Wedding Blog
So our teabag escort cards are all done, but now I gotta figure out how to showcase them!The original plan was to display the escorts on the granite slab, with the teabags standing and lined up along the ribbon and labels identifying ‘His Family’, ‘Her Family’, and ‘Like Family’:
Unfortunately, practicality doesn’t allow this for several reasons:
So instead, we tried just laying them all down, which is rather boring:
We considered doing the his/her/like family grouping this way as well, but the numbers in each group doesn’t work out to fit full rows, so the least confusing way would just be alphabetizing all of them.
And then I tried doing the grouping on charger plates:
Since we need at least 4 plates to hold all the teabags, I was thinking of adding a group called ‘Friends & Guest’. But because we’re having such an intimate wedding, most friends who are invited are like family to us, so I’d hate to stick them in this category out of convenience.
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I love the His/Her/Like-family SOoooooo much! I totally say don’t think too much! It’s only 2 people, 1 that you haven’t met…I think call them “like family” for the sake of the other large group of people who will be so flattered that they’re like family…that’s super, duper cute. i love it!
I love the plate idea, but even more the “like family” idea! In fact, I think I am going to use those categories as well!
I have a tendency to overthink things like this as well, but really, that idea is too cute to give up! IF you need something to ease your mind, think of it this way - the people you don’t even know may become like family anyways. Aren’t some of his friends and family (more of the distant ones) practically strangers to you as well?
OK, and lets say they don’t become like family - for that one day, their being there and supporting you is doing what family should do - being there for you!
PS LOVE the teabag idea.
it won’t matter if you say the guests you don’t know are “like family” - it’s the thought that counts, and even though they don’t know you, I’m sure they’ll appreciate the thought, especially since you say you’re having an “intimate” ceremony!
I like the labeling too! My first reaction to your post was that the first display option on the stone looks like many rows of little tombstones…probably not the effect you were going for.
I don’t think the other options suck, despite my vote, but have you considered putting them in open metal tea boxes? You could still sort them however you wanted (alpha, family, etc), but they wouldn’t require day-of setup, and they’d be easy to transport. You’d still get the standing effect from the first display, but they’d probably look less morose in context and wouldn’t fall over as much in a box, though guests might have to sort of flip through the bags like files (or cds a la Miss Pom) http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/08/13/music-is-my-boyfriend%e2%80%94i-mean-fiance/
I’m sure they’ll look great, whatever you decide!
I said people wouldn’t care if they ended up in the “friends and guests bins” because honestly, I don’t think they would notice. If they did you could just say that the Like (pronounce Licky) family are such huge procreaters their family didn’t fit on the plates so they got one of their own 
Yeah, don’t sweat it about the guests you don’t know as well… Embrace the spirit of inclusion, I say (we also had 2 guests that we didn’t directly invite).
I voted for the his/her/like family, its only 2 ppl so make them feel more special 
I also like the plate option the best - a) I like the way it looks and b) I think the red makes it easier to read the names.
I like the “like family” category as a snarky way of letting the 2 that weren’t invited know that the wedding was SUPPOSED to be for close family and friends. Heh.
I’ve got to know who you’re inviting that you don’t know! It’s killing me. I like the idea of the plates and grouping them by letter, but I don’t think you need to label them at all.
what about rethinking the granite slab, and instead using pearl tipped pins to pin them up on a board? It would be easier to see and won’t fly away or get messed up. And you could set it ahead of time and bring the board.
I would say the alphabetical. As much as no one should be offended by being Like-family, I personally wouldnt run that risk and would just be alphabetical.
I like the granite slab look best, but the plates will make them easier to find. Just a thought to keep in mind - Wind! (Or fans and AC vents) If either of those is a factor, lay them down.
Chicka - they look great whichever way you go.
@MissSauce: i love the tea box idea! but mr.GT will kill me if i add one more thing to the wedding shopping list. also thanks for the headsup about the tombstone look, i totally didn’t realize and my mama would probably have a heart attack!
@shannamt: omg that is freaking hilarious, i almost have to go that route now JUST so i can use it!
@Melissa: lol, but those two are innocent! i’m sure they didn’t ask to be brought along uninvited!
@KateMW: ya don’t wanna get me started on that girl!
@everrocks: that’s a rather genius idea, but i’m worried about the guests picking them up not realizing how fragile the bags are and/or that they are pinned, which will create a big mess.
Go with the his/her/like. Don’t make the 2 extra guests more of an issue than you need to. Having them there is enough of a frustration, you shouldn’t have to change your decor plans as well. Also for the presentation, have you considered hanging the tea bags in some fashion. I think the strings really help identify the tea bag. You should show them off instead of tucking them away. Consider hanging them like (for lack of a better example) a baby mobile or something similar. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.koolroomz.net/spring_baby_wall_mobile.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.koolroomz.net/modernmobiles.html&h=295&w=282&sz=72&hl=en&start=7&sig2=HGtiJsBrCPLUBWAtvzdMHA&um=1&tbnid=XZGHB4AKH4FEHM:&tbnh=115&tbnw=110&ei=jrmkSLWaA4e6iwGyr-zDDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbaby%2Bmobile%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den
I’m sure it will look great with whatever you choose!
I love your escort cards! I voted for the alphabetically grouped charger plate option BUT I do love Ms. Sauce’s tea box idea!
I love the plates. I can’t imagine how “Like Family” would offend anyone. In fact, if I was a guest of yours and not part of the family, that would make me feel great! Maybe this is a no-brainer, but I’d make sure I alphabetized them in the plate groupings if you decide to go that route… less time searching for your escort card is always appreciated…
I like the 3 catergory idea, dont want to just excldue two people and the whole family thing is way too cute
What if instead of chargers you did rectangle plates or something similar, think it would be more like your first option (that you had to abandon) and would lend more to the shape of the tea bags instead of forcing squares into a round hole
If the two people you don’t know are uninvited plus ones could you just put and guest under their dates (who are like family i presume)?
OMG Green Tea, that is TOO CUTE! I love the idea of separating them by family and “like family”. That is AWESOME!
This is just such a beautiful idea! I vote for the granite slab and his/her/like family. I think the “like family” tag is so lovely, and even if there are two guests you don’t know, they are probably there with people that are “like fam” right?
I also immediately caught the “tombstone” similarity, and I believe that placing them on a granite slab would only drive home the gravemarker-theme. (Eeek.) That being said, I’m also not a fan of the round chargers.
Could they each be displayed on a teaspoon? Would sugar cubes help them stand up? Just putting ideas out there …
I love the His-Her-Like groupings, however.
I can’t decide! I can’t decide! I keep trying to picture myself going to a wedding and seeing both options and… I like both so I’m no help there. But I do Love the Like Family option!
If you have any leftover trays or tea tins from your centerpieces or tea buffet, you might not need to get a new box to hold them?
And, I was also thinking of how the teabags are open in the middle, so you could easily thread them all onto a big wide ribbon very prettily…they’d just be impossible to get off. I don’t know, can anyone else think of a way to make use of the middle opening that goes through the teabags?
I worry that on the teabags on each charger will end up in a heap if as guests brush their hands against other bags to get to their own.
I like the corkboard idea the best, but I also agree with your worry about the delicate nature of the bags. What if you were to clip the teabags to a board? Or what if you were to create three lines of string (one each under each other), each string is labeled with your adorable categories, and then the teabags are hung on each string in alphabetical order? Of course, this is much harder to prep and set up than the chargers, so it might not be worth it.
Not to make things overly complicated, but the teabags do have those handy strings attached… is there a way you could hang them up? If you want them all facing the same way, you could hang them on the wall… say with a long ribbon. You could clip the tags to the ribbon with paperclips, clothespins, etc… or you could hang the bags from a limb or something. That might be too much, but it would look cool! I like your groupings, though. I wouldn’t worry about the people you don’t know - no one will criticize you for putting them under “like family”. Heck, no one will even notice!
What about hanging the from a “tree”.. then you’d have a tea tree. =)
Seriously, you wouldn’t have to worry about the domino affect, the others being knocked over as guests look for their name and it’ll be a great play on your tea theme cards, er, bags.
This is cute, but ohmygod my friends would’ve never let me hear the end of it if i used teabags. Your friends and family must be way. more. mature than mine.
Oh my goodness I’m loving the tea bags–what a fantastic idea! My vote is that you go for the three plates (if they all fit) and just throw the people you don’t really know on the “like family” plate. It’s better to call people you barely know “like family” than it is to call people who are like family “just friends”–you know how petty some people can be over these kinds of things!
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Mrs. Green Tea, Sacramento
Age and Occupation: 30, Tea Analyst
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Coffee Critic
Engagement Date: November 17, 2006
Wedding Date: August 23, 2008
Blogging Since: June 10, 2008
Venue: Vineyard on the Delta
About Me: I'm just your average obsessive compulsive, arts & crafts loving, funky-on-the-inside/boring-on-the-outside girl, who dares to say 'Hey! I can make that!' Nerdy professional by day, goofy won-ton by night. The won-ton sometimes comes out during the day when I'm fed the dollar breakfast at Ikea. Since our engagement, wedding planning has put me on high alert for bargains and I've been pushing my nimble fingers through callous building experiments!
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