In the fourth installment of our series following wedding planner Sarah Pease of Brilliant Event Planning as she plans her own wedding, Sarah and her fiancé, Cass, select their wedding invitations:

In my wedding dreams, I have silk folio invitations on letterpress paper, tied with a beaded wrap closure, and hand delivered in a custom gift box. Enter the wedding budget, and my "real life" wedding invites are a world away from that—but still seem fitting for our wedding.

Courtesy of Hay Anna Sawin Photography

Think outside the pumpkin! Erin Ethier (sparkleandhay.com) shares clever ways to add a seasonal touch to your fall bash.

1. USE EDIBLES.
Incorporate seasonal vegetables, including cabbages, eggplants, and purple artichokes, into your centerpieces.

2. COVER UP.
Bare shoulders are so two-months ago. Signal the climate change with a cardigan or shrug.

3. GET FIRED UP.
If your venue allows it, arrange a post-dinner bonfire—fab for marshmallow-toasting and a DIY s'mores station.

4. LET THERE BE LIGHT!
Warm up your decor by clustering candlelit jelly jars and lanterns around the party.

Photo by Getty Images

5. GET COZY DURING COCKTAILS.
Spiked cider (presented in a cored apple) or hot toddies and Irish coffee (served in glass mugs) are the perfect way to chase away that autumn chill.

6. CHOOSE RICH COLORS.
Hues like deep reds, golds, rusts, and purples are just right for this time of year.

7. THINK FALL FAVORS.
Send friends and family home with a potted fir sapling, a custom blend of herbs and spices, a caramel candy apple, a mini bottle of maple syrup, or an assortment of loose-leaf teas.

8. CUT THE PIE.
Instead of a lavish (and pricey) wedding cake, serve multiple flavors of pie (apple, pecan, blackberry). Your guests will adore all the delish options—and you'll love the moolah you save.

—BRIDES magazine

Photos: Courtesy of Enchanted Atelier

A trunk show? Like...with trunks? Because industry terminology isn't always intuitive, we asked Liv Hart, creative director of Enchanted Atelier Couture Accessories, to shed some light on what a trunk show is and how to get the most from your shopping experience:

More often than not I hear "What is a trunk show?" from my bridal clients—probably because the options available to you are uncharted territory and can be a little overwhelming. So let's look at why a trunk show is an option that should not be missed.

Extensive Collection
These events, hosted by bridal stores throughout the year, feature a more extensive collection of a designer's work. Stores typically carry a selection of a line, but a trunk show allows you to see designs that would otherwise not be available to try on. We typically have 15 to 30 designs in a store, but a trunk show brings in around 50 to 75 options. The event usually lasts two or three days, so be sure to make appointments early.

Meeting the Designer & Custom Options
The designer or designer's representative is often available to meet with you at the trunk show. This is a particularly wonderful opportunity because they can offer tips about custom options or the fit of the gown and suggest ideas for accessories.

Discounts Often Available
During a trunk show weekend, discounted prices are usually made available— a rarity for bridal accessories and gowns—so you should take advantage of savings in your wedding budget or upgrades that may have been slightly out of reach.

Lastly, I would suggest spending time familiarizing yourself with gown and accessory designers you admire and visit their websites for upcoming trunk show dates. Attending a trunk show is a great way to see the designer's extensive collection samples and spend your time and money wisely during your wedding-planning process!

Browse trunk show listings in your area here.

Photos: Courtesy of vendors

We asked Phoebe Lapine and Cara Eisenpress of Big Girls Small Kitchen to share their favorite gift items for the kitchen with us—take it away Phoebe and Cara!

For twentysomething wedding guests like ourselves, shower season can be quite the expensive few months, especially if you've waited too long and all that's left on the registry are high price tag items that you can't afford. Instead of going totally rogue with your gift—which can feel like too big of a risk, especially where the kitchen is concerned—we think it's best to select items that are as fun as they are useful. These cute and thoughtful kitchen gifts from under-the-radar companies will ensure that your gift isn't found in someone else's gift box, too.

1. Vintage Cake Stand
Usually we wouldn't recommend tableware that is bulky, fragile, and hard to store, but vintage cake stands are the exception. Top it with a homemade cake to bring to the shower! The space-friendly cake stands from OliviaRaeJames's Etsy shop are truly one of a kind.
2. DIY Dish Towels
Dish towels might seem too utilitarian, but if you personalize them, they can be downright adorable. Check out Design Sponge's tips for creating stamped dish towels. If you're not quite up for doing it yourself, have Claudia Pearson do it for you—her illustrated flour sack towels will brighten up any new kitchen!
3. Recipe Box
Though we live in an age of iPads and bookmarked webpages, a simple recipe box is a homey addition to a new kitchen. These Jack and Lulu Lucite recipe boxes can be customized with a monogram. To make the gift even more special, ask friends to contribute a recipe, and include them in the box.
4. Apron
Anthropologie has made frilly apron addicts out of us, and we believe that, as with dresses, you can never have too many. ASD Living makes a whole variety of colorful, fun aprons.
5. Vintage Champagne Glasses
Chances are the couple will have their glassware needs covered on the registry. But vintage Champagne glasses are such a whimsical, romantic addition, especially if you pair your gift with a bottle of bubbly. There are a host of Etsy vendors who sell beautiful vintage Champagne coupes—we especially love these sturdy versions.

Thanks, guys! I'd also like to add that cookbooks make a lovely gift for new couples—experimenting with recipes and discovering new favorites is an excellent bonding activity. I would definitely recommend Phoebe and Cara's brand-new cookbook In the Small Kitchen, especially if the newlyweds are kitchen neophytes. It has sections for getting started in the kitchen, as well as foolproof recipes for great food, both for everyday meals and for special occasions. —Lauren Matthews

Courtesy of Jenna Cole

Blogger and paper-lover extraordinaire Nole Garey (ohsobeautifulpaper.com) shares her top 10 tips for making the most of this crafty material on your big day.

1) Send your tiniest guests down the aisle carrying pinwheels. Another charming option: A "Here Comes the Bride" banner.

2) Fly your flags. Place vases of custom Mexican-paper pennants at each table. After the party, guests can wave them to send off you and your hubster.

Photo by Diane Fields/BRIDES

3) Deck the party with paper garlands. String them from the ceiling. Or hang pomanders from chairs. Use bright colors for a mod feel, or pretty pastels for a more romantic vibe.

4) Spice up the bar. Decorate drinks with striped paper straws, and adhere tiny paper triangles printed with your wedding date to the stirrers. Go a step further: Monogram napkins and put out a bowl of matching matchbooks.

5) Scatter paper rosettes on tables. Display a vase full of large colored-paper flowers as an alternative to a floral centerpiece.

6) Make kraft-paper table runners. The classic brown lends a rustic look to your celebration, but the affordable stuff also comes in (almost!) every color.

7) Hire a silhouette artist to create portraits. Have silos made of you and your man, and hang the pics above your guest-book table. Extra room in your budget? Commission reception portraits of your guests.

8) Create an art installation. Hire a calligrapher to write a beloved poem or song lyrics on posterboard. Frame it and put it over the altar or at the venue's entrance.

9) Invest in a custom marriage certificate. After the wedding, ask your stationer to create a replica that coordinates with your invites, then frame it. It will jazz up the plain paperwork, and it's a great keepsake with which to remember the day.

10) Fold origami cranes. Use printed paper to create these good-luck charms. Legend says a thousand mini-birds will bring you a thousand years of happiness. Don't have much craft time? Make enough to string across the ceiling. (Kiddie-table alert: Leave spare paper, so they can try to make their own!)

—Nole Garey, Oh So Beautiful Paper

Photos (clockwise, from top left): Aaron Delesie; courtesy of the Gansevoort Park Avenue; courtesy of the Cranberry Country Lodge; Ryan Doe

In the second installment of our series following wedding planner Sarah Pease of Brilliant Event Planning as she plans her own wedding, Sarah and her fiancé Cass tackle the first critical planning step: finding a location. With their families and friends living all over the world, it proved to be a tough decision. Read how the couple focused their efforts and ultimately made their decision after the jump! Read more ››

Photos: Courtesy of Brilliant Event Planning

If you've been reading wedding magazines and blogs, you're probably feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities. But what if weddings were your job? Knowing all the options—and how to execute them well—could be paralyzing. To get an inside look at what happens when a wedding pro plans her own wedding, we're kicking off a blog series following Sarah Pease, the recently-engaged owner of Brilliant Event Planning. In addition to designing and producing weddings for couples in New York and around the world, Sarah also offers proposal planning services. So how does a guy propose to a proposal planner? For our first entry, we asked Sarah to share the story of how her fiancé, Cass, proposed. Read all about it after the jump! Read more ››

Courtesy of Jonathan Canlas

No one knows inspiration boards like bridal blogger Kathryn Storke, who's posted more than 500—count 'em, 500!—on her site Snippet & Ink. Check out her tips for turning a pair of heels into the wedding of your dreams!

1. GET ORGANIZED.
Find a place to put your ideas, whether it's a bulletin board above your desk or a photo file on your phone or laptop.

KATHRYN'S INSPIRATION
"When building a board, I browse fashion and home-decor magazines and blogs," says Storke. "Graphic design elements on packaging and stationery are also a source of creative ideas."

2. START TO COLLECT IMAGES AND ITEMS YOU LOVE.
Anything goes—a photo of fuchsia tulips, an antique armchair, a stack of throw pillows....

3. KEEP YOUR LOCATION AND DATE IN MIND.
While you're gathering ideas, limit yourself to those that will work with the venue and the season.

4. SELECT THINGS THAT REFLECT THE TWO OF YOU AS A COUPLE.
Both love to backpack? Scour campfire cookbooks for inspiration. (S'mores!) Obsessed with astrology? Search the Internet for cool symbols of the signs.

5. JOT DOWN NOTES ABOUT EACH DETAIL.
You may have plans for that ombre ribbon, but four months from now, you may not remember thinking that its palette would look great on your cake.

Courtesy of Kelly Chan Photography

Photo by Diane Fields

THINK DRINKS!
Try coasters or bottle openers stamped with your "I do" date.

SPILL YOUR FAMILY'S SECRET RECIPES.
Your guests will dig a cute card printed with the instructions for making your aunt's "world famous" popovers or Grandma's mind-blowingly delicious marinara sauce.

DO DOUBLE DUTY.
Choose escort cards that double as favors. Having a destination wedding? Luggage tags will get your guests to their tables and back home again. Got a sweet tooth? Attach cards to gourmet lollipops.

TELL YOUR STORY.
Did you and your fiance see a movie on your first date? Dole out big boxes of Junior Mints or Raisinets, along with a note card with the tale printed on it. (Two thumbs up!)

HIT THE KITCHEN.

Browse the farmer's market with your fiance, then head home to whip up some country-spun goodies. Tried-and-true ideas: jam, pickles, even jerky!

MAKE YOUR BUDDIES COMFY.
In the summer, decorative fans will cool guests' brows. If it's chilly outside, opt for a basket of inexpensive wraps and scarves to keep them cozy at the reception.

SAY "CHEESE."
Set up a digital camera and printer, and have guests each snap a pic. Have them use double-sided tape to attach it to cut-to-size card stock with your wedding date written on it. (Put magnet tape on the back so they can stick it on the fridge!)

TAKE A CUE FROM THE CANDY BAR.
Instead of chocolates and jelly beans, have folks fill muslin pouches with their choice of coffee beans or loose-leaf teas.

THINK LOCAL.
Give presents that capture the spirit of your big day's location. A small tin of Old Bay seasoning is perfect for a Maryland wedding, while a bottle of barbecue sauce works for a Texan affair. If you're heading to the beach, send friends and family home with saltwater taffy or peanut-butter fudge.

MAKE DONATIONS IN YOUR GUESTS' HONOR.
Pick causes that you and your friends are passionate about, then label fishbowls with the name of each charity. Guests can each drop a "token" into the bowl of their choice to help determine how much moolah goes where.

—Cathy Schroeckenstein, Wedding Bee