SIGN ME UP
Personalised signs are trending, and for good reason. From using them as a means of easy, stylish communication to direct your guests, to a great backdrop for photos, bespoke signage has a lot to offer. Here, Lucy Mackey explores different styles and materials for your personalised wedding signage.
What do you absolutely need when you gather all your closest friends and family in one place? A sign to tell them where to go! From the moment they arrive, your guests need direction and guidance as to whether they should sit on the left or the right of the altar, are to go upstairs or down a certain path, and with a little forethought you’ll be able to assist them even when you’re not around!
Good signage will help your wedding run smoothly, especially if you have a large venue, or elements for your guests to interact with – like a photobooth, or an outdoor game to play. Signs are a must, but they don’t have to be merely functional. With personalised signs, you can complement the style of your wedding and put your own stamp on the venue.
FROM START TO FINISH
Using personalised signage will create structure in your wedding program. From a welcome board to greet your guests and lead them to their seats at the ceremony, to a notice inviting them to take a bomboniere as they leave, selecting the style of your signs is an important decision as they’re among the first and last things your guests will encounter. Sleek acrylic can further a chic aesthetic, while materials like wood, calico and twine are charmingly rustic.
PRETTY AND PLAYFUL
Customised signs give you the chance to have a bit of fun and express your personality, especially in a venue that might see dozens of weddings a year. If your wedding follows a certain theme, allocating table names, rather than numbers, is a great way to get your guests talking and laughing. Watch as they realise they’ve been seated on the Slytherin or Ravenclaw table, labelled with a precision-cut sign.
STREAMLINE IT
Whenever you gather a large group of people together, you can be sure there will be so many questions! Where’s the bathroom? When will the main course be served? How do I use the fingerprint-tree guest book? When should I light my sparkler? Good signage helps a program to run smoothly and will make your guests feel more comfortable, since they won’t have to make assumptions. It will also save you and your bridal party from fielding questions all day, and cut down on the list of instructions that the master of ceremony usually needs to read out at the beginning of the reception. If you’ve got a social media tag for the day, you can also display it so your guests won’t forget to use it!
LASER-CUT PRECISION
As you’ll need countless small signs to highlight table numbers, the guest book, the bowl of lollies set out by the door, or the basket of necessities near the bathrooms, laser-cutting is a good option. Increasingly easy and affordable, laser-cut signs are made from thin sheets of acrylic or wood (usually a few millimetres thick) and all you need to do is pick a font, colour and the text you wish to print. Laser-cut place cards add a personal touch, and guests love to take them away as a souvenir at the end.
STRIKE A POSE
Treat your guests like celebrities walking the red carpet, with a personalised backdrop. Marked with your initials and the date of your nuptials, they can pose in front of a photographer or take pictures of each other. Usually printed on canvas, backdrops look great hanging against a wall, on a frame, or even from the branch of a tree, and they’re very popular for modern weddings.
TAKE IT HOME
A wooden sign will suit almost any aesthetic, and afterwards, you can take it home for a unique reminder of your wedding. Carved, polished and painted wood has a classic elegance, and many couples are choosing to use a sign that later becomes a beautiful feature, hung among their wedding photos at home. Propped on an easel, it’s also a great element in photographs on the day.
CHALK IT UP
Cute and versatile, chalkboards suit a range of styles. Easels and boards come in a range of sizes, and if you can’t find the right one, they’re easy to make with some DIY skills, wood and paint. They look great with simple text, but if you’re artistically inclined, they are the perfect blank canvas. If you don’t want to make do with pre-made signs, but need to keep costs down, chalkboards are an affordable way to say exactly what you need.
VERY VINYL
Wall decals are among the latest trends in home decoration, and they also make a creative way to style your wedding. Vinyl decals or clings are easily applied to any glass or glossy surface, and they’re simple to set up and take off at the end of the day. But of course, make sure to check with your venue first! They are also perfect for the getaway car. Instead of a poster that’s bound to fall off, try a personalised cling on the back window to announce to everyone that you’re newlyweds.
YOUR STYLE
Customised signs will say exactly what you want them to say, and look just how you want them to look, saving you from compromising with pre-made versions that aren’t quite right. There are many services in Melbourne that produce quality products to your specifications, and if you’re craftily inclined, there is a lot you can do with a few tools and simple materials. It’s the small elements that tie a style together, and with bespoke signs, you’ll really be able to express your personality!
