For the Love of money!

If you really can’t get enough of your sweetheart and want to see his smiling mug every time you get your morning Starbucks or go on a wild shopping spree (I know, so likely these days), you can personalize your plastic.


For only $5.95, GiftCardLab.com lets you pick a photo of your choice—you and your fiancé, your cat, or dog…—to decorate a Visa gift card. What a perfect gift for those who don’t know what to give—simple, yet personal. On GiftCardLab.com, you can upload a photo and enlarge, rotate, flip or crop it to make sure it looks the way you want it to. You can also get a name and message embossed on the card, which is included in the price. Plus, the site lets you share card designs with friends and family and save created designs for later.


And why stop at a photo of your guy? Take a close-up of your engagement ring or bridal bouquet so your wedding memories always travel with you in your wallet. Or treat your bridesmaids—get them gift cards with a group pic of the bridal party. The possibilities are endless!

Save the Date!

What a great way to let help your family and friend remember not to make any other plans on that special date! Send your out-of-town guests save-the-date cards four to six months before the wedding so they can plan accordingly, and then send all your invites (local and out-of-towners) at least eight weeks prior to your wedding date.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Your save-the-date cards can be as simple as a postcard or as elaborate and interactive as a magnetic puzzle.
• We're fans of a picture taken shortly after the engagement (think holiday cards).
  Some brides favor save-the-date cookies, although you may have to send out a second reminder to all your sweet-tooth friends who might munch before they mark down your date!
• We absolutely love the idea of save-the-date stickers that will fit into those tiny boxes in appointment books or on desktop calendars.
• Refrigerator magnets -- ones with just your names and wedding date -- are cool too.
• An all-time favorite done many different ways is the calendar. Invitation designers are creating cards that look like a mini calendar month with the date you've chosen circled or decorated or knocked out with a mini three-hole punch.
• The hottest trend is a photo strip (the kind you create yourself on a beach boardwalk) with funny faces and the wedding date. In each of the four pictures, hold up a sign. 1) We're getting married. 2) Save the Date. 3) June 5, 2005. 4) Be there! (You get the idea.)