My mom’s wife has this gorgeous old typewriter and I tried to convince them to have a typewriter guestbook at their wedding. It would have been perfect, I think. It was such a small wedding, so everyone could have added their warm wishes on one sheet of paper that could have been tucked into some book somewhere to be found later and read with lots of love and fond memories. But there was some issue with finding a ribbon or some other thing, so it didn’t happen. Booo.

click click click click shrrrrk!

Maybe I can convince you to have a typewriter guestbook at your wedding receptions? The typewriter owners among you, anyway. Or the brides-to-be who’ve been looking for some excuse to buy a vintage typewriter. A wedding! What better excuse? You could even have a typewriter themed wedding! And then later on you can display it in your living room with a nice white sheet of paper and pop over to it whenever inspiration strikes to jot down a few lines. Doesn’t that sound lovely?

Table numbers – if you’re assigning seats or tables at your wedding reception, you’re going to need them. I know, I know, your table numbers don’t necessarily need to be numbers, so take these ideas and translate them into non-numbered table numbers if you want to! Because they are awesome and fun and definitely a step up from a number on a stick randomly erupting from a floral arrangement.

via Lil Missi, but easily DIYable with burlap wine bags, fabric paints, and stencils

via the Back Porch Shoppe

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I am absolutely enamored with the idea of using puzzle pieces as reception table place cards! Like these, which feature images of the bride and groom. A table’s worth of puzzle pieces are assembled by guests and *voila* a keepsake that can go home with some lucky guest.

Brides and grooms who have a bit of artistic talent (or can use paste without freaking out) can even DIY this one with a package of blank puzzles!

Images by Kurstin Roe Photography

I saw this sweet little reception table centerpiece on bride.ca and just had to share. Because it’s just too simple not to.

You say you’re not planning a New York City subway themed wedding? No problem, just replace the subway card with anything. How about glittery table numbers or some other pretty thing?

All it takes are some nice flower pots – you could even use plain terracotta pots, homegrown wheatgrass, LED tea lights, and the table number of your choice.

Are you DIYing your reception centerpieces? If so, remember to scale your design to the size of your table so it doesn’t look dinky (or absolutely huuuuge)!

If you’ll be serving bread with your wedding reception meal anyway – or if, better still, you and your beloved are artisan bakers – consider replacing traditional place cards with place carbs. Okay, so it was a terrible pun, but it’s still a terrific idea. Sized correctly, little loaves as place cards are DIYable and an adorable addition to your reception tables!

Image: Once Wed

The groom’s speech – yes, yet another in the long line of wedding speeches – is your opportunity to thank your wedding guests for honoring you with their presence, to thank your new spouse for all her or his hard work, and to give a shout out to all the people who helped you foot the bills. Your speech, if you plan to give one, usually happens after the FOB has had his say but before the BM grabs for the mic. You can wing it if you have a talent for freestyling, but the groom’s speech is almost always more impressive if you prepare ahead of time by making a mental list of all the people you should be thanking.

Who deserves an honorable mention? Consider paying your respects to the moms and the dads, your attendants including the littlest ones, your officiant, extended family you’re close to, guests who traveled very far, and all those who were unable to make it due to circumstances outside of their control… but try to avoid reciting a laundry list of thank yous.

If you want to do more than express your gratitude, you should really prep your speech ahead of time and memorize it. There’s nothing wrong with reading off a crumpled up slip of paper – which is how I read my vows! – but connecting with a crowd means making eye contact. Even though Easyweddingtoasts.com suggests opening with a snappy one-liner, what you’re aiming for here is sincerity and originality. Don’t get too funny or too sentimental – your family may think your re-enactment of your first date is hilarious, but your spouse’s family may not be used to your brand of humor. Personal anecdotes are good, and you can win major brownie points with your new in-laws by telling everyone how lucky you are to be married to your new mate.

You could pay someone to write the ultimate groom’s speech for you… the Internet is overflowing with automatic speech generators like Speeches.com and professional speechwriters looking to make a buck. Your guests probably won’t care, however, whether you recite a good canned speech or give an okay speech that comes from the heart. They’re there to support you, not to judge you. You shouldn’t talk on and on in the interest of making your speech a certain length – a minute or two of chatter is sufficient if you’ve gotten your point across. End with a one-sentence toast like, “To my beautiful bride!” or “To the families that were joined today!” and pass the mic on.

Excerpt: iDo: Planning Your Wedding With Nothing But Net

Admit it – unless you’re the bride or the groom or someone really close to the bride or groom, listening to wedding speeches can be kind of tedious. Not everyone knows how to give a great wedding speech, and not all wedding receptions time the service of the apps or cake to coincide with the speechifying. There’s not much any of us can do about it, which is why I’m loving Wedding Speech Bingo, a free download from One Fab Day. There are eight different Wedding Speech Bingo cards using the same basic phrases in different combinations, which means couples can print a card per table or give everyone at each table their own card. Want to be extra sweet? Have prizes at the ready for the winners!