TNT17

Photo by: Sara and Ben Photography

The big day is approaching, you’ve already sent your invitations and everyone is swooning over your beautiful invites! And now, what’s next…?

On your wedding day, other paper details including programs, menus, and escort cards create the finishing touches to your celebration. Aside from accentuating your wedding style, your paper goods will keep your wedding guests well informed from the moment they walk into your ceremony until they are seated to enjoy your reception. To help you with the wedding planning process, we decided to create a post on what you need to know about your wedding day paper goods.

WELCOME LETTER. The welcome letters are a sweet a perfect way to greet your out-of-town guests. They have traveled from afar to be a part of your big day, and it will make them feel special when they receive a beautiful personalized note from the bride and groom in their welcome bags. The welcome letters are also a great way to let your guests a list of all the exciting things they can be doing around the city during their stay.

PROGRAMS. The ceremony programs have lots of purpose. First, they introduce who is in your wedding party as well as honor a special people who may or may not be present in your wedding. It is also a great way to explain certain wedding traditions or ritual (for example, if you are having a traditional Greek orthodox wedding, as a courtesy to your non-Greek guests you may want to explain in your program the religious traditions that will be performed in your wedding).  Lastly, it gives your guests a timeline of what is coming up next in your wedding such as any songs and readings.

ESCORT CARDS. Escort cards are neatly placed near the entrance of the reception venue for your guests to pick up as they walk in. They are used to inform guests of which table they should be looking for in your reception area. Each card includes your guest’s name and the assigned number of the table.

PLACE CARDS. Place cards are similar to escort cards, but they are found at the table in front of the seat you assign for your guests. Place cards are very useful for a formal plated dinner because it makes the serving staff’s job a bit easier when bringing the correct plated meal to guests.

TABLE NUMBER. These cards will guide your guests in identifying their correct table at your wedding reception.

MENUS. Dinner menus explain the various meal courses. Guests most likely have forgotten or don’t know what will be served, so this is a nice way of reminding them and showcasing your meal. I mean, let’s be honest, who doesn’t get excited about what’s coming after reading a detail description of the scrumptious meal options!

BAR MENUS. These are set at the bar displaying the drink available. It also explains which drinks are hosted, and can also feature the “signature cocktails” which, in many cases, have fun names and descriptions.

SIGNAGE. Having signs are a great way to clearly guide your guest in the direction they should go.  Many brides opt out of having signage, but I personally advice in having them as part of your wedding to help your guests, particularly if the venue is big. Some venues, like hotels, have many ballrooms and the last thing you want your guests doing is to walk into another event.

OTHER PAPERS. Other paper items can include favor tags, guest signing, seating charts, Thank You cards, or other gifts with guests’ names on them.