As some of you know, I was lucky enough to attend to the 2012 National Stationery Show in NYC a little while ago (part of my crazy week!). I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite sights from the show, so this week I’ll be sharing my top five favorite paper picks! Today’s pick is the new marriage certificates from Mr. Boddington’s Studio. The colorful design is super fun but still sophisticated. Better yet, because the calligraphy is hand-drawn but pre-printed (except for the personal details), they’re able to be really reasonably priced – just $30! I would totally snap one of these up for a wedding keepsake if I hadn’t already made our own marriage certificate. Pick one up here! Photo on left by Cyn Kain

Several of you expressed interest in the marriage certificate I mentioned designing in this post. I finally had time to snap a photo of it this weekend, so I thought I would explain! The first special (i.e. non-government issued!) marriage certificate to catch my eye was this one, by Orleans Paperie: It just stuck in my head! I loved the quote, the layout, and most importantly the sentiment behind it, and quickly decided we would have one for our wedding. Like the one above, I would call ours a modern version of a Quaker marriage certificate. I am not a Quaker, but here is what I understand the symbolism and meaning of these documents to be in their community: In the Quaker tradition, couples are married at a normal monthly meeting, not at a special service. There is no minister or leader (because Quakers don’t have clergy); Friends believe they are married by God, and declare their intentions before God and those gathered. They believe that the marriage is merely “witnessed” by those present. After, the couple signs a marriage certificate. At the close of worship, all those present at the meeting are also asked to sign the certificate as witnesses. This Wikipedia entry mentions that the certificate is usually hung prominently in the home of the couple as a reminder of the declarations they made, and of the people with whom they shared that moment of their lives. John and I definitely believe that the guests at our wedding play an active role as witnesses of our promises, and we loved the idea of them physically signing their support to what they witnessed. I do think it will make a beautiful keepsake after the fact, too. I created our certificate in Illustrator and had it printed at our local