Please take your seat...

Escort cards are a unique, creative way to direct your guests to their tables.  The escort table is a fabulous opportunity to continue your theme.  Each of your guests will approach this display, so be creative and give it some thought.  Great displays have easy to find cards, great stationary, depth, texture and a fun base.  As wedding planners we are often asked to come up with unique ideas, so we thought we would share some of our favorites. 


                                             
                                                                 Traditional Escort Card

Traditional Escort Card. Create this one by making tent cards out  of heavy stationary and then adding the guest name and table number with decorative paper.

Elegant Seating Chart & Table Number

Elegant Seating Chart & Table numbers. An Elegant option for Traditional placecards. Create this one by framing a poster with each guest and their table number listed. Then tie it together with an elegant table number and matching tent cards at each place setting. 

Travel in Style

Destination Wedding. Traveling to Paris or some other wonderful place to say "I DO".  Let these cute little pieces of luggage do double duty...not only do they show your guests to their seat but you can add a little trinkit inside and your guests can carry off with their wedding favor!

Beach Escort Card

Going to the Beach. Play up a beach theme with these petite chaise lounges and parasols. Print guest names and table numbers onto decorative paper, and then cut out rectangles and curve them into lounge chairs (pull the paper back and forth along the edge of a table while holding it taut to achieve the wave). Then arrange them in a sand-filled tray, and adorn each seat with a bright umbrella


Votive Escort Card

 Votive Escort Card.  Create this escort card byh  putting each guests name and table number on a label and adhering to a glass votive holder and tie with a ribbon in your color theme.  Light each one and arrange on a table alphabetically.  When the votives are put on the table they add to the centerpiece. 

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                                                                                            Escort Wine Charm

Wine bottle and Wine Charm Escort Card.  Create this escort card set by putting labels on wine bottles with the table number and make wine charms with correlating numbers.  Attach a tag with each guests names to the wine charm and hook on each wine glass.  Display by arranging on a table alphabetically.

Fun and Games.  Check out this unique escort card. A friend of ours was having a game-themed wedding reception so we asked Jennifer with Something Detailed to make this for them as as a gift from us. The game board was a "LIFE" game replica mapping out different events in each of the Bride & Groom's lives until the day they joined as one!

Board Game Escort Cards

Whether you choose to go with Traditional  or Themed, be creative and enjoy coming up with ideas together.

How Many Guests Will Attend?

One of the hardest questions a Bride has to answer "Is how many guests will be attending?". 
If only it were a perfect world and everyone invited to a wedding or any type of event would RSVP on time, attend if they said they were, didn't bring uninvited guests and stayed home if they said they weren't coming.  If a bride could count on this, it would make organizing the seating chart effortless, and you wouldn’t be forced to pay for Macadamia-crusted Mahi Mahi served to an empty chair or to several unexpected attendees.

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Unfortunately, there is no science in determing how many of your invitees will decide to attend. Although you do not want to pay for a meal for an empty chair, you also do not want any of your guests not to receive a meal because of under estimating. Since a perfect world it is not, how can a couple estimate their expected wedding guest count?

The rule of thumb is 80 percent acceptance, but be careful counting on that because many factors can cause variation. Some factors to keep in mind are the time of year; the location (destinations that are hard to reach typically have a larger percentage of regrets); and holiday weekends, which can be a difficult time for some people to travel.



Joyce Scardina Becker, award-winning wedding designer and author of Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding, also advises: “If you’re planning a destination wedding, the average percentage of guests who will be unable to attend is about 30-40%.”Source

We recommend sending save the dates 6 months to 1 year in advance.  If you have guests who are traveling from out of town or you are planning a destination wedding, it is a great way to notify them formally so they can plan for travel. Summer weddings (high vacation months) and Wedding Season (May & October) would also be a good time to send a Save the Date. Although Save the Dates don't actually give you a count, you might get lucky and guests may  let you know if they are planning or not planning to attend.

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Also make it easy for guests to RSVP.  Make sure you put a stamp on the RSVP envelope for easy return.  Another fun way to get RSVP's is to create a wedding website which offers an online RSVP option.

Another suggestion we make to brides is to start contacting people who have not RSVP'd about 2 weeks before the wedding to find out their attendance intentions. 

Hopefully these suggestions will help you get a better count on who's going to help you celebrate on your Big Day!

What will you wear?

We love, love, love shoes!!! In fact we can't get enough of them! Since one size shoe or color does not fit all...we thought we would have some fun showcasing different colors and styles we love! Since we are in the heat of the summer, we are starting with orange.  Orange compliments many other colors. It can also give a much needed pop to a neutral color scheme. 

Orange & Grey are beautiful together!

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A little bling is always fun!

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A wedge is a wonderful option for an outdoor wedding! The heel that can handle all kinds of terrain and looks chic too!

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Strappy and sexy!

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For Brides who like to be a little daring, try a pop color under your beautiful wedding gown!

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No matter which shoe you choose...have fun with it and make it personal!!!

Something old...

Something old, something new,

Something borrowed, something blue,

And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

Brides everywhere know all about this tradition
and most try to find unique ways to incorporate it!
We have decided to focus on

Something Blue
and share some of our favorite ideas with you!

1. Shoes

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2. Flowers

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3. Garter

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4. Blue Ink

A few variation of this...

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or

have your bridesmaids, best girlfriends, family give you their best wishes...

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what an awesome keepsake this makes!

5. Blue polished toes

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6. Ring: A sapphire engagement ring, like the one worn by Kate Middleton.

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7. Dress: If you are a little daring...Surprise your guests with a sky-hued gown.

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9. Lingerie: Only you and your hubby will know...

 

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10. Headpiece...we love the idea of a little blue in the headpiece or veil.

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11. Ribbon: Wrap flower stems in rich cerulean velvet.

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12. Handkerchief: Use midnight-colored thread to embroider your new initials in one corner.

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Have you picked your "something blue" yet? Please share what your "something blue" will be!