Yesterday among the bills and the Chinese food fliers, I received a little neon pink envelope in the mail. It was a save the date for a summer wedding (which is pretty much the golden ticket of postage items). Besides being adorable, it was also an ingenious little save the date! It was a scratch off ticket, mailed with a nickel, that revealed the wedding date as you scratched. After a little research, I found a great, simple how-to for the invites from (who else?) Martha Stewart. –Katie D.

I’m fresh off a family wedding in Cape Cod and while there’s a lot I’d love to share (and probably will!) today I have to mention the favors. As their parting gift to guests, the bride and groom gave these adorable note cards complete with honey sticks and a heart-shaped swath of wildflower seed paper from Botanical PaperWorks. I‘m thrilled! We’re all familiar with the debate about the value of wedding favors – some appreciate them while others could go without another thing to throw away – and I thought these were a delightful middle ground. Simple and thoughtful, they have a longer shelf life than food, and give guests the gift of beautiful flowers that will undoubtedly remind us all of the happy occasion. What do you think readers? Care to share some of the best favors you’ve received? – Sarah C.

For more unique favor ideas, see what Angela gave at her wedding and loved from a friend’s.

Imagine this: You’re planning a bridal shower brunch for 80 (yes, 80) guests. The invitations have been sent, the favors ordered, the menu set and venue booked. The only thing that remains in this large-scale production is deciding on and making the centerpieces for the tables. This is the dilemma facing a good friend right now, and so I’m looking to you, dear readers, for a solution. Flower arrangements can be expensive so we’re searching for some creative ideas that we can execute ourselves on a manageable budget. We’ve been looking into big, scene-stealing flowers, like peonies and hydrangeas, which might be able to do the job of bigger bouquets with fewer stems. I’m also intrigued by the idea of Martha Stewart’s paper flower tutorial as a craftier option but please, weigh in! Have any flower suggestions to share? Know of a great, executable centerpiece strategy you could pass along? Sound off in comments! — Sarah C.

Wills and Kate are doing it: breaking tradition by having their wedding on a Friday. But they’re not completely trailblazers: lots of people have chosen to skip the usual Saturday afternoon affair and hold their weddings on other days of the week. Having your wedding on an alternative day can really save on the dough: our site cost significantly less because our wedding was on a Sunday. I even know folks who had their wedding on a Thursday night who saved $2000 off their venue — and that is a lot of money where I come from. And some event sites have Saturdays booked out years in advance, so being flexible can also add more options when searching for the perfect space. How about you? Was your wedding on Saturday or did you choose another day? — Megan B.

As I’ve been preparing for this year’s run of the summer wedding gauntlet, I’ve noticed a pattern: Crate & Barrel’s cold beverage jar with stand, $49.95, has been on every single registry I’ve looked at. I love everything beverage dispensers stand for: summer parties, cocktails, refreshing drinks! But never have I actually attended an event where I’ve seen one in action. Yes, considering the trend the reason could lie in the fact that the friends that would have the type of soiree that calls for one haven’t received them yet, but still, this item seems to be a popular one for these summer registries. It also calls to mind Anthropologie’s designer version, $298, but with its equally Anthropologie price tag, my summer drink serving needs are best left to the registry specialists at Crate & Barrel. What do you think, readers? Any other hot registry items to keep on the radar? Did you ask for a beverage dispenser, and if so, do you use it? — Sarah C.

Related:
planning a wedding: fun with the registry
post off: what item just didn’t work for you?
wedding registry idea: something old instead of new

With the Royal Wedding just one week away, we are suddenly feeling our Anglophile tendencies bubbling up to the surface. Ebay is already flooded with souvenirs and memorabilia, but there are also a few hot designer items we have our eyes on now. Our favorite British deco mag, Living Etc has put together a fun auction of unique Royal Wedding Plates by designers like Donna Wilson, Jonathan Adler and Lee Broom, who designed the Pearly Prince & Princess plate shown above. Bidding starts at £30 (about $60) and all proceeds go to a charity group, Shelter. Email your bid to livingetcplates@ipcmedia.com by midnight on the 29th for a chance to win.

For those who are more committed to the royal theme, check out this adorable Crowns and Coronets wallpaper from Graham & Brown. If plastering your walls isn’t enough fun, it also comes with self adhesive jewels you can add to give your wall some extra sparkle.

Even without plates and wallpaper, you can bet we’ll be up early on the 29th, eating scones and watching in glee as Kate takes her walk down Westminster Abbey’s center aisle. Are you planning to watch?

When it comes to invitations or holiday cards, I’m usually the type to camp out in a stationery store with a cup of joe and a critical eye, preparing for a decision-making summit of epic proportions. With my card fetish, that’s no surprise, but recently I’ve been considering trying online stationers for their ability to offer a greater variety than many stores. One company with enviable street cred is tinyprints.com. Featuring lines by some of our favorite designers, (Dwell Studio, Oh Joy!, Louella Press and Wedding Paper Divas, to name a few), the site offers a massive yet expertly-curated selection of customizable designs for all occasions and business needs. Beyond cards, the company also prints photo books, calendars and address books and offers mailing services and an RSVP manager. Stop by this weekend to take advantage of the sitewide sale, or visit on Thursdays to reveal the Deal of the Day. Standard domestic shipping starts at $7.50 for 500 cards or less. – Sarah C.

Have a favorite online stationer? Tell us in comments!

Back in April Erica P. asked what types of gifts she should (or shouldn’t) register for for her upcoming wedding. In addition to great advice, a few of you suggested making use of Amazon.com’s universal wish list button and Tula of Whorange linked to her incredible roundup of unique stores that offer wedding registries. Here’s one more to add to that list: according to this tidbit on Glamour’s wedding blog, the MoMA Store will begin offering a gift registry option on July 13th! Great news, considering our love of everything they make. Have you ever given something from the MoMA Store to rave reviews? Tell us about it in comments! –Sarah C.

Last weekend I attended a beautiful bridal shower for a childhood friend. Held at the home of one of the bridesmaids, the event was highlighted by a few personal touches that I really enjoyed. First, each guest brought a recipe (baked oatmeal from me!) that we wrote on printed cards that accompanied our invitations, as well as an assigned spice to round out the bride’s spice rack. We each also created scrapbook pages that were then compiled into a lookbook detailing the bride’s “single years”, and between each gift, the bride answered questions about her relationship and we compared her responses to those of the groom, who had been asked separately. A mix of common traditions and new twists, it was a wonderful few hours spent celebrating the bride-to-be. With many friends who have recently become engaged, I’m just starting my run of the wedding gauntlet and am looking for some inspiration, so tell me: what are your favorite bridal shower traditions? — Sarah C.

Pictured above: the wedding dress cookie favors made by the bride’s sister. Gorgeous!

When one my sister was getting married, she didn’t register for any new china. What she did include on the bottom of her store registry lists was tips on where to find the vintage Red Wing china she collected. While eBay or Replacements.com might not be everyone’s idea of wedding shopping, enough of us did like the idea that my sister and brother-in-law ended up with a whole set of Bob White, including this completely wacky but irresistible hors d’oeuvres holder that invites you to pierce the poor bird all over with food-laden toothpicks. (One guess who had to buy them that.) Looking for other ideas? You could also “register” to round out a set of vintage glassware or silverware passed down from a grandparent. With all the online resources, it’s a practical and fun way to expand your idea of wedding registries and show your guests a more personal side. — Sarah L.

Top photo by Flickr member jacglennon