Writing your own vows? Carry them in a charming fashion by calling on calligrapher Anne Elser to render your words in permanent paint on fabric. Once you and your fiance have finalized your declarations, send them to Elser, who will hand-paint the script onto your own handkerchiefs or ones you select from among her vintage collection. Then, tote the sweet sentiments down the aisle and ensure you won't be at a loss for words come I-do time.

Even the smallest flower girl will make a big, big entrance when she carries a Wonderland-size blossom down the aisle. This rosette is a cinch to assemble and can be made in myriad colors.

Turn a "Gold Leaves" pillbox into a sure-to-be-treasured keepsake (choosyshopper.com). Line the inside with velvet by gluing a piece to the top, and then folding some around a cardboard circle and taping it to the bottom. As an added measure, have a jeweler attach a chain you can clip onto an attendant's belt loop. If you prefer a vintage look, remove the mechanism from an antique timepiece (find one like those at bottom on eBay), and line with fabric.

The Details: Tacori rings.

A head-turning pennant guarantees that all eyes are on you as you make your entrance. To create it, print our design onto iron-on transfer paper, then fuse it to a 13-by-25-inch piece of fabric using heat from an iron. Glue the top edge around a dowel, and ask a grinning child to do the honors.

Boy is wearing Ralph Lauren sweater, oxford shirt, and loafers.

If yours feels like a classic romance, fashion your favorite piece of literature or collection of poems into a hidey-hole for your rings. Simply send your chosen tome to Secret Safe Books. They’ll glue all the pages together, carve out a nook, and insert a strip of magnets to ensure that the goods don’t tumble down the aisle. Once you’re wed, store your valuables inside and set it on a bookshelf, and no one will be the wiser.

No need to stress over memorizing your special sentiments -- or scrawl them on an uninspired index card! Recite from a beautiful scroll instead. Just write your words onto Lake City Craft Co. quilling paper, carry the roll down the aisle, and unfurl it as you read.

Bhldn gown. Honora bracelets. Tacori ring.

Even if you’re not tying the knot with your toes in the sand, this is one chic way to bring a bit of the seaside to your soiree. Start with a shell you already have (high-five if you picked it up on your first vacation together as a couple). Not a beachcomber? Just buy one online (we like Shell Horizons). Then gild the inside with Testors enamel paint in gold and attach a piece of ribbon with a hot-glue gun.

Our ring book is easier for little hands to clasp than a slippery pillow, and your tiny attendant will love that it contains a secret compartment filled with treasures only he is entrusted to deliver. To personalize your book, use a desktop-publishing program to create an iron-on monogram.

Shiny pails of flowers, as sweet and dainty as flower girls' bouquets, are all the decoration church pews need. The galvanized buckets, which can be found at hardware stores, are filled with moistened floral foam, which keeps the hydrangeas fresh. Loop a thin but sturdy ribbon, such as grosgrain or seam binding, around the top of the pew, then string it through the bucket handles, and tie. Cut ribbon ends diagonally.

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 here are from Alice Kwartler Antiques.

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.

Large hurricane vases containing floating candles are placed like so many beacons on either side of a path strewn with rose petals in shades of pink and yellow. If you're picking from your own garden, pluck them early in the morning, when roses are their freshest.

To mark your special occasion with your wedding bands, print our calendar clip art onto an Avery iron-on T-shirt transfer. Apply it to a cushion cover, fill with batting, and stitch your bands to the date.

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 by Christian Bauer.

Indoors or out, these rustic runners add a whimsical touch to a summer or spring wedding ceremony.

Knitted ring pillows lend warmth to winter weddings. To make, stitch together two 5-inch felt squares, leave a 2-inch opening. Turn inside out; stuff with batting and stitch closed. Knit a same-size square; hand-sew to top of pillow. Sew a 12-inch ribbon to center; trim ends on the diagonal.

For the ring bearer, consider this 6-inch square linen ring cushion, adorably decorated with yellow ribbon of doubled-faced satin that swerves and curves down its center.

With their whispery petals and luminous silver centers, the tissue-paper flowers that bloom on this wintry wreath look as if they were plucked from a fairy tale. Perhaps more magical is the fact that this inexpensive pew decoration won't wilt or fade, so you can make as many as you need well ahead of time.

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?