Thanks to its distinctive, natural vibe, you might say this stationery, crafted from sheets of veneer and paper-backed wood, goes against the grain. Calligrapher and stationer Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls created the letterpress invitation; for an envelope, she folded a paper-thin sheet around the card. The favor box, tied with waxed twine, is by Lenderink Technologies.

Help guests find their seats by offering personalized luggage tags that make a functional keepsake. Print labels with lines for name, address, and phone number onto card stock (use the insert that comes with the tags as a template). Calligraph guests' names. Slip tag and decorative paper backing into the plastic cover. Loop cording through hole at top, and hang on chairs. Calligraphy by Nancy Howell.

Turn table numbers into works of art with quilling paper. Print out numbers in desired font (a fancy shape lends itself well to quilling) and size (we used 650-point Linoscript for a 4-by-6-inch piece of card stock); you'll use this as a template to shape numbers.

Flutter fans were common giveaways in bygone years. Bring them back with this favor. Choose a template and enlarge 250 percent. Trace and cut as directed. Glue one piece of decorative paper to one side of the pieces of card stock, using craft glue. (Spread the glue thinly with a scrap of card stock.) Once the glue has dried, punch a hole in each piece. Stack the pieces, and slip a paper fastener through to join them.

These buttons-cum-seating cards can also serve to introduce guests to one another. Calligraph names on paper, then follow directions included with a button-making machine. Pin buttons to 2-by-3-inch card stock with numbers written on the bottom. Calligraphy by Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls.

Balmy, breezy weather is the hope of every bride planning an outdoor wedding. But breezes can be the bane of feather-light escort cards lined up unprotected on a table. To make sure the winds don't get the best of them, secure the cards with lengths of decorative ribbon. Starting at the left side of the table, lay 1 1/2-inch-wide organdy ribbon vertically across the tablecloth. Pull it taut, pin in place, and sew the ribbon to the tablecloth at the points where the cloth meets the front and back edges of the tabletop. Let the remainder of the ribbon flow almost to the floor on both sides in the back and the front; repeat until you have created the number of rows you will need for all the cards. Next, starting from the left side, slip the escort cards between the ribbon and the tablecloth, arranging them alphabetically. Note that you must use sheer ribbon so that the names of your guests show through.

To create these classic table numbers, print the numbers you need onto heavy card stock. You have a choice of two border styles -- one with a regular looping scallop, and one with more free-form loops. For each design, we have also included one template with no number, in case you need to add your own number or other text.

The most heartfelt notes take a bit of composing, so give them a little thought before setting pen to your very best paper. As you write, keep a notepad nearby to try out sentences, phrases, and your penmanship, and to figure out spacing -- because the best notes should sound good and look good, too.

Think outside the box by adorning reception tables with menu cards that are round instead of the typical square or rectangle. Once you've finalized the menu with your caterer, have a stationer design circular cards that will fit the plates or chargers you've chosen for your table settings (be sure to measure carefully and provide him or her with proper dimensions). Select colors or patterns that reflect the theme of your wedding; this letterpress card by Elum Designs features a bird motif for a spring celebration.

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.

Show your ingrained sense of style with seating cards crafted from paper-thin wood veneer. These inexpensive sheets are pliable enough to fold and cut easily into delicate shapes; the elegant graining makes a distinctive canvas for calligraphy. We used craft punches to create maple and birch leaves.

You'll be too busy at your reception to introduce everyone yourself. Help tablemates make one another's acquaintance with place cards that display guests' names on both sides. The tented cards can be calligraphed or printed from a computer onto perforated full-size sheets. Customize them however you wish, perhaps with a border to coordinate with your color scheme.

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. Have them made into 4-by-6-inch matte prints (we used black-and-white film so the photos wouldn't clash with the flowers or table setting). Glue each photo onto 4 1/8-by-6 1/8-inch paper. To make the "tent," start with a piece of 11-by-17-inch card stock and cut a strip that is 17 by 4 3/8 inches (each piece of card stock can make two); fold strip in half widthwise. Score, and make a fold 2 1/8 inches from each end to form flaps for base. Glue photograph to one panel of the tent. Overlap base flaps by about 1 inch; use double-sided tape to secure.

At a bridesmaid luncheon or rehearsal dinner, set one of these bundled herb place cards on each plate. Gather handfuls of herbs such as lavender, rosemary, thyme, and chives into small bouquets, and tie them together with twine. The place cards are made from card stock folded in half; punch a hole in each card, and attach to a bouquet with twine. Inside the card, provide a recipe that includes the herbs.

These cheerfully colored umbrellas sporting seating assignments dot miniature sand dunes at the entrance to a summer reception.

You'll need a 1-inch-deep tray, a sheet of 1/4-inch foam board cut to fit into the bottom of the tray, and some sand. Lay the foam board in the tray, and cover with sand. Drizzle sand unevenly, sifting a bit more here and there to form dunes. Print your seating assignments onto colored paper, and cut them into strips; glue strips to the shafts of the umbrellas. Poke the umbrellas through the sand into the foam board at an angle so guests can easily find their names.

Why hire a calligrapher to tackle your seating cards when you can save money using simple handwritten ones and enjoy a fun afternoon with friends to boot? Enlist people whose penmanship you admire (the bigger the range of styles, the better) to join you to write the names of guests on blank cards. For a see-through look like ours, write with dark ink on a white card and slip it inside a light-colored translucent or glassine envelope (they come in many hues).

Remind guests of your wedding with every page they turn. These bookmarks were printed on lightweight card stock five per sheet and trimmed to 2-by-7-inch strips. Punch holes; add store-bought tassels. Mail in glassine envelopes with card-stock inserts bearing the address.

Wide moire taffeta ribbon becomes a beautiful jacket for a wedding program. A narrow brown ribbon tied in a simple bow holds the finished booklet closed.

You will need: scalloping shears, 4 1/2 -inch-wide moire taffeta ribbon cut to 7-inch length, your program printed on 6 1/4-by-4 1/4-inch paper, paper clips, thin satin ribbon 18 3/4 inches long, pins, and a sewing machine.
1. Fold program in half; crease. Fold wide ribbon in half; iron to crease. Center open program on unfolded ribbon; clip in place. Center narrow ribbon on outside of wide ribbon, perpendicular to fold, and pin close to the crease.
2. With booklet open to center, sew through all 3 elements along the fold. Tie off thread and trim excess. Remove clips and pins.

With warm and fuzzy yarn accents, a plain stationery set becomes wedding worthy. Make tiny dots where you want holes for stitches to be (or have them printed, if you can). Choose a textured stock and matching envelope (we lined ours with gift wrap) and a soft ink color to make cards refined.

Punch holes with a Japanese hole punch. Thread a single strand of yarn on a yarn needle; knot one end, stitch accents; knot again at end. Each 5-by-7-inch invitation requires a 7-inch length of yarn for each side, stitched in a short/long pattern and tied in a bow at the center. For 3 1/2-by-5-inch reply cards, use two 2 1/2-inch lengths of yarn; for 4-by-5 1/2-inch programs, use one 17-inch length of yarn.

Like a beacon, this table number declares its location in all directions. To make it, use a computer to print numbers onto pieces of colored cover stock (or have numbers calligraphed). Trim the papers to 6 by 7 1/2 inches. For the feet, cut 1/2-inch squares from both corners on bottom edge. Measure over 1 inch for each foot, and mark. Cut out a 3-by-1/2-inch strip between marks. Crease each sheet down the middle, and join the 3 pieces with rubber cement.

Branch out beyond typical wedding programs by adding a touch of Druid fun and whimsy to them. "What Tree Did You Fall From?," a Celtic version of astrology, is the perfect distraction for those awaiting the Wedding March.

Find your birthday and its corresponding tree; see if the personality traits listed match yours. If you're an apple tree (December 23 to 31), are you flirtatious, adventurous, always in love? If you're a fir (July 5 to 14), are you sophisticated, moody, industrious? Let guests read up -- and let the conversations bloom.

A sprinkling of snowflake confetti on the tables at a New Year's wedding helps set a merry mood. Use craft punches to cut snowflakes from silver paper; mix in coils and snippings of silver curling ribbon. Here, each place is set with the lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne"; as the clock strikes twelve, all the guests can raise their voices in song.

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.

A display like this is sure to capture your guests' attention. Use heavy-weight patterned papers in coordinating designs and colors. We combined flower and vine motifs, but you can use dots, stripes, or another pattern. Look for papers at a good stationery or craft store, design them yourself on a computer, or work with a print shop to create them (these were made by letterpress). Cut into 2 1/2-by-3 3/4-inch rectangles, and glue on 3/4-by-2 1/2-inch solid paper strips for the names.

Raise the bar with a drink-worthy recipe display that does double duty as a decoration. Start with an inexpensive cardboard shadow box from a crafts store, and line it with pretty fabric or paper. Have your calligrapher create a card (or make your own) detailing the ingredients of your signature drink, and pin it inside the box. Stand the box on end at the bar, using a few rocks inside to weight it, and you've got a very good sign. Calligraphy by Elizabeth White-Pultz.

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.

Tossed aloft by your guests, perfumed confetti will leave a delicate floral scent in your wake. Punch craft or construction paper using a decorative hole punch. Spread the confetti pieces out on waxed paper. Mist very lightly with a favorite scent. Collect into small glassine bags. Seal the bags, while attaching a label, by sewing the top edge.

File this under A for adorable. Instead of a traditional guest book, use cards from an address file. Our 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.

For a cute twist on personalized thank-you notes, send gift-givers postcards of you and your groom wearing clothing emblazoned with messages. Use 3-inch-high stick-on vinyl lettering, peel off the backing, and affix the letters to plain shirts. Ask a friend to take digital pictures, then upload your favorite to a computer and print onto photo paper. We ran the photos through a Xyron sticker machine, which adds an adhesive backing. Attach each photo to a blank size-A6 postcard, and voila! -- picture-perfect stationery.

Here's a winning look: Deal out seating cards disguised as the playing variety to guide guests to their tables. (Manifesto Letterpress created ours.) If you like, have extras printed without names, and use them to number the tables. Place them in stands on tables, and you've got style in spades. Calligraphy by Deborah Delaney.

These charming save-the-dates prove good news can come in small packages, too. Purchase mini cards and envelopes (Motel Deluxe from Paper Presentation, 800-727-3701, made these 2-by-3-inch sets). Run envelopes through a machine that adds adhesive backing (we used one from Xyron), and affix to postcards (either store-bought or cut from card stock). Handwrite or stamp your wedding information on the cards; tuck them in the envelopes, and seal. Add standard first-class postage, and you're set to announce you've set the date.

Searching for the perfect table numbers? Look no further than your front door -- and those of your neighbors. Snap digital photos of house numbers, as well as those on awnings and signs. Upload photos to a computer; crop so number fills the frame. For double-sided displays, print two of each digit onto photo paper. To make tented stand, cut two pieces of mat board (ours are 5 3/4 by 3 1/4 inches). Trim photos to be slightly smaller than the boards; center and affix with double-sided tape. Lay facedown with tops of numbers touching; place clear tape along edge where they meet. Fold so numbers face out.

Guests are sure to remember your wedding day if all they have to do is peel and stick a reminder to their calendars. You can personalize adhesive labels at home. Buy 1-inch round labels from an office-supply store, and follow the manufacturer's instructions to download and customize the template. Print labels with your date using a laser printer. Cut each sheet into rows of labels. Laser print note cards with a message to "save the date." Affix a row of labels to each note card with a glue stick.

Update guests about happenings (the couple's arrival at the reception, cake-cutting, first dance) by asking young guests to raise descriptive paper flags at the right time. Vest, shirt, bow tie, and shorts, Crewcuts by J.Crew.