Give Wedding Guests a Custom Deck of Cards

With all the planning that goes into a wedding, don't let your party favors get lost in the details. While it's fine to hand out a box of chocolates or an engraved key chain to guests, why not go for a fun favor that people will hold onto and enjoy? Try a customized deck of playing cards - emblazoned with pictures of the happy couple. To create a custom deck of cards, talk to your print vendor to see if they have a 3.5-inch by 2.5-inch template (the standard size for playing cards). Next, get a head count of how many folks you've invited. It's OK to print a few extra sets, trust me you'll enjoy having this favor around for years to remember your special day! You can even save a pack for your kids to use! Be creative with the design. A printer or a graphic designer can walk you through setting up an easy template that you can vary for each different card. One idea is to add photographs or illustrations of the couple's faces on all of the King and Queen cards. You can even put the Best Man on the Joker cards and the Maid of Honor on the Jacks! Here's a link to photoshop tutorial on converting a photograph into a simple illustration. If you don't have the software or the time, a graphic designer will also be able to take photographs and create custom card designs from them. If you want to include the entire bridal party or friends and family members, you can vary the center design on every card, so that the each of the 52 cards is unique. For example, the Two of Hearts could feature a photograph of the flower girl, the Three of Diamonds a picture of the groom's father, and so on. For another creative wedding-themed twist, vary the suites. Keep the diamonds and hearts, which are on theme, but replace the usual spades and clubs with more romantic symbols such as the eternity sign (looks like a horizontal number eight), a house icon, champagne glass, a dollar sign or anything else you can think of that will bring the couple good luck and happiness. Most importantly, choose one leading image for the back of the cards. All the cards need to look identical on this side. An image of the happy couple might work, or a stock image of wedding bands, wedding bells, a just married sign on the back of a car, a cake topper - basically anything wedding related. Finally think about packaging. Talk to your print vendor about having each deck poly-wrapped in clear or colorful cellophane. You can add a handmade touch by tying the card packs with ribbons and silk flowers that match your wedding party, or add a festive gift bow to each deck. If you are in the market for wedding favors, also check out this post about creating Wedding mix CD favors.

*opening thumbnail image via Flickr user LadybugBKT.