When Karly Williams and Peter Fowler wed in October 2018 in a vintage-themed celebration at rustic Black Diamond Gardens, the bride, who is a librarian, and the groom, who’s a teacher, used their shared love of books as inspiration to craft a seating chart made of—what else?—catalog cards. While working at the library in college, Karly came across a ream of cards for the card catalog, perforated and punched, ready for the typewriter. “I wasn’t sure what I would do with them at the time, but I’m so glad I kept them over the years!” says Karly. “When Peter and I decided to get married, it was an easy decision to create a seating system using the cards.” To save money, but also maintain the desired aesthetic, the couple settled on using a pair of oak drawers with brass pulls from an original card catalog, instead of a full cabinet. Later, at the wedding reception, guests had some fun doing their own searches in the catalog, rifling through the cards to find their names. “This project worked because I followed my gut—the cards were something my guests would spend time with, and they truly represented an aspect of my life that I wanted them to experience,” says Karly.
