Our Very Own Mrs. Nearlywed..

was featured in an article in today's Express, a publication from the Washington Post. There was a special section called the Wedding Guide, and the very first article is called "All Favors Say 'Aye Do': Friends don't let friends monogram wedding trinkets. Try these instead."

Congratulations Mrs. Nearlywed!!!

"My mantra toward favors is not against them, but to make them more useful and have a meaning," Johnson says. Recently, that's meant donations to charities. Often, it's a medical cause honoring a close relative's battle with a particular illness. Environmental groups are also frequent beneficiaries; they help assuage the guilt of eco-conscious folks who've just left a vast carbon footprint in the name of love. The do-gooder route is also an attractive option for tight budgets, Johnson notes. While an allotment of $1.50 per favor might mean your 200 guests will be taking home junk, a $300 donation to a charity seems more worthwhile."

"The real secret to favor success is putting some thought into them, Johnson says, which isn't always easy when dealing with the never-ending list of other concerns related to throwing this epic bash. Her most recent bull's-eye came from a couple whose invitation featured the image of a groom in a fez presenting his bride with a jewelry box. So, at the wedding, when ladies got jewelry boxes and gentlemen got fezzes, everyone felt in on the joke. Even better: They wore them onto the dance floor. "It turned into a free-for-all, with all of those tassels spinning," Johnson recalls."