Guests need to know where to sit!

Whether your wedding will be a large, lavish affair with hundreds of guests or an intimate one with your closest friends and family, place cards for your dinner tables are a must!

Unless you want people rummaging around looking for “THE” seat or moving chairs to sit by an old friend, seriously consider place cards at individual place settings. Planning your seating arrangements and having place cards printed is a whole lot less stressful than dealing with the confusion on your big day!

There are many ways to create the ideal place cards for your guests. Tented or flat cards placed upon plates are a great options:

While using a cute stand makes it extra easy for guests to spot their names.

Attaching a tag to an element from your wedding theme is another great idea!

No matter how you display your place cards, just make sure you have them! ; )

***
Written by Katie

Spring wedding receptions need table markers!

Table numbers or markers will be one of the biggest blessing on your wedding day. After find their escort card, guests will be able to clearly see which table they are heading toward, minimizing confusion and stress.

We’ve all seen those guests with desperate looks on their faces as speeches are being made. Solve this sticky situation from the beginning with table markers!

The most traditional way to mark your tables is with numbers. It’s a simple and classy way to distinguish one table from the next.

If you are having a themed wedding or utilizing a particular motif throughout your big day, consider marking your tables in a creative way. The last wedding I went to was all about embracing your animal spirit. Each table had a different origami animal, from frogs to classic cranes to tigers. It was a great DIY element and matched the tone of the celebration perfectly.

If you are having an intimate Hawaiian destination wedding, consider five tables named after each island! 

How are you going to mark your own reception tables?

***
Written by Katie

Pin your wedding plans!

Are you addicted to Pinterest? So are we! Don’t worry, we won’t tell. But you should get your bridesmaids in on the fun and get some wedding planning done at the same time!

We’ve seen so much wedding inspiration on Pinterest; there is surely something for every wedding theme. If you already have a Pinterest account, you may already know how to create and pin to a board.

Allowing others to pin to your boards is e a great way to get your bridesmaids’ (or groomsmen’s!) input on your big day.

Begin by creating a board, and hitting the “Me + Contributors” button. It will prompt you for your contributors’ email addresses, ensuring that not just anyone can butt in on your planning

You should include anyone you trust to help you plan your big day. It could be all of your bridesmaids, only your maid of honor, only your mother…just make sure it is someone whose opinion you want and respect, none of those show-stealers or wannabe-wedding planners.

How are you using Pinterest to plan your wedding day?

***
Written by Katie

Wedding Menus Get Guests Excited!

Wedding menus are my favorite piece of wedding day stationery, and not just because one of my favorite parts about a wedding is the food! ; )

No matter what, everyone likes to know just what is in the food they are eating. If you have especially picky eaters among your wedding guests, a menu will work wonders to settle their minds (and their stomachs) before the meal is served.

I love the way menus make plates of food sound like poetry! Some of the courses I have seen in my years here at Invitations by Ajalon have blown my mind.

Work your wedding motif into your menu design to keep a cohesive theme running from your invitation to your reception. Everyone will appreciate your extra thought and care, even if they aren’t a picky eater!

Guests may even bring your menu home as an extra keepsake from your big day!

***
Written by Katie

Wrap your guest favors in beautiful boxes!

One of my favorite parts about attending weddings is being able to take a piece of the day home with me. I love when couples select special favors for their guests as keepsakes. Whether it is edible almonds or a lovely trinket, be sure to box those favors!

We have an array of favor boxes in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

Match your wedding color with your guest favor boxes, and then add a charming favor tag with your wedding motif letterpress printed. Guests will truly appreciate your thought and care.

Send Me My Free Samples of Favor Tags

***
Written by Katie

Let guests know where they are sitting!

Are you having difficulty figuring out where to seat your guests at your wedding reception? If you do not have a wedding planner helping you sort out all of the little details, you might be overwhelmed with everything to be planned.

That’s why we love the internet. I CANNOT imagine how much effort it took to plan my mother’s wedding without Pinterest or Social Tables! Social Tables is an amazing, and free event planning resource to help you figure out your reception seating arrangements. Take a look at this video to see how it works:

Once you know who is sitting where, be sure your guests can find their spots. A seating chart is a great way to inform people of where to go…

…while escort cards make finding their seat like playing a game. Who can find their spot first?

Send Me My Free Samples of Escort Cards

How are you taking the stress out of your wedding planning?

***
Written by Katie

Don’t forget the extra stamp!

Watch out wedding planners and bride-to-be! The United States Postal Service  has raised the price of postage on all items. If you have already purchased your lovely vintage or modern wedding stamps, be sure you get that extra postage on there!

Highlights of the new single-piece First-Class Mail pricing, effective Jan. 22, 2012, include:

• Letters (1 oz.) – 1-cent increase to 45 cents
• Letters additional ounces – unchanged at 20 cents
• Postcards – 3-cent increase to 32 cents
• Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) – 5-cent increase to 85 cents.
• Letters to other international destinations – 7-cent increase to $1.05

Prices also will change for other mailing services, including Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services and Extra Services. More information on the new pricing is available here.

With the price change has come some lovely new stamps as well! A wedding cake design is now available as a 65 cent piece, perfect for many standard invitation sets.

How important to you are stamps that match your wedding invitation?

***
Written by Katie

Effortlessly escort your guests to their reception tables!

One of the most essential items at your wedding reception will be your escort cards– trust you me! How will anyone enjoy those touching toasts with guests rummaging around to find their seats? Keep everyone organized with escort cards.

We have found quite the escort card inspiration all over the web and are pinning them on Pinterest as we speak! Here are just a few escort card ideas we have printed ourselves:

Send Me My Free Samples of Escort Cards

Our digital cards are lovely, but guests might just want to hold on to their letterpress printed escort piece.

Send Me My Free Samples of Escort Cards

How will  you get guests to their reception place setting? Don’t forget the escort cards!

***
Written by Katie

“Where do I sit?”

Guests not having assigned seats can result in disaster: bodies roaming around the room while speeches are being made, adults throwing temper tantrums because there is not enough room at a certain table…we’ve heard it all.

That’s why place cards are such an amazing and essential element within receptions! Not only will they keep stress at a minimum, everyone enjoys having a special place setting especially for them.

There are endless ways to customize your place cards and display them on your reception tables:

Tented cards sitting on plates is a classic and popular option.

Attaching name tags to your guest favors and arranging them at their place setting is another great way to make a place card.

There are also flat place cards, which save paper and reduce waste. Prop them up or lay them upon their plate for guests to find their seat.

What are some creative place cards you’ve seen at wedding receptions lately?

***
Written by Katie

Winter Cocktails for Signature Drink Signs

There are more than a few ways to keep your guests warm during a winter wedding. Mine, by far, is a signature cocktail! What will your signature drink be at your winter wedding celebration?

Here’s a few of my winter favorites, and drink sign inspiration to go along with them:

Poinsettia

Originally a poinsettia is made with champagne with a splash of cranberry juice, but I’d be tempted to substitute the cranberry with some pomegranate juice!

The Blizzard Cocktail

1 1/2 ounces Irish whiskey or rum
1/2 ounce hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico
1/2 ounce Irish cream liqueur, such as Bailey’s
Hot coffee
Dollop of Grand Marnier Whipped Cream

Preparation:
In a glass coffee mug, stir together whiskey, hazelnut liqueur, and Irish cream; top with coffee. Garnish cocktail with whipped cream and serve immediately.

Polar Bear Shooters

1/2 oz white creme de cacao
1/2 oz peppermint schnapps

Preparation:
Pour the liqueurs into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a shot glass.

Northern Lights

2 oz Yukon Jack Canadian Whiskey
dash of peach schnapps
orange juice
cranberry juice

Preparation:
Pour the Yukon Jack and peach schnapps into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Fill with equal parts orange juice and cranberry juice. Stir.

***
Written by Katie