Macare & Dustin, Part II

On Monday I introduced you to our first couple of 2009, Macare and Dustin who were married in Leelanau County, Michigan. Today I want to share with you one of our fabulous DIY projects that Macare and her entourage made into an all out assembly line!

First again I need to shout out the oh so fabulous photos of Jen Kroll Photography (more on this amazing lady later) since the eye candy above was captured through her lens! For Macare's farm chic wedding on Lake Leelanau, their reception tent featured a harvest table layout. With a specific number of seats and guests we needed to ensure everyone had a seat and that their seat was clearly identified. Thus we had an "escort card" and a "place card."

A frequent question we field is the difference between an "escort card" and a "place card." The "escort card" is just that- it "escorts" your guests to their table, it takes them from Point A to Point B. The "place card" defines their "place," where they are seated at the table. For Macare we needed both escort cards and place cards.

DIY Escort Cards

Tools:
X number of pre-scored 5"x3.5" cards (folded size= 3.5"x2.5")*
Rubber stamp
ColorBox ink pad
Embossing powder
Embossing Powder Heat Tool
Wet and Dry cloths
paper plates
sheet of paper
3 sets of hands
1 night of laughs and fun
* For Macare, we gave one escort card per couple (since the couples were seated at the same table) or single guest. I recommend adding 20% additional cards based on X number of guests in case you mess up!

Steps:
1) Set up an assembly line with the Person #1 in charge of the cards, ink and rubber stamp; Person #2 applies the powder; Person #3 heats the powder.
2) Decide where the stamp will be placed on the card. (For Macare we stamped in the middle of the pre-scored card.) Place the card on the paper plate with the sheet of paper in between. The paper will catch the excess powder. Plug in the heat tool.
3) Person #1- apply the ink to the stamp, blotting the ink pad on top of the stamp for even ink coverage and press stamp on desired card location. Press all sides evenly. (I would suggest cleaning the stamp every so often with the wet cloth then the dry cloth. Ink can build and distort the graphic.)
4) Person #2- with the newly stamped design, work quickly to cover the stamped area with the embossing powder. Once covered, lightly tap off the extra powder onto the sheet of paper to pour back into the container for reuse.
5) Person #3- using Embossing Heat Tool heat up the powdered stamp area to reveal the color and raised design.
6) Allow to dry for at least 2 minutes before handling.
7) Fold the cards in half and write the guest names on the outside and their corresponding table number on the inside.

The final arrangement of Macare and Dusty's escort cards was perfect. We borrowed four cherry lugs from her family and filled them with wheat grass that had been growing at Macare's parent's home. To display the cards themselves, we used plastic floral picks placed in the grass and voila!

As I mentioned there were seating assignments for each guest once they reached their table. To minimize waste and space their menu card doubled as a place card with the guest's name written clearly on the top.

Tomorrow be sure to visit to see the full celebration of Macare and Dustin's beautiful wedding reception!

(The links above for "Tools" take you to Paper-Source- one of my favorite places. They have great stuff and are a DIY-lovers dream!)

P.S. It's snowing here. Yeah!