Earlier in the planning process, I was so not going to do favors. Like a lot of other people, I believed favors were something you get that you never use. But recently, my thoughts have changed. A lot of couples are giving out favors that are actually cool!

I heard of one wedding where the bride and groom gave away lottery tickets to each guest. A wedding that I went to recently incorporated their love for wine in their favors by giving beautiful bottle stoppers. A guest said that that was the first time he got something he could actually use.

I just had another idea that I’m sure your guests would appreciate. How about giving them thank you note cards that they can use. Both Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas have a lot of cute cards that can be used for your wedding. Look at the ones I chose below. The first two are from Wedding Paper Divas and the third one is from Tiny Prints. Just personalize them to say, “Thank You.”

Beach Stripes: Green Tea

Batik Flowers: Sage

Baby Damask: Green

By guest blogger Jeanette Martinez

Once the last bit of bubbly has been drunk, and the final turn has been taken on the dance floor, one of the few lasting reminders you’ll have of your wedding day is your wedding stationery. Your wedding invitations, ceremony programs, and other wedding papers are some of the few tangible remnants you and your guests will have to remember your special day. Keep in mind that many brides even choose to immortalize these precious items in a scrapbook, wedding album, or have them framed as a decorative keepsake. Moreover, these items are also some of the first articles your guests will see that indicate what kind of event to expect when they attend your wedding. With all this at stake, it’s so important to make sure your wedding stationery is perfect - this includes grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

One of the most difficult punctuation uses to grasp is the elusive apostrophe. However, if you can remember a few simple rules, mastering its usage will be a cinch.

Rule 1: Plurals

In the English language, the apostrophe is used in only two situations: to indicate the possessive form of a noun or pronoun, or to mark the omission of certain characters, as in a contraction. One of the most common mistakes is using the apostrophe to indicate a plural. For example, when you want to indicate entire families, whether you’re addressing an invitation, or signing your new last name on your thank you cards, make sure you use the plural form of the last name, such as, The Smiths, The Foxes, or The Williamses.

Rule 2: Contractions

Unless your wedding is very informal (think Vegas drive-thru chapel), you’ll want to avoid using contractions in your wedding stationery. Particularly the invitation itself and all the accessories should be written in a more formal tone. Of course, thank you notes are often much less formal, and using contractions in this case is perfectly acceptable. When using the apostrophe to indicate a contraction, the apostrophe should always mark the spot where the characters have been omitted. For example, cannot becomes can’t, need not becomes needn’t, and it is becomes ‘tis.

Rule 3: Singular Possessive

Indicating possessives is the apostrophe’s specialty. Singular words are the easiest to make possessive. For example, if you’re throwing your friend Jane a bridal shower, you would say Jane’s Bridal Shower. This shows that the bridal shower belongs to Jane. The apostrophe follows the last letter in the name, and the apostrophe is then followed by an s. This format works for any singular word, including what we call sibilant words that end in an s, sh, ch, z, or x. So, if Tess has several bridesmaids, you would say that they are Tess’s bridesmaids.

Rule 4: Plural Possessive

Combination plural and possessive forms are slightly more complex. To use the party example again, if Jane’s family wants to throw an engagement party for her and her groom, and their last name is Smith, it would be The Smiths’ Party. The s shows that there are multiple Smiths, and the apostrophe on the outside of the s indicates that the party belongs to the entire family of Smiths.

The sibilant form of this rule is even trickier. To make a sibilant word plural and possessive, add es rather than just s, and then add the apostrophe at the end. For example, if Jane’s last name was Jones, you would say The Joneses’ Party. ES indicates multiple people with the last name Jones, and the apostrophe indicates that the party belongs to all of them.

Rule 5: Possessive Pronouns

Apostrophes should not be used with possessive pronouns such as yours, theirs, his, hers, its, and ours because they already indicate possession. Note that its and it’s are not the same, and have two completely different meanings. Its without the apostrophe means “belonging to it.” It’s, on the other hand, is a contraction for it is and therefore requires an apostrophe indicating the omission of characters.

Tip:

Remember, proper punctuation can be tricky, so keep these rules close at hand when addressing your invites or writing thank you notes. Your friends and family will never know you used a cheat sheet and eventually apostrophe usage will become second nature.

Resources:

The Economist’s Style Guide - Apostrophes - http://www.economist.com/research/styleGuide/index.cfm?page=841359

Bureau of Justice Statistics Style Guide - page 16: Punctuation, Apostrophes and Possessives http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/bjssg.pdf

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/2000/chapter_txt-8.html

My fiance and I went to a total of two weddings in one week and we’re almost all wedded out! I was excited about this wedding because it was in San Francisco and it was going to be on a private yacht.

At the same time, I was a little worried that I might get sea sick. I get motion sickness, car sick and air sick so why not sea sick? I took a dramine an hour before the ceremony but the ceremony started so late that it wore off before we went on the boat.

On a good note, I held it together but it was an hour’s worth of torture for me as I had to close my eyes and embarrassingly rest on my fiance’s shoulder to get through the worst of it-while I overheard someone saying my motion sickness was “psychological.”

While the entire wedding was understandably exhausting from the boat ride, the bus ride to get there, and then waiting for the friend playing the minister to arrive, there was one thing that made everything worth it. Even through waiting on the beach for their friend barefooted and in the cold, the bride and groom still kept their cool. And more importantly, I was touched that the bride looked as happy as ever even if everything wasn’t going smoothly. It made me realize that the most important thing was not the perfection of a wedding but the beauty of two people truly in love.

This is part II of my previous wedding weekend post.

I went to another wedding fair this weekend which was probably THE BEST one I have been to thus far. First of all, it was free. And secondly, this one had a lot of really great ideas and was not not just a ballroom jam-packed with vendors vying for your love and attention. This one, though filled with potential vendors, had a lot of cool, current designs that could be applied to any wedding.

From those newly hip photo booths to sampling wine and flavored coffee to viewing absolutely breathtaking centerpieces, this show was amazing and I had a lot of fun. These are just a few of my favorite pictures!

How are you brides-to-be doing?

With a few more months left of planning, I can feel your pain! While a part of me is attempting to embrace and appreciate these last months, another part of me is looking forward to it being over.

To relax and enjoy the ride, I think it is important to really take care of yourself during these next few months. That way you’ll be a happy bride and happy brides do make pretty pictures!

While it is easy to fall into the trap of obsessively finishing everything which even I can admit to doing, it’s really important to pace yourself so you don’t burn out early in the process. I think the worst thing that can happen is not the decorations not coming out the way you want it to, but just throwing yourself blindly and unconsciously in the process. In that case, you’ll be several thousands of dollars poorer and not have the memories that make the day worth it.

Make a list of fun, relaxing things you can do for yourself whether it’s reading a book or getting a massage. You don’t need to cut deep into your already tight budget. But have fun and be creative. Finding things you can do along the way and taking mini moments for yourself is priceless. You can also schedule lunches with friends who you might have unintentionally neglected in the midst of all your wedding to-dos. This way you will be refreshed and excited for your wedding and surrounded by friends and family who have been with and supported you along the way.

The bottom line: Take some time for yourself and the payoff will be worth it!

By guest blogger Geeta Sachdeva

In the olden days, guests bought a present for the bride and groom to thank them for inviting them to share in the joy and celebration of their wedding. These gifts usually comprised of household items as a token of their best wishes in helping the couple start a new life together. However, as many modern couples choose to live together prior to tying the knot, they already have a well stocked home. This has made it quite challenging for the guests to decide what gift to give.

To make it easier for your guests and to ensure gifts are not duplicated by multiple people, a wedding registry is the ideal solution. If you are worried that this will take away the element of surprise, just remember that your guests would like to give you something that you will truly value rather than a bone china tea-set that you will only take out on their visits.

Making your gift selections should be fun and stress-free, try to think of it as your wish list. Register for something that you want as opposed to something that you need. You may even request a donation to your favorite charity in lieu of a gift and feel a sense of being socially responsible. Or you may opt for services that enable monetary gifts intended to fund your honeymoon or a house purchase. A really creative idea is to write your wish about a gift alternative as a poem on a card that coordinates with the rest of your wedding suite of cards!

*Reference: 21st Century Bride

Today, we are excited to announce the launch of our exclusive Letterpress Collection and partnership with stationer William Arthur. Our new line of stationery expands our product line to include more luxury stationery options and the ability to continuously provide you with the superior quality craftsmanship that you expect from us. Now, your invitation options are expanded as you can order complete wedding suites or individual wedding stationery pieces from either our Wedding Paper Divas Signature Line or Letterpress Collection.

The Wedding Paper Divas Letterpress Collection represents the marriage of contemporary designs, state-of-the-art technology and personalization tools, and outstanding customer service with the most traditional printing method available. Our exclusive Letterpress designs will only be available on the Wedding Paper Divas, and each order placed will be printed by William Arthur on their fine signature papers.

To view our new line, click here.

This past weekend was all about weddings! I went to a wedding on Friday, a wedding fair on Sunday and did a lot of wedding to-do’s in between. Needless to say it was a busy weekend filled with a lot of unique ideas that I’m so excited to share with you!

One thing that seems to be “in” right now is having guests write their wishes for the newly married couple on matching wedding stationery. Pens were left on the sign-in table with blank cards and a beautiful glass vase to put them in. The potential photo of a gorgeous glass vase filled with loving wishes is reason enough to do this at your wedding. But the wish cards can also be later saved and placed in an album with the rest of your wedding keepsakes.

This place card would work great as a wish card. It’s simple, pretty and you can choose one to match your wedding colors. It can also be created with or without any wording.

Edged Monogram: Surf

This wedding used stationery throughout the reception which really helped to pull a consistent modern look together. The couple used escort cards with place names, and menu cards to let guests know what to expect.

All in all, I thought they were both successful events. The bride and groom looked elated and I got a lot of great ideas that I may even use for my own wedding. Look for an upcoming blog on the second event! I got some really pretty photos and more unique ideas.

While there are ample wedding magazines and books out there providing spectacular pictures and ideas for your wedding, I think there is another important resource being overlooked. Go to the bookstore, or visit your local library for articles on current and contemporary fashion and interior designs. Browsing through the latest style trends or home designs may spark fresh ideas and inspiration for your wedding. While their focus may be on clothes, accessories and furniture, they also predict changes in styles that may forecast changes in wedding trends.

As the PR Manager for Wedding Paper Divas, it is my job to work with all of the wedding editors at top bridal magazines and to keep up-to-date on popular trends and ideas. And, there is nothing better than skimming through one these great publications and seeing Wedding Paper Divas stationery featured. Here is one of my favorite finds in the February/March issue of Modern Bride.

Enjoy!