In Italy the seating plan is usually called the tableau de mariage, or simply tableau. It shows where guests sit. It can be a board, a mirror, a wooden frame, a series of hanging cards or small vases each carrying a table name. The flowers frame it or sit alongside, without covering the names.
It has to be easy to read: large lettering, good light, and a spot where guests can stop without forming a queue. Outdoors, wind matters and, near lakes and the sea, so does humidity, which curls paper. Preserved flowers or sturdy foliage are common, because they last all day. The guide to the floral seating plan covers materials and ideas; the one on welcome signs and wedding signage matches it with the welcome sign.
What to ask: who prints the design, who sets it up, and where it goes if it rains.
