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
November 3rd, 2011
Good Libations: Beverage Escort Cards
Posts Labeled ‘place cards’
May 13th, 2011
DIY place card holders
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.
- DIY place card project from Better Homes & Gardens
March 30th, 2011
A Special Tablescape for a Special Celebration
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
November 8th, 2010
Moss and Acorn Menu and Place Cards
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
October 13th, 2010
Spotted: Adorable Acorn Placecards
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
October 9th, 2010
Bringing the outdoors in: pinecone decor inspiration
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
May 3rd, 2010
Mind Your Beeswax: Clever Place Cards
November 5th, 2009
Scrabble tile place cards
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.
October 29th, 2009
Just Coasting Along: Fabuluxe coasters for at-home entertaining
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
September 21st, 2009
Demystifying escort and place cards
One of the questions I am often asked to clarify for clients is the difference between escort (or seating) cards and place cards. There is a simple way to remember this:
Escort cards escort guests to their table, while place cards indicate at which place at the table they should sit.
Escort Cards
Escort cards are used at large events when guests need to be assigned to tables. The cards are generally set out in alphabetical order on a table or some other creative setting so that guests can easily find their card. Cards can be written for each couple or for each guest individually.
Escort cards need not be traditional cards, they could be votive candles (like the image from a Rex & Regina wedding below) apples with calligraphied names pinned to them, shells for a beach wedding… you name it!
votive candles as escort cards, photo courtesy of cb photography
These tented cards are anything but traditional. Used at a Rex & Regina wedding, these gorgeous cards were created by Saima Says and were part of a larger stationery suite used throughout the wedding.
Escort cards, photo courtesy of Baltazar Photography
These little bundles of lavender, featured on Martha Stewart, illustrate that the sky is the limit with respect to creative escort cards:
Lavender bundle place cards
Place Cards
Place cards can be a useful tool in helping guests feel comfortable at the table at which they are assigned. A host should carefully consider where to seat each person so that, to the extend possible, each is seated near someone they know but also near someone with whom they can enjoy interesting conversation.
When guests have selected specific entrees in advance, the place cards can also help the servers know what entree each guest should receive. (Escort cards can also do this, but only if guests think to set their escort card in front of their place setting when they sit down.)
Here are a few inspiring place card ideas from Martha Stewart:
this clever place card doubles as a menu stand
a simple topiary makes a stunning place card
a wrapped clementine provides a pop of vibrant color
