(WEDDING COUNTDOWN) T-minus 4 days and counting

Stick... fold... stack. Repeat 105 times.

My sister and her fiance are providing a white-themed "candy bar" as the wedding favor for the guests. There will be a table set up near the reception exit and on it will be several large, clear glass jars. Each jar will be filled with a different kind of white-colored candy, like white-chocolate covered pretzels, white Jordan almonds, etc. As the guests leave at the end of the night, they'll get a white takeout-style box (with a personalized sticker/label), into which they can put their candy loot and have a sweet snack for the ride home. I think it's a tasty idea!

So how do all those takeout boxes go from folded to fill-ready? That's where I join the story. I'm glad my sister actually let me handle this one because, as the bride, she has other much more important final wedding details to take care of this week.

I cleared the dining room table and turned it into my own little assembly line. Flattened boxes: CHECK. Personalized wedding labels for boxes: CHECK. Large bin to put boxes into for transportation: CHECK. Wine/beer to relax the assembly lady (me): CHECK.

An hour and a half later, the project was completed. On to the next one, which is a classic bridesmaid duty: make the bow bouquet. Remember all those bows and ribbons you kept from the bride's showers? Now's the time to drag them out and get crafty. The bride will hold this "practice" bouquet during her walk down the aisle at the rehearsal.

Although you might've known you'd have to make the bow bouquet, folding boxes isn't exactly on the standard list of bridesmaid tasks like hosting a shower or planning the bachelorette bash. But offering to relieve the bride of mindless manual tasks -- folding favor boxes, assembling wedding programs, filling hotel welcome bags, etc. -- can actually be more helpful by allowing her to concentrate less on "to do" and more on "I do."