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Top 10 Design Ideas For Menu Cards

When placed on each of your guest tables, a menu card adds a touch of elegance. It’s the kind of accent you’d find at an Oscars party or in a fine restaurant: a mouth-watering announcement of the courses to come. You’ve devoted time and thought to what you’re serving, so nothing less than a beautiful menu card will do for its arrival. While Oscars party planners pay thousands for the creation of menu cards, you can make your own with the same style and class. Here are some design ideas to get you started:

1. Match or mix colors
   Coordinate the color of card stock to your table décor. Your menu card might be a matching color to your tablecloth, such as the very same burgundy, or it might match the color of a flower in your centerpiece. Don’t stress if it doesn’t match your invitations; it’s more important that the menu card works within your table’s color scheme.
   
   
2. Make it thick
   Use heavier, but still printable, card stock such as Mountaincow's menu cards for your menus, not regular laser paper. You can do as many professional designers do and hot glue the printed card to a fabric-covered piece of cardboard for a sturdier, more official, feel.
   
   
3. Spell it out
   Ask your caterer to write out a full description of each of your menu choices, so that you get full details and the correct spellings – and don’t forget the proper accent marks – of dishes, sides, sauces and spices.
   
   
4. Use your names
   Print your names and wedding date at the top of the card, or – if there’s no room – print them on the back of the card. The back of the card might also be used for your dessert menu lineup, or you can use it to list the after-dinner drinks or full bar menu.
   
   
5. Initial it
   You might wish to use your new married monogram on the top of the Menu Card to match the style of your invitations packets.
   
   
6. Use graphics
   A digital photo of you and your fiancée works fine, or you can select from Mountaincow’s graphics, such as champagne glasses, vineyard grapes, and so on.
   
   
7. Punch it out
   Use creatively-shaped hole punches to add a personalized accent to your menu cards, then scatter the punches on the table like confetti. An example might be a heart-shaped hole punch at the bottom corner of the card, or a shooting star, or a simple pair of circles through which you tie a color-coordinated ribbon bow to match your wedding invitation style.
   
   
8. End it sweetly
   Add a personalized note to the bottom of the menu card, such as “Save room for dessert! Wedding cake, chocolate-covered strawberries and chocolate mousse will be waiting for us during the dessert hour!”
   
   
9. Name your drinks
   Ask the bar manager to help you create a Bar Card as well. On this displayed printout, you’ll provide the names and descriptions of the wines, champagnes, mixed drinks and soft drinks that are on your bar menu. Be creative and name some of the mixed drinks after you, such as “Angela’s Apple Martini.”
   
   
10. Make it bold
    Check to make sure your menu card can be read in low light, such as the candlelight from the votives at the tables. Use bolder print or larger fonts so that all of your guests can read the delectable choices with ease.