DIY Music Note Escort Cards

Pete loves music. It's such a huge part of his being. So when we were getting married, he was absolutely set on having a live band. Of course, we did. If you love music and want to incorporate it into your wedding, and easy way to do that is with our DIY Music Note Escort Cards.

Now, a quick note if you're new here. Escort cards are the cards where you put your guests' names and table number. They're often mistakenly called table cards. Table cards are actually the literal card with the table number on it.

And then there are place cards. Those are actually the most specific of the bunch. They not only direct your guests to a specific table, but they give them a specific seat at that table as well.

DIY Music Note Escort Cards

These DIY Music Note Escort Cards are an easy way to add a little bit of music to your big day.

You could actually make large versions of them too to have as table cards.

What You'll Need:

• Teal card stock
• Black card stock
• Beige card stock
• Glue
• Scissors
• Paper trimmer
• Black marker
• Music note paper punch (optional)

What You'll Do:

Using the paper trimmer, cut your teal card stock into 2- by 2-inch squares. Fold them in half, then set them aside.

Then, cut the beige card stock into 1 3/4- by 3/4-inch rectangles.

Carefully glue the beige card stock onto one side of the teal card stock.

Use the scissors to freehand music notes from the black card stock. What I do to make it just a little easier, I cut a strip of black (using the paper trimmer), then fold it down just a little bit. Cut the music note from there and you've made two at once. That goes a little faster in case you have a lot to make.

If you don't think you can freehand these, just cut them using a music note paper punch.

Glue the music note to the upper corner of your teal and beige rectangle.

Use the marker to write your guests' names and table numbers.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you make these DIY music note escort cards?

DIY Golf Green Escort Cards

I was on Pinterest and found a photo of super cute golf green escort cards. But there was no tutorial. I hunted online, found people asking for a tutorial, but there was none to be found. So I made them (well, my version of them) and put together a little tutorial.

DIY Golf Green Escort Cards

What You'll Need:

• Dark green card stock
• Light green card stock
• White card stock
• Black permanent ink marker
• Scissors (or paper trimmer)
• Coffee stirrers (5-inch, black plastic)
• One-hole punch
• Tape
• Glue

What You'll Do:

Use scissors or your paper trimmer to cut your dark green card stock in half. Then cut each half into four pieces (each will be 4.25x2.75).

Fold each one in half (to create 2.75x2.125 rectangles).

Use scissors or your paper trimmer to cut your light green card stock in half. Then cut each half into four pieces (so again each will be 4.25x2.75).

Now you have three options. You can fold it into quarters, draw part of your golf green, and cut it out. That's option one. Option two is to freehand each one. And option three, because I like you, is to print out the image I made below. I actually traced the exact one I used for this onto a sheet of paper and scanned it for you. Print that on to a sheet of light green card stock and print it. Then, just cut those out.

Write the names of your guests onto the light green "greens," then glue it onto the dark green. Set it aside to dry.

Now it's time to create your golf flags. Cut the coffee stirrer in half. Cut a half-inch strip of the white card stock. Cut it into 1-inch pieces. Write each table number on one side.

Glue the back of the flag and fold it onto the coffee stirrer. Let it dry.

Punch a hole in the light green card stock, where a golf flag would go on a typical hole. Stick the flag in the hole and tape it to the front of the card.

I absolutely love how these came out. They're perfect if you love to golf or if you are having a wedding at a golf course.

Now, if you want to use the printable I was talking about, it's below. Just right click and save it to your computer. You can then print it out onto a sheet of light green card stock. Cut out the "green" and write on the backside (so none of the outline shows through). I actually traced the one I used onto the paper 20 times, then scanned it. Which reminds me: There are 20 greens per sheet. Keep that in mind so you print all the ones you need.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you make these DIY golf green escort cards?

Planning a golf wedding?

Check out our DIY Golf Wedding Centerpiece.

DIY Snowflake Table Cards

Oriental Trading provided items for this review. Additional items and all thoughts and opinions belong to A Bride On A Budget.

How is your winter wedding planning going?

Yesterday, it was 70 degrees here so it didn't feel like winter at all. Today is 39 and raining, making it the perfect day for this simple DIY Snowflake Table Cards tutorial.

Putting it together is really easy and adds a little something to your winter wedding. Plus, it looks a lot better to have these rather than just plain table cards you can buy at the dollar store.

DIY Snowflake Table Cards

What You'll Need:

• Paper trimmer
• Felt pen
• Cardstock
• Snowflake punch set

What You'll Do:

Cut the cardstock into 3.5-inch strips.

Cut those into 4-inch pieces, creating 3.5x4 inch rectangles.

Fold them in half.

Unfold and measure the snowflake punch on the card.

Write your guests names and table numbers on the cards, then set them up at your wedding.

Now, I'm going to be honest. These punches were really difficult to use. I pushed with both hands with all my body weight behind it in order to make these punches. And forget it when I tried the other ones in the Oriental Trading set. The punches wouldn't cut fully, so it was impossible to make these using them. 

The Snowflake Table Cards that did come out were really beautiful. I actually love how they look, but this set wasn't ideal. You can follow these steps with a different stamp and emboss set. I have a bunch of punch sets that I do love that work really well, so I know these are possible. I'm really in love with my EK Tools punches, so I would suggest picking up something from that line in order to create these table cards for your wedding. But if you really want these exact snowflakes using this set, I hope you have a strong and patient fiance (and a lot of supplies. I had a 25% success rate with these).

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you make these snowflake table cards for your winter wedding?

Love snowflakes?
Check out our Snowflake Wedding Favors post.

DIY Heart Escort Cards (made from toilet paper rolls)

I'm really into upcycling. Anything that can be turned into something else will. My mind is basically a resurrection yard for garbage. Which is fun when I do the projects, but less fun when I tell Pete things like, "Hey. If you're the one who finishes the toilet paper in the guest bathroom, don't throw out the tube. I need it for a project."

So we saved it. And another one. And I finally had enough to upcycle into this project.

DIY Heart Escort Cards

These are pretty easy to make, but they do take a bit of time since you're, literally, watching paint dry. So invite over a bridesmaid or two (or a glass of wine), so you have someone to chat with while you're waiting.

What You'll Need:

• Toilet paper (or paper towel) rolls
• Acrylic paint (in two colors)
• Foam paint brush
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Mini binder clips
• Scrap paper
• Card stock
• Pen

What You'll Do:

Fold your toilet paper roll in half.

With your ruler, measure your toilet paper roll into eight equal pieces. (They end up being a half inch each, so if you are using a paper towel roll instead, mark pieces of that size).

Mark each section with a pencil. Cut the pieces with the scissors.

Paint your pieces and place them on the scrap paper. Let them dry completely. For a nice effect, paint half the pieces one color and half a second color. Just be sure to paint an even number of each since you'll want to match two pieces to form your heart.

For a dark color like red, I only needed one coat. The pink was thinner so I did two coats. Then, I painted the inside.

Place glue on one side of one of the pieces. Affix a second piece to it, making sure to line up the "point" of the heart at the bottom. Clip a binder clip to the glued portion. Let this dry completely.

Try and keep the "flat" side out and put the uglier side (with the crease) inside. It looks prettier that way.

While that's drying, you can make the name cards. Cut the card stock. You can cut it straight or in a scroll, whatever you prefer. Just make sure it's 3-inches from edge to edge so you can fit it on your heart.

Write the name of your guest(s) and assigned table number on the card stock.

Put a little glue on the edges of your heart and stick down the card stock. As with every other step involving glue, let it dry completely.

You can display these at your wedding welcome table flat. Just make sure they are in alphabetical order so your guests can find their seats.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you be able to make these DIY heart escort cards?

DIY Checkered Flag Escort Cards #RaceDayRelief

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RaceDayRelief #CollectiveBias

When I was at our wedding, the banquet manager told me he could get me anything. He was great when I asked him for crab cakes, but he couldn't pull through when I asked him for Advil. With my feet sore from spending all day in high heels, combined with a headache from not eating and sleeping right the week before our wedding, I was left needing Advil.

Ever since, I make sure to always pack Advil when I go to a wedding in case the bride needs it. There's nothing that should stop her from enjoying every minute of her game day. Plus, Advil Film Coated is fast acting, so she can be back on the dance floor, ready to lead the conga line in no time.

Game day, race day ... if you're a sports fan, you probably want to incorporate that into your wedding in some way. If you're a racing fan, this post has you covered.

I made these super cute DIY checkered flag escort cards. There's a free printable for them at the end of the post, so all you need to do is save it and print it for your wedding.

DIY Checkered Flag Escort Cards

What You'll Need:

• Paper trimmer
• Pen
• Free printable

What You'll Do:

Print out our free printable (below). There are six escort cards per page and you'll need one per RSVP card.

Using the paper trimmer, cut out each escort card.

Write the names of your guests and their table number on the cards. Single people get their own; couples share an escort card.

Fold the cards in half and arrange them alphabetically at your welcome table so your guests will able to figure out where they are supposed to sit.

After race day, drivers and their cars need a bit of help to recover. After your race day (aka your wedding), you'll need help to recover too. Use fast acting Advil Film-Coated for headaches, muscle aches, toothaches, menstrual cramps, back pain, and aches and pains associated with the common cold.

You can pick up a bottle of 80 count Advil Film Coated at your local Walmart, where you may be picking up other wedding items anyway. Be sure to print out this coupon for $3 off 40ct+ Advil Film Coated before you go so you can save. And then, of course, invite Advil to your wedding!

Now, about that free printable:

It is formatted to fit an 8.5x11 sheet of paper, so you're able to print this at home. Just right-click the image, save it to your computer, and print it when you're ready. I would suggest card stock over typical printer paper so that these stand up all night. You could also make some checkered flag table numbers to add to your centerpieces to tie the theme together.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you make these DIY checkered flag escort cards?

Summer Wedding Escort Card Ideas

We were engaged for two days and went out for a celebration dinner. After we placed our order and were waiting for our food, I started talking to Pete about the wedding. I was asking him who he was going to pick for his bridal party.

Then, I was talking about seasons. I said it had to be summer. My mom works at a school and Pete works in the school district, so summer was best for them. I then said it has to be June, even though it's the most expensive month, because it's the coolest summer month here.

If you're planning a summer wedding, this is for you. I put together a list of summer wedding escort card ideas. With summer, there's a ton of fun ways to display your escort cards, so don't miss out on the opportunity to add a pop of theme.

We've had a discussion about this before, but in case you're new here, here's a quick lesson about escort and place cards:

Escort cards are individual cards with the guests names and table number on it. Your guests know the table they're assigned but can sit at any seat at that table. Place cards have an exact seat for the guest, both table and seat. You can have a huge board with table assignments on it then have the place card waiting at the seat. And then, of course, there are table numbers, which are the huge number in the center of the table. Without them, your guests won't know where to sit.

Regardless of if you use escort or place cards, you should definitely alphabetize them. Guests are going to look for their names alphabetically, so make it easier for them. They'll one) spend less time at the welcome table and more time in the reception room and two) spend less time at the welcome table causing a huge hold up behind them.

Summer Wedding Escort Card Ideas

1. Starfish Cards and Sand Dollar Place Cards
2. Oceanfront Flip-Flop Card Holders
3. Seven Seas White Summer Beach Coral Card Holder
4. Hinterland Trading Seashell Card Holders
5. Shimmering Starfish Card Holders
6. Kate Aspen "Nautical" Anchor Card Holders

Starfish Cards and Sand Dollar Place Cards

That's the way ours were set up. The photo above is actually one of our wedding photos. We used a combination of Starfish Cards and Sand Dollar Place Cards from Night Owl Paper Goods. We had them placed in rock sand from the house Pete's family rents in the Outer Banks and had a few starfish added to tie it all together.

Purchase the Starfish Cards here and the Sand Dollar Place Cards here.

Oceanfront Flip-Flop Card Holders

My favorite escort card holders are the Oceanfront Flip-Flop Card Holders. They're really cute. You can stick a card with the guests' names in them then, after the wedding, they can reuse these as photo holders. Personally, I think these would work best if your colors are already in the blue and teal realm. If not, it doesn't really make as much sense for this exact set.

Purchase here.

Seven Seas White Summer Beach Coral Card Holder

For a more neutral pallet, there's the Seven Seas White Summer Beach Coral Card Holder. I actually saw a DIY about making your own coral from sponges and plaster, but I haven't tried it yet to see if it would end up being a Pinterest fail. Until I perfect a DIY, I'm suggested these.

Purchase here.

Hinterland Trading Seashell Card Holders

For something a little more generic, check out the Hinterland Trading Seashell Card Holders. If you have seashells and a table saw, you could probably make these on your own. Or you can just buy them. If you're making everything else for your wedding, though, these definitely look more DIY than your other options, so it would definitely fit your theme.

Purchase here.

Shimmering Starfish Card Holders

On the complete opposite side of DIY is the Shimmering Starfish Card Holders. Your guests will definitely know you didn't make these. But how cute are they to add a little bling to your table?

Purchase here.

Kate Aspen "Nautical" Anchor Card Holders

And, for nautical weddings, which are super popular, there's the Kate Aspen "Nautical" Anchor Card Holders. They look a little weathered, which I think is a nice touch. Maybe they're anchors that have been used (okay, they're not, of course, but it's good coloring choices).

Purchase here.

Of course, whichever you choose, don't forget to pick up the actual cards to write on. Something simple like these Ivory Pearl Placecards works because anything too fancy would take away from your holder. The only exception, of course, is if you did something like mine and didn't use a holder.

BRIDAL BABBLE: I've seen a few other cute options too, like attaching a tag to a cocktail umbrella or starfish. What other summer wedding escort card ideas have you seen?

Planning a summer wedding?
Check out our DIY sunscreen bar.