The Lowcountry is swarming with uber-talented wedding vendors, so it's no wondering that I LOVE when I get to share their expertise with you! Well, today you’re getting a healthy dose of educational tips from two of our favorite Charleston wedding vendors. We’ve asked Dodeline Design and Duvall Events to give us some pointers to keep in mind when planning your Seated Dinner reception. First up, we’ve got the lovely Mrs. Sarah Reed of Dodeline Design to provide us with some insight on why it is imperative to include your stationer in your seated dinner wedding plans. Trust me, bookmark it, pin it, facebook it...do what you gotta do, but keeping these tips with you throughout your wedding planning process is a must! Make sure to check back this afternoon to hear the caterers perspective from Duvall Events.
The Seated Dinner: Stationery
I often find that it surprises couples when I ask questions in our initial meetings such as, “What type of meal service are you providing?” They sweetly and blankly stare back, and I know they’re thinking, “What on earth does that have to do with paper?”
Actually, it has quite a lot to do with stationery. If you are planning on having a seated dinner, here are a few things to consider when ordering your paper…
The RSVP Card
More than likely, you have several entrée possibilities, so your caterer will need to know ahead of time how many of each selection to prepare. So, on the RSVP card, it’s very important to include an entrée selection area, such as we’ve done here…
Having guests initial instead of check a box is a good way to know who wants what, which you’ll want to know for the next step.
Secondly, confirm with your caterer the deadline for informing them of these meal selections. It can vary greatly depending on the company you’re using, so to avoid any unnecessary expense, make sure you check with them before setting your reply by date.
Seating Charts + Escort Cards
Because you have a seated dinner, you will pretty much have to have a seating system of some kind to enable your caterer to serve the right meals to the right people. The first step in getting guests to the correct seat is to go the traditional route – escort cards – or alternatively, to do a fun seating chart poster of some kind. The possibilities for these pieces are endless. Don’t forget that an important piece of the seating system is having table numbers / labels too, for which there are also a lot of great ideas out there.
Placecards
Once you’ve gotten your guests safely to their table, you’ll need to direct them to their seat at that table. We do this with placecards, which are often tented similarly to the escort cards above. However, we can get creative with them too, such as the example below.
Your caterer may also request that the meal selection is printed on the place card. Write that down as another question to ask the caterer and tell your stationer!
Get Organized
So with all these little details, make sure you stay organized with your guest’s responses and selections. The best way to do this both organizationally and for ease of printing is with an Excel spreadsheet. Add a column on the end for Table Number + Meal Selection and it will greatly help your stationer print everything for you.
In need of a stationer?
Contact Sarahto set up your appointment:
10 Resolute Lane Suite 204
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
843.606.0890
Twitter: @dodelinedesign
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodelinedesign