Beckon your guests to a bar adorned with a radiant floral garland, then stock the station with tempting libations and matching stirrers.

To customize a string of white lights, make small flowers out of vellum and card stock using daisy craft punches. Create larger blooms with the same materials by folding a square into eighths and cutting out a petal shape. Punch a hole in the center of each one, then slide them over the bulbs, and glue, doubling them in places and folding up the petals to add volume. For the cocktail stirrers, glue small flowers to bamboo skewers.

EK Success Paper Shapers daisy punches, createforless.com. Paper and More vellum in metallic light gold and yellow gold, and card stock in metallic gold. Jamali Floral & Garden Supplies rice lights. Sur La Table bamboo skewers.

Encased in inexpensive vessels, miniature violets take on a delightful "Alice in Wonderland" appeal. To assemble them, put the flowers in glass bowls, add a few pieces of plant charcoal at the roots (this will help them thrive), and press in fresh moss to conceal.

Violet Barn miniature violets. Save-on-Crafts.com "Bubble Ball" vase. Good Earth Organics plant charcoal and Super Moss moss sheets, amazon.com.

Reserve a place for glamour at the table with this glitzy spread. To create it, sprinkle colored paillettes (or oversize sequins) between two cylinders and nestle a votive candle inside.

CB2 "Tambien" double old-fashioned glass in a Save-on-Crafts.com 5 3/4-inch vase; M&J Trimming 20mm paillettes. CB2 11 3/4-inch vase in a Jamali Floral & Garden Supplies 14-inch cylinder; M&J Trimming 30mm paillettes.

Finding your romantic match? Easy. Finding dyeable shoes that you and your bridesmaids actually like? Not so much. End your epic footwear quest at this vast site, which offers infinite options. Whether you're looking for a kitten heel, a wedge, or the perfect sandal, this online shop has it; they stock more than 250 styles from designers including Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman. To match your shoe selection to a dress, order some of their 30 color samples before committing to the full dye job.

Clockwise from top: Grazia "Alicia," Badgley Mischka "Dreamy," Stuart Weitzman "Greta," Kate Spade New York "Clarice," and Something Bleu "Clyde; My Glass Slipper.

Pass up the traditional pillow and have your wedding bands carried down the aisle in a gorgeous silver box instead. If you don't already have one from Grandma, look to flea markets, antiques stores, and even eBay. The examples at left are from Alice Kwartler Antiques.

To find a great selection of vintage items for your day, including wedding rings and brass candelabra, check out the online antiques marketplace V and M. Prices start at less than $100.

Instead of place cards, opt for this unique idea: String metal trinkets and hand-punched name tags onto ribbons, then tie them around napkins to be laid at each spot. After dinner, guests can wear them as bracelets.

Beads on Fifth charms (212-244-6616). Uchida Clever Lever super jumbo scallop rectangle punch and Offray ribbon, createforless.com. Paper Source cover paper. Calligraphy by Paperfinger.

Celebrate your new name by crowning a simple cake with a sophisticated script initial covered with gilded trim. Complete the look by attaching matching braid to the tiers' edges with dots of royal icing.

Crosswire Design initial cake topper. Bell'occhio gold leaf ribbon. Tinsel Trading Co. gold trim.

Talk about a triple threat -- these purses are handmade, good-looking, and completely customizable. Commission something of your own design by sending the company a piece of your favorite fabric, or choose from their selection of colors and patterns.

Ila Handbags "Frenchie" in grape silk shantung, "Audrey" in twill wool blend, "Frenchie" in French-coral silk shantung, and "Meg" in cotton Liberty print.

It takes only three supplies -- vintage fabric flowers, map pins, and glue -- to bring your seating assignments into bloom. Just add a drop of glue to the back of a pinhead, pierce the center of each blossom, then spear the cards to a foam board covered in fabric.

Tinsel Trading Co. vintage lilacs. Latitudes Map & Travel Store map pins. Martha Stewart Modern Classic Kensington table cards, crane.com.

This clever update to the classic fall treat is the brainchild of New York City caterer Peter Callahan, author of the cookbook "Bite by Bite." He added wood twigs to tiny apples, dipped the fruits in caramel, and rolled them in sea salt. Offer these at dessert, or give them out as favors. Whatever you decide, have your caterer make extras -- guests won't be able to eat just one.

Sharpen up the guys with color-coordinated handkerchiefs and a quick lesson in the art of folding.

Learn each technique: 
Winged Puff Pocket Square
Flat Pocket Square
One-Point Pocket Square
Two-Point Pocket Square

Remember the paper chains of your childhood? Trade the construction paper for vellum, pick a stylish palette, and voila -- you've got a trimming gorgeous enough to grace a dessert station or
a dance floor. Cut vellum into strips to make loops, and connect with double-sided tape.

You'll Need: Paper and More! vellum. 

Jenny Yoo "Ella" dress, Kate Spade bracelet, and J.Crew "Northern Lights" necklace.

Nothing says "I spy a good time" like this quirky and curious save-the-date. The words are printed in blue, and then a red-squiggle design is printed over them to obscure the announcement. When guests use a red lens to decode and read the card, the information beneath becomes clear. The only mystery that remains now: how to make it yourself. Learn our secrets here.

Keep the cross-table conversation flowing with elegant, low floral runners and place card holders. They're easy on the eye and easy to re-create. Enlist lush peonies and gaylax leaves to compose your arrangements, then scatter artfully down the center of your reception tables.

Offer your flower girl a bit of playful bling by attaching a border of sequin trim to her sweater. Use fabric glue, which will ensure that the sparklers stay put even in the washing machine.

For a fancy take on candy wrapping, roll up your favorite sweets (we used almond dragees here) in colorful tissue paper, position a strip of sequins down the center, and cinch the ends with a length of thin string. At evening's end, set out an oversize dish filled with these treats for guests to take home.

Give a basic white cushion a brilliant, sequined edge. The reflective surface will make your rings beam even brighter. And thanks to the gleaming piping, it's hard to miss (something a nervous ring bearer will appreciate). Secure sequins with glue. 

Yellow-gold bands, Christian Bauer; christianbauer.us.

Put a spring in your flower girl's step by outlining her ballet flats with two rows of sequins. Choose a metallic shoe, like the pair shown here, and you'll be her BFF for life. 

Nordstrom "Bella" ballet flats. Crewcuts by J.Crew "Larissa" skirt.

Extravagant to the eye but costing just dollars, a tulle bow is an easy way to spruce up a bridesmaid dress. Cut 3 yards of the material in a coordinating color, tie it around the gown's waist, and create an oversize bow in back. 

You'll Need: Mood Fabrics tulle in shrimp. 

Simple Silhouettes "Veronica" dress.

Offer your fiance's groomsmen a range of tie colors so they don't look too matchy-matchy. Pick different shades in the same color family -- from vibrant red to soft peach, for instance. That way the group appears coordinated, but each guy looks unique. 

Elite Solids neckties in Christmas red, poinsettia red, burnt orange, ecru, and pale peach; Ties.com. Brooks Brothers French-cuff dress shirt.

This arresting centerpiece idea offers festive color and ambience for hours. Purchase brightly hued taper candles that coordinate with your wedding's palette, then spray-paint wooden candleholders of varying heights to match them.

Guests will be enjoying these favors for days after your reception. Wrap bite-size Hershey's miniatures (keep on only the foil) in our clip-art letters. Spell out your initials, or just compose warm words to love by. Place in clear boxes for a perfect 10-bar fit, and tie with gold thread. 

You'll Need: Hershey's Special Dark Miniatures, amazon.com. ClearBags "Crystal Clear" boxes #FB129. Vintage metal thread, tinseltrading.com.

Melted chocolate is nearly synonymous with indulgence. Serve it alongside yummy delectables to dip, such as dried apricots, pretzel sticks, and cubes of pound cake. Or consider cookies, caramels, fresh fruit, and chunks of coconut. Use Japanese porcelain teacups and sushi trays to yield single-size portions for guilt-free double-dipping.

Instead of having your loved ones write messages in a book, put out a poster on which they can sign their names. Then, after the wedding, display it on your wall (and finally relegate his beloved "Animal House" print to the attic). To use this poster, download our editable (and free!) clip art. Send the file to a printer or a stationer, and ask them to churn out the 18-by-24inch image for you. 

Ikea "Ribba" frame. Le Pen marker in teal, amazon.com.

Wrap seasonal fruit in tissue for a sweet (and healthful) gift for guests. Have an office-supply store make a rubber stamp with your names, wedding date, and a drawing or clip-art illustration (the entire design should be 3 inches in diameter or smaller). Stamp image onto squares of tissue paper. Cut off stems, center fruit on tissue, wrap, and twist.

Wheat represents bounty and wealth; the horseshoe shape is good luck. Let this decoration work its powers at your ceremony or reception site.

The diminutive scale of lady apples transforms a fall favorite into a dainty nibble; offer to guests on passed trays as a sweet-tart surprise at the cocktail hour. A paper leaf is an elegant touch: Use a computer to design and print "Enjoy!" on card stock, then cut out with a leaf-shape craft punch; affix to short skewers with adhesive dots.

As a fitting nod to the season, substitute dried leaves for petals in your flower girl's basket. If fall foliage isn't abundant when you wed, you can order pressed leaves online (from drynature.com). We lined this pint-size basket with cotton fabric. Using scissors, cut a large round of fabric and a slit on opposite sides to accommodate handles, then place in basket. Wrap silk ribbon around, and tie in a bow.

Sweet marzipan acorns capture the beauty of fall. The marzipan is tinted pale green with food coloring to mimic the appearance of nuts just picked from the tree; a thin coating of bittersweet chocolate, decorated with sprinkles, crowns each one and balances the marzipan's concentrated sweetness. Place the acorns on pressed leaves for a lovely autumn display, and serve them on a dessert buffet or on platters at guests' tables.

The dough for these cookies is firm, making it ideal to cut out into shapes.

Just as the coffee is being served, the dancing always seems to begin in earnest, leaving guests with cold coffee when they return to the table. At your reception, offer caramel wafers to rest across the top of the cup -- the coffee will stay warm and the caramel will soften, turning the wafer into a sweet gooey treat.

At a cocktail hour, pass candy cups of sweet and savory roasted nuts for a delicious, no-fuss treat. Each paper bowl holds just the right snack-size amount. Our homemade mix is served with store-bought Marcona almonds.

Premade decorations dress up a wedding cake in an instant. Embellishments are crafted from gum paste or marzipan and painted with food-safe paint. Have your baker make a plain cake (this one is a basic three-layer cake topped with fondant) to use as a canvas for an assortment of adornments, which can be attached with royal icing. Piped trim at the base of each tier provides decoration.

Incorporate the shades and symbols of autumn into festive boutonnieres.

Customize a flower girl's sweater -- and match it to your palette -- by replacing the buttons with new or antique ones in winsome colors or shapes. Available in myriad styles and materials at fabric and trimming stores, the fasteners are a simple, economical way to create a look that's as adorable as your littlest attendant. 

Cashmere cardigan, J.Crew. Assorted vintage buttons, Tender Buttons and M&J Trimming.

Embossed velvet leaves, made with a rubber stamp and an iron, dress up a silk ring pillow for a lasting impression.

A white-pumpkin shell becomes the vase for an arrangement of roses, daffodils, ranunculus, calla lilies, tulips, and hypericum berries in fall colors -- yellows, peaches, and shades of orange. Smaller pumpkins and votive candles in orange-glass holders fill out the centerpiece.

Create a simple, natural display that's rich in color by propping seating cards atop beautiful pomegranates, seasonal in the autumn months.

Raise the bar with a drink-recipe display that does double duty as a decoration.

Personalize the entrance to the ceremony or reception in an instant with store-bought wooden initials. These autumnal colors feel warm and welcoming.

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.

For a cool-weather wedding, why not give programs their own woolly wraps? Felt pouches bring a cozy touch and bursts of fall color to the ceremony and make pretty mementos for guests.

Paper bags, slightly modified, make distinctive wrapping. A novel sealing method garners the most attention, since recipients will be intent on getting past it.

These favors will soar, though perhaps not as high as your spirits on your wedding day.

Late-season aubergine dahlias get their sparkle from white-tipped petals. The leaves are embossed velvet. Fresh chartreuse acorns are a nod to the colors of spring, just a season away.

Take a cue from the Milanese, who serve panettone, a sweet bread made with dried fruit and citrus zest, on special occasions. The loaf is traditionally made in a large panettone mold, but we baked ours in attractive mini paper ones. Each treat is then wrapped in a cellophane bag tied with a letterpress tag by Austin Press. Bellissimo!

Scrumptious miniature pecan pies from a bakery in custom-stamped bags make for tasty treats that are easy as pie to assemble in advance.

Exquisite in its asymmetry, this bouquet, composed of white and orange seasonal roses and darker-orange Chinese lanterns, takes its shape from the lanterns, which dangle gracefully like charms from a bracelet.

A table arrangement of grains celebrates the bounty of fall. In addition to wheat, which symbolizes a fruitful life, this textured display includes other dried grasses (available at crafts stores), so it can be made weeks ahead. The final flourish is a luxurious satin bow.

The fall harvest at its most robust: White and rust mums are the surprise here, and the driving force of this bouquet. They are carefully interspersed among white roses, accented with hypericum berries, and cupped with oak leaves. Feathery out-of-season plumes of astilbe soften the arrangement.

Surprisingly rich in color, bearing hues of blue, green, dusky rose, and taupe, these puffs of dried hydrangea are almost weightless. They are heightened by calla lilies, which soften the shape and scale of this purely natural display, as does the pomegranate-colored, satiny silk ribbon.