It seems only logical to follow last week’s discussion about table cards by addressing a question from a bride about escort cards. (These are the alphabetized cards that direct your guests to the table at which they’ll be sitting during the reception.) Since they’re one of the first things your guests see upon entering the venue, it’s often a good idea to be creative with their design to help set the tone of the party!
A Valley bride asks: “Can you suggest anything interesting I can do with the escort cards? I really want to make a wonderful first impression at my wedding.”
Dear Valley bride: There are lots of ways to make this first impression of good one, limited only by the extent of your imagination. Wedding consultants and event decorators like to keep within the theme of the wedding when designing the escort cards. For instance: You’re having a “green” wedding, with potted plants as centerpieces. For the escort cards near the entrance, try (small) matching potted plants with twigs and cards attached to them that include each person’s name and table number. Or put the guest’s information on a label similar to the ones used to identify plants in a garden — the plants can double as party favors for each guest to take home!
Using more traditional floral centerpieces? Take single stems of the flowers in your centerpiece, put them in individual vases, and tag each with a guest name and table number. In her book Jo Gartin’s Wedding, renowned Hollywood wedding planner Jo Gartin describes a lovely (and slightly labor-intensive) idea: The bride collects photos of all the guests and hangs them on a thin clothesline. On the back of each photo, in alphabetical order, place the guest’s name and table number. The photos can also be displayed on a giant cork board, where each is fixed with a pushpin. To make it easier for yourself, you can ask each guest to return a photo of themselves included in their reply cards. Be creative!
Readers, what creative ways can you dress up your escort or table cards? Let me know in the comments box below.
To submit your own question to the Wedding Guru, email Judy at judy@hvmag.com.
