According to a recent survey of more than 17,000 brides, the cost of an average wedding topped $28,000 in 2012, and that’s excluding the honeymoon. For brides on a budget, it’s almost enough to make you want to elope. But before you start heading for a Vegas wedding chapel, take heed: With some careful planning and a little extra attention to the small details that make the greatest impact, you can make sure your wedding day is elegant, memorable and well within your budget.

The best place to start: the wedding stationery. By taking the time to select a style that suits your style and a color that coordinates with your palette, you can impart a feeling of quality, sophistication and style long before the first strains of the Wedding March are played.

The invitations set the tone for your wedding, so it’s important to make sure they’re designed to reflect your own style. PaperDirect offers a substantial range of invitations ideal for all types of weddings, from formal ceremonies to more casual gatherings. Once you’ve chosen the style of invitation, carry the same theme throughout your event with coordinating programs, reception table cards and even thank-you notes. That kind of consistency is the hallmark of expensive, professionally planned weddings, and you can have it for a fraction of the cost.

So what should you consider when choosing your stationery? Color, for sure, but don’t stop there: borders, illustrations, embossing and other embellishments enhance your design and help convey your theme. Finally, consider the type of calligraphy you want to use. PaperDirect features lots of different fonts and ink colors, so you can be as unique as you want to be.

Creating your own custom wedding stationery products is one of the most effective yet inexpensive ways to achieve the look of an expensive wedding without emptying your bank account. And you know what the best part is? With PaperDirect, you can do all this online, right from the comfort of your home, with a mug of tea in your hand and that old, grungy pair of fuzzy bunny slippers on your feet. Just don’t let the groom see you like that.

Kids achieve great things in the classroom, and it’s about time their brilliance is rewarded. When generic honor-student bumper stickers aren’t enough, it’s time to get creative. Give your star students the personalized recognition they deserve. PaperDirect has a plethora of award ideas, including certificates of recognition and awards for excellence, special achievements, and simply for going above and beyond the call of learning.

Unique students deserve unique awards. Simply choose a template, then tweak the layout, color scheme, fonts, and other design elements to bring out your child’s personality. Who says certificates of recognition have to be stuffy and serious? Change the title to something creative and whimsical. Toss in your student’s nickname. Reserve a special space for an inside joke. Add photos of your child and images of his or her favorite things to make it an award to remember.

What if you have a bunch of overachievers on your hands? Choose a template to foster group cohesion and team spirit, then give each award a unique finishing touch to boost your kids’ confidence as individuals. Whether your kids are eight or 18, they’ll be happy to have their accomplishments acknowledged.

Once you’re finished designing the award, you can choose to print straight from your desktop, or order a custom print. Pocket-sized or poster-sized, fridge or framed, PaperDirect has a variety of colors, sizes and textures to make your awards pop, all custom-designed and delivered straight to your school or home.

At PaperDirect, It’s as much of a joy to design student awards as it is to hand them out. Proper encouragement is crucial in any endeavor, at any age. A well-designed award tells students that they are appreciated and capable of great things, and inspires them to keep going above and beyond.

While the graduation ceremony itself is the official way to recognize a student’s accomplishment, there’s usually not space for all of the student’s friends and family to attend. That’s why so many families host a graduation party afterwards to celebrate together and give guests a chance to interact with the graduate, not just watch him walk across a stage. Incorporate some of these creative ideas into your graduation party.

Use the School Colors: Anybody can throw a generic graduation party full of black mortarboards and gold diploma scrolls, but you can personalize yours by using the school colors in the theme and decorations. Choose graduation party invitations with the school’s colors in the border, decorate with streamers and balloons, and even incorporate the school mascot if you can.

Set up a Photo Booth: Rather than creating a display with memorabilia from the student’s educational career, encourage guests to use the items as props in a photo booth. Create an area at the party with a camera or laptop set up to take pictures and let guests pose with old sports jerseys, textbooks, backpacks, and trophies.

Make Graduation Cap Treats: You’ll need plenty of finger food at the party, and one creative type is designed to look like a graduation cap. Make miniature ones with small peanut butter cups turned upside down topped with a chocolate square and fruit roll up tassel, or larger ones out of an upside down cupcake with a graham cracker on top and frosting tassel.

The graduation party should be a fun event, with lots of laughter and reminiscing about the student’s time in school. Start planning well in advance, and use PaperDirect to create custom graduation party invitations and graduation announcements to spread the word.