At Mr. Apple’s Request…
April 26th, 2007 @ 9:26 am by Mrs. Apple
….I agreed.
You see, Mr. Apple is a huge Lord of the Rings fan. He has the LOTR Trilogy Series on dvd. He also received this leather bound LOTR 50th Anniversary Edition book from me a few years back for Christmas. So after seeing a LOTR post awhile back from Miss Blueberry, he suggested why not have towns from LOTR as our table “numbers”.
With these unique and somewhat difficult town names, we thought it would be a better idea to include photos of fruits - for those older guests whose English isn’t so good. I even used some Asian fruits like the rambutan and lychee. I actually thought of doing different varieties of apples since I am Miss Apple! But I realized most guests wouldn’t even get it since they don’t read WB, plus apple variaties are so close in color and shape that people wouldn’t be able to distinguish between the apples. At least from the quick search I did on google.
I d-i-y’d the table names by using MS Word and printing them off my personal printer. The fruit images were downloaded from google images.
I even thought about doing caramel covered and chocolate covered apples, but thought it still would have been a little confusing for our guests to distinguish between tables.
Hey bees, do you see your fruit?
My question is how should I design the bulletin board for guests to look for their names?
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24 Responses to “At Mr. Apple’s Request…”
LOVE it!
Wow, you have a lot of tables. I like your table “numbers” a lot. Where did you get the holders, BTW? I haven’t found any I like, I need to ask the venue if they have some. In a magazine I saw a seating poster where they had the table name on top, the guests underneath, and then on the bottom the illustration from the card, which in your case would be the fruit. In the center of the poster would be “The Wedding of Mr and Mrs Apple” with the tables around it, vertically aligned. Looked good.
To me, it seems a little confusing to have a picture of a fruit with the name of LOTR location. I’m sure your guests will be able to find their table, but they may wonder why you chose to do it that way. It doesn’t really seem to go together….
Oh well. It’s only one opinion and it’s a minor detail. Don’t worry about it.
I agree with Mrs. Ant. It’s a little confusing to have the name of the LOTR location and a picture of the fruit. I would stick to the fruit and use the LOTR theme elsewhere. Plus unless you are going to provide an explanation, your guests are going to wonder what Sea of Rhun has to do with a coconut.
Actually, Mr Apple and I were thinking of adding a few lines onto the bulletin board explaining his love of LOTR. Our families together both know that Mr Apple is a full fledged sci fi and epic fantasy kind of guy. For goodness sake, he even wears sci fi t - shirts! But you know what, the many reasons why I love Mr Apple. -)
Miss Snow Pea : I was thinking of maybe doing fruits and LOTR on the bulletin board - have a photo of the fruit/LOTR name as the title and then list the guest names underneath but I’m worried since its not in alphabetical order it may take them awhile.
hmm…well if i was to not include both the fruit and the LOTR town name, how would I make it easier for guests to read it ( my older asian guests) ? I still would like to have LOTR table town names.
pencils - we got them at instawares.com and paid a little more than the sale price now. Great service and quick too.
http://www.instawares.com/table-card-holder-18in.tbh-18.0.7.htm
LOTR is famous for having maps in the books — could use that as a board so the cards for the table are tacked on at that spot of the map (so long as no one mistakes the map for a floor plan).
Also not seeing the fruit/LOTR connection, yet, tho. Maybe could tie in in with different graphics that look like they might be something from LOTR — Hobbit foods, or regular foods but in LOTR colors/style/graphics, like sepias and browns, foods presented on rustic or Elvish serving vessels?
I would say remove the fruits and veggie pictures and organize names alphabetically. Seriously, it is pretty annoying to have to scan through dozens of lists when looking for table assignments, especially if you are talking about a big guest list.
Iris - very true about the LOTR maps…hm..i am definitely going to think up something…
I just want to say… whoo hoo!! I’m a table!
my fiance is also a LOTR fan.. hehe.
As far as the fruit thing being confusing - if you decide to change this, maybe you could use numbers in addition to the place names? And maybe put a colorful/scripty looking number with the name underneath? So like, “The Shire” underneath a fancy looking 1, so you get something of an illustration for the cards but it’s more straightforward.
Then you could have an alphabetical list of names, with the next column the table number and name. Ie “John Doe — Table 1: The Shire”, or something. Esp if you have a large number of guests, it will be much faster if they can find their names alphabetically.
I’ve been thinking of using pics of landmarks from the city where I live but was also going to include numbers, b/c I heard it’s easier for guests to find the tables if they’re arranged in order numerically.
Miss Apple, do you have a significant number of guest who are older asian? Because as a LOTR fan, the fruit confuses me. But as an older asian who doens’t know what LOTR is anyway, the fruit is very useful. I definately advocate alphabetizing BUT BUT BUT if I didn’t know any better…I would guess that most of the older asians have hard to spell names or they aren’t known by that name but as “auntie or uncle so and so”.
I would have to say stick with 1 theme: either the LOTR or just the fruit (or a LOTR related picture as someone suggested). That way, the confusion is just 1 type of confusion-the older asian looking for their names. And not both older asian looking for name AND your friends asking, hey what does coconut have to do with LOTR? If they can’t read English well anway, I doubt they will be too concerned at finding their name and will probably just ask their daughter/son/relative, hey am I sitting with you?
(this was my experience at my MOH’s wedding ie. 1-they had both Chinese and Burmese names 2-It’s translated into English which is never a straight translation 3-older ppl couldn’t see small font 4-they just sat where they were told anyway bc they didnt know what a place card was 5- since I knew them as auntie or uncle something…I couldn’t help them find their seat either!)
*And Chinese people took offense to numbered table numbers because they felt they were being ranked. Ugh, you can’t win! 
So I’d say stick to the LOTR. Put a LOTR related picture. Group the older asians by table not by alphabetized named..that way their relatives can say Hey you’re sitting with me 
I hope that helps. Now I feel bad, I think I confused you more.
Miss Snowpea’s line (”hey what does coconut have to do with LOTR?”) just made me stop and think there was a coconut in LOTR, but then I realized it was Monty Python — galloping with the coconuts.
ooo I love the idea, I just talked my FI last night into doing a disney theme for our tables!!!! I like the picture idea, because I can see how numbers could upset people. Though if you really want to do a fruit theme as well, why not write on the board that besides your FI being a LOTR fan, you are a part of weddingbee.com where people are named after fruits, then the two do not necessarily have to go together it will just show your interest and his!!! Just an idea. Good Luck with the decision!!!!
I agree with some of the previous posters - these really don’t go together! Good luck coming up with a solution. I really think I’d be weirded out as a guest.
Just wanted to concur that the fruit/LOTR combination is very confusing and odd! It would probably be best to stick with one or the other.
Are you having ushers in your wedding? You could consider having an usher or a gracious friend or family member stand by the seating chart and assist your older Asian guests.
I think you should either stick to “fruits and numbers” or “LOTR and numbers” … that way if you’re not hip to the whole unique theming, you can fall back and simply remember the number of the table.
And I completely understand the LOTR fetish… Mr. Lemon has every movie memorized and often taunts me with his Smiegel voice. He even went to the “Return of the King” premiere and I can only imagine he was drooling insanely when he was meeting everyone. I’m definitely not telling him about your idea.
So, who gets stuck at the “Gate of Moria” table?
beta — that made me lol! I told my LOTR-fan husband I want to engrave “My Precious” in his ring. He’s mulling it over.
Some people are mentioning table numbers but I get the picture there is a concern that some of the older Asian relatives might misinterpret this to be a ranking of how they are perceived, so…. might be best avoided? I’ve heard that the number “4″ is unlucky or means death in one or more Asian cultures — Does that mean skipping #4 or just not sitting certain people there would would be freaked out? I don’t think I’ve ever noticed whether #13 is skipped…
Good catch, Iris. Memo to self: do not put the Wen family at table 4.
We tossed around a few table-naming ideas, but ultimately decided to go totally old school and number them. Someone–Martha Stewart?–did table numbers using photos of architectural numbers swiped from flickr, which we’re semi-stealing. Instead of some random stranger’s numbers, we’re photographing the numbers around us. My license plate has a 1, our house number has a 2…we have everything but seven, and I think I’m going to take a picture of FI holding up seven fingers to cover that.
Personally, I think you should go with fruit. That way you can put C-listers at the “Durian” table. Hahahaha. Just kidding. Oh, me and my obscure Asian fruit references…
Durian is that smelly spikey fruit (but I heard it tastes really good though). Very funny Miss Love bug
Funny stuff Miss Lovebug… -P I was never a big fan of durian growing up but I visited Thailand when I turned 15 and the durian is amazzzzzing - you just have to bypass the pungent odor. It was so fresh, not the frozen ones I always see at Asian Markets.
So anyways, with all of the posters who veto’d our ideas…booo on you guys. -P BUT I do see your point and will have to rethink it with Mr. Apple. Thanks guys.
sure are a lot of comments! Sure, there is no correlation between LOTR and fruits, but all you want to do is find your table, right? I really love the pictures of the fruits you have, and it’s so much more creative than just numbers. I think that if you had both of them on there, the folks could figure out which table to go to. Plus, the gals will appreciate the colorful fruits and the guys will appreciate the LOTR names. If it’s just LOTR, the gals may get confused. Anyway, as for a map, I find it less confusing when all the names are in alphabetical order. Maybe a really pretty map or collage of LOTR as a background would work. If you can find a pic of a fruit farm in LOTR, even better =)
Mrs. Apple, Dallas
Age and Occupation in '07: 28, Entrepreneur
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Police Officer
Engagement Date: Easter Day 2006
Wedding Date: May 27, 2007
Blogging Since: September 28, 2006
Venue: Marie Gabrielle Restaurant & Gardens
About Me: I'm in the midst of trying to plan a "perfectly beautiful" wedding and decorating my new home. It's been exhausting but totally worth every minute of it. Ironically, I was never the type of person to want to get married but now that I'm engaged, I get giddy over anything that is wedding related! I'll try my best to give you all unique and practical ideas.
Heyyy that’s produce discrimination. I am a veggie. Just kidding. The cards with a picture on it is a very good idea for those older asian folks. You’re right.
For the bulletin board, did you want to stick with the LOTR theme or a fruit theme? If they were tent cards, I would suggest a rectangular fruit basket to put them in.