Place Cards Play An Important Part – Make Them Unique! July 17, 2014

Whether your wedding is this summer or next, place cards play an important part. Not only do they tell guests where to sit, but they allow the wait staff to determine meal choices (if you give guests an option). There are a lot of fun and unique place card ideas, but here are a few tips to remember, no matter what style you use:

 

1. Make them easy to read.

A really small font or one with a lot of script can be hard to read, causing guest to feel frustrated when looking for their names.

 

2. Placement matters.

Line them up or keep them somewhat spread out. You may think it’s a cute idea to put each one on a recipe card in a recipe box, but remember that each guest will have to look through it and it could delay guests moving into the reception, which could delay your whole event.

 

3. Make dinner choices distinct.

Indicate the guests’ dinner choices with something easy to see. As tempted as you may be to put a small letter in the corner to indicate different meal choices or even make the cards a different shade of the same color, you should make the difference more evident. The wait staff will be moving quickly, carrying hot plates, trying to see the cards from up above (not to mention guests will have things in front of them), and it makes their life a lot easier (and the dinner service go more smoothly) if they can easily see the cards and the indicators.

 

Now on to the fun part – look at some of these creative ideas! Hopefully they will inspire you for when you create your own wedding place cards!

 

 

 

The above ideas are from Minted’s Julep blog, written by Lauren Saylor of A Fabulous Fete:
1. Peach place card photo by Emily Scannell Photography via Style Me Pretty
2. Poppy place card photo by Chesterton Smith Photography via Stand Tall Design
3. Cherry basket place card via Martha Stewart Weddings
4. Sea glass place cards photo by Keith Morrison via Style Me Pretty
5. Votive place cards via Martha Stewart
6. Succulent place cards via Home Again Shop
7. Origami place cards by Nana Zoolan
8. Pop-up place cards via Camille Styles
9. Lemon place card photo by Alexandra Rowley via Country Living
10. Bud vase place card via The Wedding of My Dreams

 

 

The above place card inspiration board is from Wedding Wire’s Blog.

 

 

The above place card collection is from the Spokane Bride Blog.

 

Bonus idea!
We love this creative use of an usual object as a place card from the Spokane Bride Blog.

 

 

What other unique place card ideas have you seen or had at your own wedding? Tell us below!

Real Life Experiences of Hello Productions’ Intern: Simple Ways to Make Your Fourth of July Stand Out July 1, 2014

 

Fourth of July is a fun time to have friends and family over to celebrate, cook out and watch fireworks! Need last minute decorations or a last minute dessert to take to a potluck? Our Hello Productions Intern, Kristine, has the answer for both!

 

DIY Fourth of July Banner

 

It’s almost that time, Fourth of July and many parties! I know for me each year I always try to think of different decorations I could make or contribute to a friend’s party. Here is an easy craft that won’t take too much time and won’t cost you a lot to make. It is a Rosette Banner and once you complete all the steps it will look great hung up around your other decorations.

 

Make sure to have the following:
– Paper: Newspaper adds a great old-fashioned look with the colors. You will also need crepe paper.
– Pipe cleaners: Try using metallic versions in silver, gold, and red. This will help the banner flow together.
– Ribbon: Red, White, and Blue
– Glue: Use a glue stick or 3M transfer tape.
– Printables: Use any typeface you want to have the letters have. Print or photocopy onto heavy paper.

 

Steps:
1. Take the blue crepe paper and cut a strip 8 inches wide and 20 inches long.
2. Grab the newspaper and cut a narrower strip of paper then glue it on the center of the blue strip. Repeat this step but cut an even narrower strip of red crepe paper then glue it in place.
3. Fan-fold across the narrow width of the strip and fold in half lengthwise as well.
4. Open either side of the center fold you just made to create a circle and glue. Print “Happy Fourth” and cut out around the letters in a circle with pinking shears then glue onto rosettes.
5. Take the 8-inch pipe cleaners and cut them in half. Then use one of them to form a loop and slip through another to form another loop, and so on.
6. Once the chain is made, glue one of the pipe cleaners loop to the back of each rosette by first going through a chain loop and then gluing.

 

Once all those steps are completed, you have accomplished making your very own Fourth of July banner! It helps to look back at the picture while you are doing it so you can get a visual of what the final product will look like. I used this at the last Fourth of July party I attended and it was a hit! It doesn’t take much time out of your day and it feels good to find a cost effective decoration yourself.

 

Source: www.countryliving.com

 

Perfect Fourth of July Flag Cake

 

Having a Fourth of July party and not sure what to make? This flag cake will look just as good as it tastes. All you have to do is put aside an hour and fifteen minutes of your day to make this fan favorite holiday treat.

 

Cake Ingredients:
18 tablespoons (2 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups of sugar
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 half-pints of blueberries
3 half-pints of raspberries

 

Icing Ingredients:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 ½ pounds cream cheese at room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

 

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter and flour an 18 by 13 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
3. Add the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs, two at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
4. Stir together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined then pour into the pan.
5. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and afterwards cool to room temperature.
6. For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl until smooth. The pictures below show how to ice the sheet cake.

 

This is a fun and easy cake to make that will look great along with your decorations. You can serve it right from the pan or you can place it on a different plate. The flag cake is a go to for people who love to bake and are in need of a dessert to please everyone. Now get going and start making this patriotic cake for the party!

 

If you would like to read more about this recipe click the following link. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/flag-cake-recipe.html.

 
 
 
 

Kristen Elgin

Hello Productions Intern, 2014

 

Kristine Elgin was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and relocated to Pittsburgh last August. She attended Oregon State University and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in New Media Communications.

 

She has always loved working events and is excited to continue learning under Colleen Geletko as her summer intern. Her favorite part about working events is seeing all the details come together and how happy everyone is with the outcome.
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