremony entrance or a spot guests see from several steps away. Below is how to choose between them and what to write on the sign, from the workshop that makes them.
What size should a wedding welcome sign be?
Size depends on where the sign stands and how far away guests are when they first read it.
- Medium, 16 × 24 inches (41 × 61 cm): for a welcome table, a narrow entrance, a smaller venue or a sign that guests pass close by. It sits comfortably on a standard easel or on our wooden stand.
- Large, 21 × 31 inches (53 × 79 cm): for the entrance to a ceremony, the start of the aisle, a large or outdoor venue, or any spot where guests see the sign from several steps away. The larger board gives the lettering more room, and the names are what people read first.
If you are unsure, picture where the first guest will stand when they notice the sign. The further away that is, the more the Large size earns its place. Both sizes are on our personalized wedding welcome sign and the 3D welcome sign.
Easel, stand or table
- Easel: the classic choice at a ceremony entrance. Many venues and florists can lend one, so ask before you buy.
- Wooden stand: add it in the builder and the sign stands on its own on a table or a flat surface. It comes with a free wall hanger, so after the wedding the same sign goes on a wall at home.
- Welcome table: the Medium size leaves room beside it for flowers, the guest book and a photo of the two of you.
Our signs are made for display indoors. At an outdoor ceremony, keep the sign in the shade, away from rain and sprinklers, and bring it in once guests are seated.
What to write on a wedding welcome sign
Most welcome signs follow the same order: a greeting, your names, your date. A short line under the greeting sets the mood.
- Greeting: "WELCOME" is part of the design on our ceremony signs.
- The line under it: leave it blank and we use "to our Forever", or write your own.
- Names: first names ("Kyle & Nicole") or your new last name ("The Harpers"). First names feel personal; a last name reads well from far away.
- Date: "June 15, 2026", "06.15.2026" or "Est. 2026". We engrave or cut exactly what you type, so write it the way it should read.
Lines under "Welcome" that couples use
- to our Forever
- to our Wedding
- to the Wedding of
- to our Happily Ever After
- to the Beginning of our Forever
- to our Celebration
- to our Little Love Story
- to our Adventure
Keep the line short: a few words read at a glance, a sentence does not. If you would like to see the layout before we make it, ask for a free digital proof in the notes and we email it within a business day.
For the rehearsal dinner
The evening before has its own sign. The Night Before sign says "Welcome to the Night Before" above your two names and your date; the wording is part of the design, so all you type is the names and the date.
Colors that read from a distance
Contrast matters more than color. White letters on a dark stain such as Jacobean, or black letters on a light wood or on the solid white painted board, read from further away than two similar tones. Our guide to wood colors and letter colors explains how to pair the 12 wood stains with the 8 letter colors.
Match it with the guest book
If your guests sign a wooden guest book sign, choose the same wood color and letter color for both and they will look like a set at the entrance. See our wedding guest book alternatives, and after the day, how to display them at home.
When to order
Every sign is made to order in 1–3 business days, ships free with FedEx or UPS express and arrives in about 3–4 business days. A digital proof adds about a day, plus up to 48 hours if you take the full window to reply, so if you want one, leave yourself two weeks before the wedding.
