There are so many fun ways to present guestbooks at receptions, but one of our favorite ways to capture the names of guests in attendance is the Quaker-style wedding certificate. It’s better than many other versions of the guest book, in our opinion, because it can be framed and admired for years to come.

There are many ways to design a wedding certificate, from the very traditional, where the vows, date and wedding location are listed, to more modern versions that may only list the bride and groom’s names at the top in a decorative manner along with a quote or poem.

No matter how you choose to embellish your certificate, there are a few things that are standard certificate to certificate. Two lines are typically reserved at the top of the page for the bride and groom. Since in the Quaker tradition, the bride and groom marry one another in the presence of friends and family, there would not be a line for the minister on a true Quaker certificate, but you could add that line to yours just beneath the bride and groom’s signature lines.  General signature lines follow  and are often introduced by copy that reads, “as witnessed by our friends and family,” or some version thereof.

The design of the certificate above included details that were sentimental for the bride and groom: Montauk daisies to remind the bride of where she grew up and to nod to the groom’s proposal and dogwood blossoms for Virginia, where their wedding took place. It’s those sort of sentimental details that mean so much. Below, guests sign Alex and Paul’s certificate at their outdoor reception at Maymont.

certificate designed by Miss Pickles Press; image by Don Mears

images: dotted rain coat at anthropologie; black and white dot print via plum pretty sugar; dotted henley at j. crew; dotted dress by luca luca via style.com; drake’s pocket square; pillow

Hope you have a lovely weekend! My mom and grandmother are coming to see the baby, and it will be the first time that Birdie meets her great grandmother — so exciting! Before I dash off from the internet for the weekend, I had to share this color palette that I’m dying over right now. A mixture of cerulean, teal, emerald green, grellow (as young house love would say) and a few shades in between, this combo is bright, fun and totally modern. Hope you have a lovely weekend. xo

images: 1- J. Crew Spring 2012 Collection via Everything Fabulous; 2- via Ticklish; 3- from Domino Magazine via Once Upon a Tea Time ; 4-paper twine at BHLDN

image #1 via Ritzy Bee; #2 Virginia Center for Architecture; #3 Elizabeth Messina via Sponge Cake Press; #4 Amy Merrick; #5 Elizabeth Messina via Snippet and Ink; #6 Beehive Events

REVEL will also feature Do It Yourself columns, Expert Question and Answer sessions, and Idea of the Day suggestions for creative celebrating. Head over to REVEL today to get a peek at all of the goodness!

Postage rates increased by a penny yesterday. Erika at Delphine assembled a handy cheat sheet for standard postage rates of common wedding mailings. Of course, you should always take all of the pieces of your invitation to the post office to be weighed before you purchase postage, just to be safe.

erika’s article via think splendid; invitations by the lettered olive photographed by katie stoops & styled by courtney spencer for southern weddings magazine

If vintage is more your style, Etsy is a treasure trove for vintage wallcoverings. Elements of Style (have you seen the invitation that employed a blue and white pattern from Erin’s shop?) and colleenabean are two of my favorites. Secondhand Rose is also a go-to for vintage papers, while Schumacher is a modern love of mine.

I’m looking forward to spring and the early bloomers…all of those pretty flowering branches that herald the beginning of a new season. This chinoiserie-inspired party flanked the bar with cherry blossoms — those famous trees that draw crowds just to our north in Washington D.C. Spring green and white are an eternally classic combination. Love it not only for a wedding, but for any sort of spring or summer gathering.

images: The Greystone House Gala featured in Veranda. Photography by Reed Davis.

In a former life, I worked in advertising as a strategic planner. Planners are responsible for articulating the client/brand goals in a way that is compelling to the creative team (who will ultimately create the creative product) and in a way that is compelling to the audience (the people who will ultimately consume the work/the people who you want to communicate with). I think a lot about the creative briefs I used to write and how the format can be adapted to be a really useful tool for couples planning weddings. With SO much inspiration and so many ideas floating around, it’s good to focus, focus, focus. Hopefully asking yourself these questions and committing your answers to paper will help you focus your efforts and energy during your planning.

What’s the one thing we want to remember?

What’s the one thing we want our guests to remember?

We’re standing at the altar and we turn around to look at the congregation, these are the people we hope to see…

Three words that describe us as a couple…

If we imagine the look and feeling of our wedding, we’d use these three words to describe it….

These are the things we can’t live without. They’re mandatory….

Our budget is…

Now, go pick three images that match up with your vision for your wedding. Not 300. 3. They can be of anything…interiors, food, clothing. Use those three to remind yourself of where you’re going when you’re in inspiration overload.

photo of Katie and Max’s wedding by Jodi Miller Photography

1. Quirk Gallery neon tote by Brandon Peck 2. Neon pink geo earrings available at Quirk Gallery 3. Small leather triangle necklace from LEIF 4. Butter London 3 Free polish 5. Vibrant yellow ballet flats from TopShop 6. Neon handpainted vintage earrings

1. Adams brand “While You Were Out” neon notepads 2. 35mm Fisheye camera 3. Hot pink lace washi tape 4. Neon pink chevron favor bags 5. Field Notes notebook three pack from JCrew 6. Neon pink gift tags 7. Mini Flourescent Pink Sharpie

1. Prickly pink cactus place card via Jessi Haack Design photographed by Gabriel Ryan 2. Absolut Mandrin 3. Cake Knives at LEIF 4. Memento Mori mini skull candle 5. Pink agate trivet at LEIF 6. Dissembled geo II 7. Electric cocktail via Pinterest

Craving some more neon inspiration? Visit my collection here!