Escort Cards

LakeR2014

Ok so the lineup card/escort card/whatever a line-up card is - thread got me thinking about this as we'll be doing our escort cards soon.

We planned on creating escort cards per returned RSVP card.   IE.  Mr. John & Mrs. Jane Smith responded so they'll be addressed as such on their joint escort card.

My question is:   if two names were present on the RSVP card (and thus the escort card) who's name is addressed first?  And how is it laid out on the table alphabetically?  By the first name that appears on the escort card?

Example:  Boyfriend & Girlfriend or Wife & Husband with Different last names

Mr. Jim Brown & Ms. Susy Green 

With it being put alphabetically according to Brown?

RebeccaFlower

We put who we were 'closer' to in alphabetical order. Not sure if it is E approved, but it made sense to us since some girlfriends/plus 1s we'd never met before and I realized (too late to order more) I didn't have enough cards to put people individually. As far as I know, no one had a problem finding theirs. 

nmsa

In a situation where there is a "primary guest" (the one who is your friend or relative and would be invited alone if the second party did not exist) I would list the primary guest first. I'm actually not sure if this is technically correct and am certainly open to corrections, but if we were to arrive at a wedding where I do not know the couple but my fiancé does, I would expect the escort card to be under his last name and not mine.

In a situation where both guests would be invited separately but happen to be a couple and are invited together, I've seen different sources disagreeing about if it should always be ladies first, gentlemen first, or alphabetized. We defaulted to ladies first because that's how our social circle generally rolls, but when in doubt, I would order the cards the same way you decided to order the invitation, and if you want to be egalitarian, alphabetize.

For same-sex couples who would both have been invited individually, alphabetize. 

In any instance, I would alphabetize on the table by the first listed guest's last name.

So: 

Mr. Joe Your-Cousin Walsh and Ms. Jane His-Girlfriend Adams, under "W".

Ms. Amy Smith and Mr. John Brown, under "S".

Mr. Chris Davids and Mr. Will Tully, under "D".