Placecards are not only a fun way to strategically seat people around your dining table, but they are also a great opportunity to add a pop of decor to your table. A terra cotta pot with moss and a personalized dusty miller or lamb’s ear would make for a beautiful summertime placecard. I also love how this one is set on a pretty saucer which pulls it all together.
pretty summertime place card via Country Living
What a clever way to greet guests as they enter your event — with a refreshing beverage that doubles as an escort card!
Escort Card idea from Martha Stewart Weddings
I fell in love with these Better Homes and Gardens do-it-yourself place card holders as soon as I saw them. I love the bright vibrant colors they’ve used here and the varying heights and shapes… and the fact that they look relatively easy to make.
Buy some wood finials (there are good online sources like Rockler and Woodworks, Ltd.) and saw a notch in the top. Sand it down before spray-painting in your chosen color(s).
They are perfect for place cards, and also food labels and displaying menu cards or photos.
Traditional Home recently featured an absolutely gorgeous tablescape that was designed for a very special party. Invited guests were each survivors of breast cancer. Each place setting recognized this victory with a place card stating how many years cancer-free the guest was. Small gifts were adorned with breast cancer awareness pins. Now this is a party I can get behind.
the tablescape is calming and elegant; photo via Traditional Home
meaningful place cards; photo via Traditional Home
individual gifts at each place setting; photo via Traditional Home
My incredibly talented friend Morgan made these gorgeous menu and place cards for a tablescape I worked on recently. Bringing nature indoors is a great way to entertain in the Fall. A little moss and some acorn hats embellish a standard menu card and place card. Gorgeous! Thanks, Morgan!
Acorn and moss place card and menu card
Complementary place and menu cards make a statement on table settings
These acorn placecard holders would be perfect for a children’s party this Fall! I spotted them at Paper Source just the other day…
Paper Source Acorn Placecard Kit
I am always looking for non-floral decor alternatives for weddings and other events. My husband and I went on a hike today in Great Falls and everywhere I turned I found inspiration for Fall decor! My mind is now spinning with ideas for incorporating natural elements — like pinecones, greenery, branches, and acorns — into designs.
In fact, I worked on an event recently where a team of us collaborated on nature-inspired centerpieces — we filled clear vessels with pears and apples and used acorns and pinecones as filler. I can’t take credit for the design, but it looked great!
Below are a few images that are inspiring me to go out and collect all of the pinecones I can find — then I’ll be prepared for Fall decorating next year, too!
DIY pinecone wedding bouquet via Once Wed
pinecone boutonniere via Martha Stewart
Rustic pinecone monogram via Martha Stewart
pinecone escort card table via Martha Stewart
pinecone monogram via Martha Stewart
pinecone wreath via Country Living
gilded pinecone placecard via Country Living
My absolute, all-time favorite board game is Scrabble. It’s a little like golf for me — I am terrible at it but it never stops me from wanting to play again, and again, and again.
So I was tickled pink when I saw this clever idea on the LA Style Unveiled Blog recently for Scrabble Tile Placecards. Are they not fabulous? Perfect for a game night dinner, engagement party, or a rehearsal dinner, the placecards would be a whimsical addition to any table setting.
Scrabble Tile Placecards as seen on Los Angeles Style Unveiled
Scrabble tiles and trays can be purchased as replacement pieces so you don’t have to buy the full game itself ten times over. For a large event where you’re using lots of the Scrabble placecards, I’d suggest affixing the tiles to the tray with double-sided tape to keep them secure, otherwise they are bound to get bumped off.
A great hostess thinks of everything — including ways to ensure that her brand new coffee table doesn’t end up with rings on it at the end of the night. Setting coasters out in stacks or groups near occasional tables at a party not only protects your furniture, but it also makes it more comfortable for guests who may be searching for a good place to set their drink.
In her tome, Etiquette, Emily Post declares that, “plenty of coasters are a necessity if you wish to preserve the finish on your tables. Disposable paper ones are fine — just be sure they are in view at every conceivable resting place for a glass.”
I couldn’t agree more, Mrs Post, except I would also encourage using reusable coasters — just another small way to be eco-chic when entertaining.
Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite coasters this season:
"Red Flourish" coasters from Williams-Sonoma Home
Recycled Cardboard Coasters from Bambeco
Glass coasters from Geary's
Silver Lake Map Coaster from A+R Store
Reclaimed Slate Coasters from Uncommon Goods
Beaded Zebra Coasters from Z Gallerie
While these aren’t reusable, they are 100% recyclable — and they were too cute to leave off of the list!
"Hello My Name Is..." Recyclable Placecard Coasters from Perpetual Kid
The Rex & Regina Blog shares both trendy and traditional ways to extend gracious hospitality through weddings, other social occasions, and at-home entertaining. Learn more about Rex & Regina.
