In kit form, your wedding time capsule takes the form of an attractive tin, in which you place various mementos -- photos, videos -- as well as predictions for the future; then, you seal it all up with some festive stickers, to...

One of the wedding trends that's really revving up brides today is the addition of a time capsule to the wedding prep proceedings. Yes, the wedding time capsule is a growing trend -- to the point where you can buy a pre-made kit from many web sites.

In kit form, your wedding time capsule takes the form of an attractive tin, in which you place various mementos -- photos, videos -- as well as predictions for the future; then, you seal it all up with some festive stickers, to help discourage premature peeking. You decide ahead of time how long you'll wait until you open it again -- your 10th anniversary? 25th anniversary? And then you write a stern directive to yourself on the tin to help you keep to the agreement.

Although most people equate "time capsule" with "something you bury in the ground," burying your wedding time capsule isn't a great idea. Not only does that subject the contents to extreme temperature variations, but with the US Census recently reporting that the average American moves every five years, chances of you leaving behind a buried capsule before the hoped-for anniversary rolls around are high indeed. Instead, keep yours out of the elements and somewhere relatively kind -- avoid damp attics, but a climate-controlled closet would be just perfect.

Some of us just like to do things our own way, and a wedding time capsule is no exception. Of course you can create your own! And a great way to do that is to get close friends and relatives in on the fun. Have them scribble up some predictions -- or perhaps marital advice. Take advantage of a pre-wedding party to snap photos of your intimates, and tuck the photos into the capsule. If you really want to motivate people to get involved, hold some kind of drawing for participants, such as a wedding raffle -- give away a box of fine cigars, a bottle of bubbly or even an afternoon at a spa.

While you're letting others in on the action, there are number of ways to go about it. One is to compose a list of predictions for everyone to guess at -- the whole experience is similar to filling out a junior high slam book, and just as fun. For example, ask participants to predict:

How many children you'll have,
what kind of household robots you'll have,
how many career changes you've gone through,
what major nation we're closest to, and which one we're mad at,
what animal is the trendiest pet,

... and so on.

Another is to ask your wedding party and close friends to compose short letters to you. Give them each envelopes, and instruct them to tell you on the outside when it's time to open the envelope. Some will simply say "fifth anniversary," "10th anniversary," or "when your first child is born." Others will get more creative -- and you'll probably find it's terrific fun to stretch out the time capsule concept in this inventive, unpredictable way.