Like window boxes on a spring day, this tablescape provides a bright burst of color. To create it, spray-paint low wooden boxes white (we used The Container Store's bamboo drawer organizers), and line them with floral foam. Cover the foam with sheets of wheatgrass (sold in flats), then use a knife to poke a dozen holes through both layers. Place a poppy or tulip stem with a water tube in each opening.

Even on a shoestring budget, a smart fabric cover can spruce up the most basic booklet. Just choose a wide trimming (ours is a Hyman Hendler & Sons 3 7/8-inch vintage taffeta ribbon), cut your paper to fit, and glue the pieces together along the top inside edge.

An everyday supply turns loose pieces of paper into a polished pamphlet. To replicate this one, print your information on rectangles, then cut the corners to look like tags. Select various shades of the same color paper for an ombre effect, and use a heavier card stock for the cover. Stack, punch a hole, and insert the fastener; we used American Crafts mini brads (createforless.com).

Divide your program into four sections with an accordion technique and alternating colors of ink. Our online template is set up to print two, side by side, on an 11-by-17-inch piece of paper.

Rather than handing out a separate toss for the recessional, attach packets of paper confetti to your programs with double-sided tape. We used ClearBags glassine envelopes G7.

Champion Stamp is our go-to vendor for finding extraordinary invitation postage. Visit their site to browse through thousands -- or to order any of the examples shown here.

For Garden Weddings Delicate buds and vintage botanical prints bring Mother Nature's finest to your invites. Mix and match multiple stamps to reach the required postage for each envelope.

For City Celebrations Tying the knot at a museum, at the foot of a historic bridge, or in a loft with a skyline view? Art, architecture, and graphic motifs give your loved ones an idea of what to expect before they even open their mail.

For Beach Parties Let these intricate mini paintings inspire wanderlust in your guests. Ships, sandy spots, and glorious birds allude to the water -- and they're perfect for destination affairs.

For Mountain Nuptials If flora and fauna will be the backdrop of your woodland wedding, let them set the scene for your invitations, too.

Row 1: 1951, 1379, 1377
Row 2: 1715, 3837, 3197
Row 3: 1928, 3198, 1758, 2072
Row 4: C63, 2041
Row 5: 1448-51, 4037, 2867
Row 6: 1938, 3869, 2134
Row 7: 1376, 1362, 1764
Row 8: 1924, 1122, 1766

Welcome guests to your reception with refreshing drinks that are tagged with their table numbers. The chilled mint lemonade shown here is delicious for spring and summer occasions. In the cooler months, serve apple cider or hot cocoa in mugs.

The details: Specialty Bottle 12-oz sauce bottle. The Sugar Diva 10.5-inch paper straws. Marvy Uchida super jumbo birch-leaf punch (1stopsquare.com). Habu Textiles cotton yarn (purlsoho.com).

This trio of shortbread cookies, meringue kisses, and lemon marshmallows is a riff on the tangy pie that's meant to be eaten in one tasty bite. To make them, bake shortbread onto sticks, and add the meringue and marshmallows once they've cooled. For a heavenly presentation, line a serving tray with a sheet of Styrofoam, poke the finished skewers through so they stand upright, and cover with a layer of candy. Try Economy Candy's white stars.

These charming sweeteners are a fresh alternative to plain-old coffeehouse cubes. They're available in more than 50 styles, including leaves, shells, and hearts, as well as custom shapes, and can be served on individual saucer rims or arranged on a platter with dessert tongs.

The details: Gourmet Sugar Company acorn-leaf and dogwood-blossom sugars.

Retro headpieces, like this 1950s version, were all over the runways this season. 

This shiny new take on the traditional lapel flower is an instant heirloom. Have a metal disc engraved for your fiance with your initials and wedding date. Then sew it to a ribbon bow and glue or sew the fabric to a flat-back safety pin (at craft stores).

The details: Rembrandt Charms charm #4604 (rembrandtcharms.com for stores). Mokuba New York 9mm all-stitch satin ribbon #1120, color 25 (212-869-8900).

This handheld tool can imprint your return address onto envelope flaps, save-the-dates, and thank-you notes. It makes an impression -- literally -- while saving you both time and money. It also makes an excellent bridesmaid or groomsman gift. This one is by Rubber Stamps, Inc.

Let guests know exactly where they're sitting by putting personalized correspondence cards, which pull double duty as favors, at each setting. They're simple and inexpensive to make.

Instead of an album-style tome, have a custom puzzle made with your names and/or wedding date (ours is by Bella Puzzles). Place the pieces in a glass bowl at your reception, along with a sign asking friends to autograph the unfinished backs. When the party is over, you'll have fun putting them together and reading the good wishes.

This delectable display starts with votive candleholders filled with chocolate pudding and topped with crushed-cookie "dirt." Lemon verbena, lavender, and basil flowers sprout from each pot. Serve your treats with wooden ice cream spoons stamped with your and his initials to resemble plant tags. "Beaker" candleholder, CB2. "Taster" spoons, WEBstaurant Store.

Elevate the guest book to an art form by having guests write on plates to be later mounted on your wall. Choose white dishes for the well-wishes, which show up nicely when inscribed with metallic paint pens. After the event, arrange the signed plates with patterned ones in a random grouping for a sophisticated feel. Just don't go using them to serve your anniversary cake -- the paint is not food-safe. White platter (at bottom), Crate & Barrel. Extra-fine-tip Gold Creative Marker (PILSCG-E), Pilot Pens.

At the end of the night, send your guests home with a favor they'll want to sample right away. Simply place your favorite tea inside a glassine pouch. To get the classic tea bag shape, fold the corners in, then the top of the pouch down. Use a needle and thread to stitch closed, and add a tag. Bags, Nashville Wraps.

Everyone knows you and your groom are cut out for each other; these monogrammed shortbread sandwich cookies just drive home the point. Let store-bought cookie cutters do the heavy lifting; we used a round ruffly one to get the shape and mini alphabet cutters for the monogram. Between the layers? Sweet-tart rhubarb jam -- another perfect match.

The best thing about this bridesmaid gift idea: You won't find another like it anywhere else. Ask your calligrapher to create something special -- a sentiment (as we did here), an illustration, or simply each attendant's initial. Have the image converted into a digital file and print it onto iron-on transfer paper. Cut closely around the design, iron onto a canvas bag (following the manufacturer's instructions), and -- don't forget this part! -- admire your handiwork. Grocery tote, BagWorks. Iron-on transfer paper, Epson. Dress, Barbara Tfank, from Barneys New York.

Bring back the romance and joy of the day you said "I do" with these charming, personalized thank-you cards you can print from your computer.

Flowers fade, but beautiful china can be enjoyed long after the last dance. Collect cups and saucers from flea markets, rent them from party rental companies, or, for a sweet touch, borrow them from family members. Stack them high, secure with Museum Wax, set votive candles in the cups, grace every saucer with a single rose or more, and you've got yourself a super-inexpensive centerpiece that's graceful and unique.

Sometimes you just have to see how things stack up. In this case: beautifully. To re-create this modern display of programs, simply pick papers that span the colors of your palette, then send them off to your printer. Keep them in a neat batch for an arresting, graphic look.

Stitch this simple design -- quaintly evocative of what you might see carved into a tree -- where it will show (without being showy), such as near a zipper or hem. Or keep it private, and stitch it into the lining of your gown. "Dahlia" dress, Simple Silhouettes.

These handsome cuff links are actually metal shank buttons we had engraved. You can also sew the fancy buttons in place of plain ones on a shirt or jacket.

Flower girls are -- how shall we put this? -- not always so careful with the flowers in their care. Consider giving yours something with staying power, like this easy-to-make ribbon bouquet with built-in handle. Dot jacquard flower girl dress, J.Crew. Ribbon (#4495, width 75, colors 31 and 64), Mokuba New York.

Parents know what a lifesaver those kid-friendly paper place mats (think: mazes, connect the dots, word-finder puzzles) can be at a restaurant. Here's a more updated (read: attractive) interpretation of that idea, perfect for a dedicated children's table at your reception. Print these whimsical yet functional activity place mats, created for us by New York City-based artist Jason Polan, onto 11-by-17-inch white paper. Arrange them on a colorful tablecloth for contrast (as we did here). And set the table with clear glass plates and plastic utensils positioned just so over the writing. You could also scatter a few cupfuls of crayons here and there for circling answers and doodling.

Your tiniest attendants will positively bloom thanks to these posy-topped rice-paper parasols.

You've finally picked out the design, typography, color, and paper stock for your invitations. Want extra credit? Spend some time thinking about your stamps and liners. We have two envelope-pushing ideas to take your stationery from standard to first-class.

Put your favors to work and have them moonlight as escort cards. Wrap matchboxes or votives with pretty paper and handwrite your guests' names on them. The pattern or color of the paper dictates which table they're assigned to. It's an easy-to-execute detail that's perfect for a casual wedding.

Magnolia blossoms are beautiful harbingers of spring, but they're fragile and can be glorious one day, gone the next. Our wilt-free solution? Mix real leaves with gorgeous paper flowers.

It's what's inside that counts, but sometimes the outside is just as important. Two cases in point: Fresh salads can be easily reinvented as hors d'oeuvres when nestled in paper nut cups. And gooey-good desserts can be sent home with guests when cradled in old-fashioned jars.

Here's a touching ritual you can add to your wedding day. Pass a length of ribbon through the rows, and during the ceremony, have your rings threaded along the ribbon by your guests so each can bless the marriage before you slip them on. Rings by Novell.

Convey your love by spelling it out atop your cake, as we've done with these alphabet blocks that looking charming, not childlike.

Pucker up! Everyone can have fun at your reception with this kissing game that puts a lively twist on the cootie catchers you played with as a child.

Here's an easy centerpiece idea that stacks up well against pricier options: clusters of flower-filled cafe au lait bowls. You can find inexpensive ones at home- and kitchen-supply stores (ours are from Anthropologie and Sur La Table), or collect mismatched vintage styles from flea markets. Place floral foam in the bowls to anchor the blooms, then group them on reception tables, stacking some atop inverted ones for visual interest.

File this under A for adorable. Instead of a traditional guest book, use cards from an address file. Our pastel set, by Lovely Design, contains handmade ones from vintage papers, so each is wonderfully unique. Set cards on a table with a sign asking friends and family to jot down messages. Once they've penned their notes, they can file their card alphabetically, leaving you to merely flip through all the warm wishes that range from A to Z.

Are you looking for a fresh, inexpensive idea for favors? We've got it in the bag. Lush floral centerpiece blooms double as favors when you provide guests with waterproof bags to take flowers home in.

Honor friendships that bloom eternal by sending potential bridesmaids a handwritten note adorned with a miniature bouquet. The gesture is more personal than a phone call, and the cards make lovely keepsakes. We attached millinery flowers from Tinsel Trading to a deckle-edge G.A. Lalo card by making holes on either side of the stem with a Japanese hole punch, then threading through and knotting a velvet ribbon.

Painted metal buckets brimming with blooms call to mind a French flower market. But these bunches, wrapped in colored waxed tissue paper, are not for sale -- they're meant to be given as wedding favors. Display them near a doorway or throughout a reception hall on tiered metal stands painted to match the buckets. At day's end, post a card inviting guests to pick a bunch.

When displaying wedding photographs, think outside the frame. Many companies will print images on stretched canvases (ours are from Duggal) rather than photo paper. Mix posed and candid shots in various sizes and arrange on the wall for a modern look.

Let guests tote away sweet almonds in tiny baskets. Line each with colored mini paper liners, and then fill with Jordan almonds. Use liners and nuts that complement your color scheme. Label baskets with the wedding date. We printed the date on colored laser paper, then made labels with a special craft punch, and affixed them with double-sided tape.

These rosette-shaped 'Echeveria' resemble a favorite cut flower, but the similarity ends there. The endurance of the succulent plant is unequaled and will leave guests with a lasting and easy-to-care-for reminder of your wedding -- all they need is good drainage and sun.

A pair of white doves adorns a traditional wedding cake. This millinery pair perches on a beaded birdbath -- they are framed by an arbor of cotton lily-of-the-valley and silk maidenhair fern, motifs repeated in the royal icing on the cake.

Boxes topped with flowers make a beautiful centerpiece -- a table number is embroidered onto ribbon encircling the largest box. Inside, the stems sit in water bottles stabilized by crumpled paper. Favor boxes, which contain nonpareils, double as place cards.

The leaves of a four-leaf clover are said to stand for hope, faith, love, and luck -- a fitting sentiment for a wedding.

With a puff-pastry blossom resting atop a flaky crust, a miniature pot pie makes a delightful and delicious first course at a wedding. This favorite home-style dish is filled with a medley of vegetables, including asparagus, carrots, and pearl onions, and baked in a ramekin. Wonderful for a country-themed reception, it would be appropriate to serve at a shower, too.

For the best-dressed bouquets, cloak them in a little couture -- wrap the stems with fabric sewn to resemble shirt cuffs. Suitable for a bride or bridesmaids, these playful arrangements will add charm to any wedding.

Fashion a bill of fare to anchor beneath each plate. This idea is perfect for an outdoor wedding, since breezes won't be able to blow the menus away. The menu here is 6 1/2 by 13 inches, folded 6 inches from the top edge. For the cleanest line on thick stock, use a straightedge and bone folder (a tool that makes creases without cutting) to score the paper before you fold.

Perfume your ceremony or reception site with a garland of sweetly scented lilies. The sturdy flowers are abundant in spring.

Guests will cheer you on when you zip away after the ceremony in a car covered with pom-pom garlands. These decorations are easy to make with tissue paper and twine, and they stay on the car with suction cups, which won't damage the auto's exterior.

At the cocktail hour, serve crunchy vegetables complete with their own dip: buttermilk-peppercorn, roasted pepper and eggplant, or toasted curry. Their bowls -- hollowed-out slices of baguettes in pumpernickel, plain, or everything -- are meant to be eaten, too.

Transform a store-bought album into a guest book that has a handmade feel. Use double-sided tape to affix envelopes in assorted sizes and colors to the pages of a plain-paper photo album or scrapbook. Leave cards and a pen on a table for guests to write wishes. When they're done, they can tuck their cards inside the envelopes for the bride and groom to enjoy later.

Simple sacks make perfect favor packages when given a handle and personalized with a stamp.

These marshmallows are imported from Paris and, as you might suspect, they're not your typical campfire fare. They are long (about 14 inches), pastel-hued, and quite pretty, especially when fashioned into love knots, time-honored symbols of commitment.

It takes luck, love, and careful planning to pull off a glitch-free wedding. To improve your luck, why not try a four-leaf-clover ring pillow?

These fruit-flavored, flower-shaped candies are a traditional French treat called pates de fruits. A sort of jelly candy, they make a tasty addition to any shower. The candies come from confectioners in small squares, or can be special-ordered in large sheets. Cut shapes using a cookie cutter, then roll in a bowl of confectioners' sugar.

The striped ribbon on this easy-to-carry accessory inspired the stripe in the pomander itself (and is used as a sash on the flower girl's dress).

Make an impression on guests by adding eye-catching detail to basic cookies with ordinary rubber stamps, which come in a wide range of designs, or ceramic cookie stamps. Since rubber stamps can be custom ordered, create your own, like our monogram. To yield the best results, use the stamps on cookie dough containing no leaveners, such as shortbread.

Here's an idea for shower favors that are chicer by the dozen: sweets served in individual eggcups that guests can then take home with them. Mismatched vintage styles found at antiques stores, flea markets, or online auctions are especially charming -- kitchenware stores often sell newer versions in a variety of coordinating patterns and colors. The dainty favors can be filled with either homemade or store-bought treats, such as the coconut macaroons shown here, then passed to guests on a tray.

Chocolate bars adorned with the faces of the bride and groom are sweet in more ways than one.

Now there's a way your bridesmaids can make sure their dresses really are worn again. The nonprofit Illinois-based Glass Slipper Project (glassslipperproject.org) collects formal dresses and accessories and distributes them to disadvantaged girls to wear to their proms. Similar programs can be found in many states -- look online to learn more on how to donate your gently used wedding attire. Dress by J.Crew.

You and your groom are a perfect match. Now you can make sure your favors and decor are, too. Specialty vendors such as Translucent Chocolates make it easy. Just send them a fabric swatch, color chip, or other sample of your wedding colors, and they'll custom-mix candies in the same hues. Vendors generally offer a large assortment -- we chose candy-covered sunflower seeds, dried apricots, and mini chocolates.

A wedding is such a sweet occasion, it wouldn't seem right if the coffee were bitter. You can sweeten your guests' after-dinner cappuccinos by having a flower drizzle-drawn atop the steamed milk of each cup using warm chocolate syrup. Serve crisp ginger biscuits alongside.

According to tradition, you'll have to wait 15 years to give glass to your spouse as an anniversary gift, but a glass is a perfect present for bridesmaids even before the wedding. Etch a set of tumblers with the bridesmaids' names and a decorative motif, such as a ring of leaves.

Help guests find their seats with whimsical tented cards featuring photos of the bride and groom. They're great for an informal wedding, rehearsal dinner, or shower. Take photographs of the two of you holding signs with table numbers -- you can use different poses for each number.

Like a beacon, this table number declares its location in all directions.

Your bridesmaids' eyes may fill with tears, but they'll be free of windblown hair if you've provided pretty barrette gifts. The barrettes start out as inexpensive bare-metal clips. You add flair by supergluing mother-of-pearl flowers or flowery buttons.

If invitations hint at what's to come, why not let the celebration begin on the envelope? Stationer Jonathan Wright and Company offers note cards with envelopes prettily embellished with collections of stamps, perfect for a handwritten shower invite. Repeat the effect on your printed wedding invitation with vintage styles from online or specialty stores.

It's only fitting to present the symbols of a new union on a beautiful something old: a pillow embellished with an heirloom handkerchief or another vintage linen. A few stitches keep everything in place and can be snipped later. If you don't have a vintage piece, you can find one at a flea market.

Perch a dainty paper bird on the rim of each glass so guests can identify their seats. The pretty die-cut cards (available from Tiffy New York) come in pastel colors that are just right for spring. With a utility knife, make a slim, 1/4-inch-long notch at the bottom of each card. For the eyes, use a 1/16-inch hole punch. Print or calligraph guests' names on cards.

Traditionally, a bride selects a few flowers from her bouquet to press and put in the back of the wedding album. But there is no need for the blossoms to remain hidden away when they can easily be framed for display.

The traditional toss bouquet, when caught, tells one lucky receiver little more than that she will be the next to wed. But this distinctive toss bouquet is made up of a cluster of smaller bouquets, each bearing its own secret fortune that offers more detailed information about future husbands to a few agile guests. And for the bride, they form a lush bouquet of blossoms.

This old custom is charming indeed: At the bridesmaids' luncheon, each guest pulls one ribbon from the center of a Bundt cake to find a good-luck charm and message dangling from the other end.

Both place card and favor, these tiny terra-cotta pots with a dome of velvety moss are spare yet elegant against a pristine white table -- perfect for a simple wedding.

In these lovely favors, sugar-coated Jordan almonds masquerade as robins' eggs in a delicate faux nest, while parchment paper threaded among them acts as a simple place card. The almonds are available from confectioners in a range of colors -- the nests are from a floral-supply company. Cut 3/4-inch-wide strips of paper long enough to reach across a nest, and write a name on each strip, finishing the ends in an inverted V.

Perfect as a centerpiece for the party or as individual guest favors (perhaps at a shower), stunning orchids emerge from terra-cotta pots painted white and arranged on saucers. A butterfly-shaped tag on a thin wire holder hovers over each plant.

Weddings are full of flowers, but sometimes the littlest arrangements make the biggest impact: Guests will be delighted to find cut flowers tucked into their napkins.