Please be Seated

While I can't remember where I came across the idea, the moment I saw someone use years for table numbers, I knew I was done searching. 

We scoured through boxes and photo albums and frames and so on for the best photos of us from each year. It was so much fun picking out who would sit at which year.

Our parents, of course, got the early years (when we were cutest) and our friends got "the awkward years." Although, thoughtfully, our photographers didn't take any "awkward years" photos. Which is probably a good thing since no one wants more of those photos floating around.

Well, maybe one embarrassing photo slipped in there...

And, of course, everything was handmade.

I spent a couple months collecting frames from Goodwill stores near my house and spray painted them white. 

Each photo was scanned, resized, printed and cut to the appropriate size. I also printed and cut out each year.

I then mounted them to scrapbook paper and put them in the frame.

I would say it cost about $6 per table number.

Then we had to think about the seating chart. It seemed perfectly logical to me that since we were doing years, a timeline would be the perfect display option.

We ended up having three timeline boards set up on easels in the reception lobby where people could find their names and take their seats.

To make the boards, I purchased three 3/4-inch form board from the craft store and covered it with fabric using double-stick tape and flat tacks on the back.  

I then took blue ribbon and ran it across the center, fastening on back with double-stick tape and flat tacks.

The years were again printed out on my computer, cut out, and taped to the ribbon with more double-stick tape.

I used permanent marker to draw lines up and down from each year, making sure everything was evenly spaced, and that there was enough room to display all the names.

Each name card/banner was printed on my home computer, cut out, and tacked to the board using blue and white round tacks.  

I also added some extra paper flowers from the centerpieces to fill in a few gaps.

It's hard to say how much the seating chart cost because I had the fabric and ribbon, but I know I picked both up on clearance. So maybe $5 for the fabric, $1 for the ribbon, $3 for the tacks and tape...so maybe $10 for all three? 

We also needed a way to let the waiters know who ordered what.

So we added Paper Source menu stamps to the back of each banner as well as a reminder of the table number. 

I bet you can guess who the two people having steak at Table 2010 were. :)

All photos in this post by The Observatory