Cute as a Button

As metaphors for marriage go, buttons make an ideally humble one: By joining two things together, they keep you warm and protected. Always useful, they're often beautiful to boot -- which may be why grandmas everywhere once kept jars of them. And while they may not be heirlooms, they're certainly keepsakes, imparting a sense of attachment to the past. All of which makes incorporating buttons into your wedding as adornments and favors an especially sweet notion.