A blog dedicated to small and intimate weddings. Step inside for wedding venues, DIY wedding ideas and real weddings with 75 or fewer guests.
Fill these wedding favor cones with cinnamon roasted almonds. Or Hershey Kisses. Or Jelly Bellies. Or Lavender Buds. What about rose petals? Fill them with whatever your little heart desires. The cool thing? These free wedding templates from Martha Stewart are easy as pie, and depending on what you fill them with, they can be very inexpensive. Just purchase some crepe paper, ribbon and some colored paper to print out the favor cones.
You fuss. You fret. You fall to your knees and ask: “Why does this have to be so difficult?”
Creating the wedding guest list for a small wedding can be tricky – especially if you have a big family and a large circle of friends.
What if cousin Mable blacklists you for not inviting her? What if co-worker Bob gives you the silent treatment for the next six months because you didn’t send him an invitation?
Before you get your knickers-in-a-knot worrying about your wedding guest list, realize that during these tough economic times, some of your friends and distant family might actually be relieved that they don’t have to come up with hundreds of dollars in travel expenses and wedding gifts.
Still worried? Check out this article about creating the wedding guest list and this post on kid-free weddings. Also, read the responses from brides in the real weddings section to get some other guest list trimming ideas.
To give you a reprieve from this oh-so-serious guest list-making business, I wrote this little letter to the uninvited.
Please note that I have nothing against wedding photo booths. In fact, there’s a good chance I would have had one at my wedding if they had been around then. So, if you are having a photo booth at your wedding, or you own a photo booth business, don’t be offended.
A Letter to the Uninvited
Dear acquaintances-that-I-really-don’t-give-a-rat’s-behind-about, co-workers-that-I-merely-tolerate and relatives-who-I-haven’t-seen-in-five-years-and-like-it-that-way:
We’re getting married. You’re not invited.
That means you don’t have to burn up a Saturday night wearing a tight suit that itches in dark, secret places. And ladies, you won’t have to suffer through a night of sweaty panty hose and Spanx . As if that wasn’t enough, you will not have to spend the evening trying to constrict gas caused by our Mexican food station. (Refried beans can really do a number on you I hear!)
You will not have to endure a lukewarm dinner at a table full of strangers who think you’re just as dull and dim-witted as you think they are. You will not have to feign laughter during speeches that drag on too long, or hide in the bathroom stall for copious amounts of time, texting your friends with updates on how drunk you are.
There’s more! You will not have to wrap yourself in hot pink feather boas and enter photo booths with sloshed guests or be forced to spend half the night trying to come up with something clever to say in our DIY guest book.
And best of all – no gift to buy!
How can you possibly return the favor?
Make sure we’re not invited to your wedding either.
Sincerely,
I have never had the pleasure of eating a macaron. Never. And I’ve been craving some ever since I set my eyes on these marvelous looking macarons by Toronto’s Bobbette and Belle, who were featured in a recent article that discussed the growing popularity of macarons at weddings.
What is a macaron? According to Bobbette & Belle, the macaron had its origins in Italy centuries ago, but now is a Parisian speciality. The ingredients include finely ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites. The almond flavour and round shape are its distinctive features.
Bobbette & Belle writes:
When bitten into, its delicate but crunchy outer shell gives way to a soft almond meringue on the inside. For a heavenly experience, two macaron halves are stuck together and filled with a rich chocolate ganache, or flavoured butter cream.
Yum. And look how pretty they are!
New York’s Mark it with G is another company specializing in macarons. (They spell it macaroons.) Flavors include mint, pistachio, coffee, lemon, raspberry, hazelnut, coconut, lavendar caramel, german chocolate and raspberry mousse.
As you can see, macarons make a beautiful alternative to a cupcake tower.
If you feel adventurous and you want to bake your own, check out this Raspberry Chocolate French Macaron recipe. Sounds divine.
Still, I refuse to believe the cupcake is dead. Little Miss Cupcake might not be as quite as sophisticated, but she’s still pretty darn delicious.
You’ve dreamed about it. You’ve sat back in your easychair (or office chair) and conjured up images of your wedding day. Maybe you have everything figured out. You know what type of dress you want, and what color your bridesmaids will be wearing. You know what type of meal you will serve. You even know what kind of cake you won’t be smashing into your sweetie’s face at the end of the night.
Or maybe you’re still in a fog. Maybe you haven’t got a clue about where you will have your wedding, or how many guests to invite. Your mind is an open slate waiting for some great ideas to come along.
No matter how clear your wedding day picture, one thing is for certain: you’re about to embark on one of the biggest adventures of your life.
Planning a wedding is an exciting and creative process, but it can also be a strange ride.
Firstly, you’ll be faced with lots of decisions – and some of them might not come easily. Secondly, it’s a highly emotional time in your life. Not only will your emotions be running high, your spouse-to-be, not to mention family members, might also be touchy. Then there’s the issue of money. What if you go over budget? (In fact, breaking the budget is what brides-to-be stress out about the most . As if that’s not enough to worry about, what if you forget a crucial detail? What if your maid of honor backs out on you at the last minute or only half your guest list shows up?
Combine these common bridal anxieties with the pressure you will face from the bridal industry to have the ‘perfect’ wedding and you’ve got a recipe for full blown wedding panic.
If you suddenly find yourself succumbing to what I like to call the “Jekyll and Bride Syndrome” (loving, intelligent woman temporarily transforms into crabby, stressed out vixen-with-claws), take heart. You don’t have to let these temporary moments of insanity overshadow the joy and excitement that comes with planning your wedding.
The worries that make you break out into a cold sweat at night will not likely materialize, and pretty soon you’ll be looking back on these months of planning with a feeling of pride and joy that you not only survived, but created a beautiful event that will always be remembered.
Meantime, don’t let wedding planning devour your entire life. Call a friend and chat about something other than your nuptials. Go to a movie. Read a great novel. Take a walk on the beach. Revisit an old hobby. It is during these moments of distraction that inspiration might whisper some brilliant wedding day ideas in your ear and banish “Jekyll and Bride” from your life forever.
Photo: Ralph Heinze Photography
You’re hiring a photographer to cover the wedding, but what about all the great shots that your guests are going to take with their digital cameras? There’s a good chance you won’t end up seeing many of the photos that your guests take, and that’s a shame. That’s why I loved reading about the invention of a computer-based kiosk that allows wedding guests to insert their camera memory cards and upload photos on the spot. The New York Times online writes:
“{Rush Hambleton’s} invention is a computer-based kiosk for events like wedding receptions. As guests leave, they are invited to insert their cameras’ memory cards into the device. The kiosk stores the photos on a thumb drive that the bride and groom can take home. (His research showed guests didn’t want all those photos.)
The kiosk, the size of a small cabinet, has been to 11 weddings so far as well as summer camps. The next step is to raise half a million dollars to pay for miniaturizing the kiosk — he wants it small enough to be packed and shipped.
What if you don’t live in New York and have no chance of renting this device? Create your own. That’s what Nikki, who hails from Calgary, Alberta, did at her May 2008 wedding. She and her groom didn’t want any of their guests’ photos getting away, so they set up their laptop at the reception and had Nikki’s aunt man the ‘download station.’
“We set up the laptop near the door at the reception. The hall we rented had a coat check area right at the door with a counter that had the necessary plug ins,” she says. “My aunt took care of the station. She did everything, I just gave her the laptop and card reader (which I bought at Walmart for $25) and she took care of the rest.”
The MC and DJ let guests know about the download station throughtout the evening, reminding them to copy their photos before they left the reception.
The result?
“It was SO worth the effort. I would have missed some amazing shots as well as some group shots of friends. I ended up with close to 700 extra photos. At no cost!,” she says.
Her advice?
“I would highly suggest having someone take care of the station for you, that way you aren’t worried about it. Also, as my aunt loaded photos, she had a slide show rolling for people to watch. There was always at least two people standing around and watching the pictures. It is also so much easier than asking everyone to mail you a CD or trying to track people down to get certain photos of people. I now have enough candids to fill in the parts of the day/night that the photographer missed,” she says
If you are considering a ‘download station’ at your wedding, here’s some other things to keep in mind:
Photo: Anne Ryan, zrweddings.com
If you will be serving tea after dinner, why not make life sweet for your guests with honeydrops from PEI, Canada’s Honibe company. These pretty little drops, which come in lemon or regular, can be added to tea or any other beverage as a substitute for traditional honey. The drops are made with 100 percent pure honey (no additives or binding agents.) They’re individually wrapped and lovely to look at.
These would also make great ‘green’ wedding favors! (Wholesale orders are available.)
This article also appears on CBC.ca
There’s an image of you kissing your grade 10 sweetheart. And another one of you and your best friend making piggy noses for the camera. There’s even one of you alone, trying to look sophisticated at sixteen. (Look at the hair!)
Photo booth photos. They remind us of our youth. They freeze us in candid moments of silliness or affection. We are nostalgic for them. So nostalgic, that photo booths are no longer relegated to mall corridors and bus stations. They’re in bars and night clubs, and even people’s homes. And now they’re all the rage at weddings.
Vancouver’s Anna Namshirin is one bride that is photo booth-crazy. In fact, one of the highlights of her Big Day was a wedding photo booth.
“I’ve loved photo booths since I was little … My girlfriends and I always used to cram into the booths at the mall and take funny pictures together and I still have all of those shots,” she says. “I was willing to do anything to squeeze one into our wedding budget!”
Namshirin, who got married February 23 in Burnaby, British Columbia, says she wanted a photo booth at her wedding reception not only because it would add an element of fun, but also because she felt it would give her guests a unique wedding experience.
“I knew it was going to be something different,” she says. “I think ultimately most brides want a wedding that is fun and memorable – a photo booth is a fun way to combine both goals.”
Although photo booths at weddings have really taken off in the U.S., they are a fairly new trend in Canada, says Namshirin, who aside from being a new bride herself, works as a “wedding coach” for Ladner, British Columbia based Fairy Godmother Weddings.
“For weddings I think it is a new and exciting thing. Everyone knows what a photo booth is and more than likely everyone has been in one, but to actually be able to bring it to your reception and give your guests something fun to do during cocktail hour or once they’re tired from dancing is something else,” she says.
Photobooth Vancouver, the company Namshirin hired for her wedding, is one business that is capitalizing on the trend. Angela Haugo, a wedding photographer and journalism student, started the company in 2007 when she realized there were no local companies offering photo booth rentals.
“Photo booths have become very popular in the U.S. and brides here were having a hard time finding a local source for photo booths that were within their price range,” she says.
Although some companies rent vintage photo booths, Photobooth Vancouver uses a custom made digital photo booth with high resolution 8 megapixel images.
“This gives the clients the ability to keep digital copies of the pictures forever,” she says, pointing out that both black and white and colour photos are offered.
Because the units are so heavy, the company uses in-house movers to transport the units. Once they are set up, they’re good to go.
“Our booths are built with weddings in mind. They have an elegant design and have a classic black finish. They fit within the decor of most weddings so there really is no need to decorate them,” she says, adding that some couples will place props inside the booth such as hats and feather boas to encourage silliness.
Although her company rents photo booths for bar mitzvahs and corporate parties, weddings make up the bulk of her business.
She says couples generally rent a booth for 4-8 hours depending on the style of their reception and the number of guests. The amount of pictures that can be taken is unlimited. The cost is $300 per hour, which includes an attendant who makes sure everything is running smoothly. (Haugo says she attends many of the weddings herself.)
Once the booth is set up, it is hard to pull the guests away, she says, so she advises couples to rent the booth from the beginning of cocktails through to the end of dancing.
According to Haugo, some guests use the photo booth in lieu of traditional wedding favours.
“The photo is a great favour and will likely be the most remembered favour offered to your guests,” says Haugo.
Wedding couples receive a copy of all of the photo booth photos on CD-ROM. They also have the option of creating a custom guest book. (If couples choose this option, a guestbook attendant helps guests assemble the book.)
Haugo says many couples tell her the photo booth is the hit of the reception.
“Guests love the photo booth. It is a great way to break the ice and get people mixing and laughing. It really is the hit of the party,” she says.
Calgary’s The Photobooth Co. is another Canadian company that’s in on the trend. The company, which began in September 2007, will be entering its first wedding season this summer – and it’s already booked solid for July and August.
Owner Robin Audenart says her company is the first in Canada to use a Model 12 photo booth – a type of photo booth that is gaining popularity in the U.S.
Although the Model 12 has the feel of a vintage photo booth, the photos are digital.
“It’s a lot cooler than the photo booths you see at the mall,” says Audenart. “But if you like the vintage look, you can get that by choosing to print in black and white.”
Currently, there are 25 photo booth companies in the U.S that use the Model 12. (Photo booth companies purchase the Model 12 exclusively through San Francisco based Photoworks Interactive, the developer of the product.)
Audenart, who charges $1,500 for four hours of manned photo booth rental with unlimited photos, says there are still plenty of Canadian brides who are completely unaware of the photo booth trend.
“Getting the idea out there is the big thing. You have to use it to see how fun it is. People really get excited about them. You go behind a curtain and no one sees you and suddenly you can be whoever you want to be,” she says.
What was the reaction at Namshirin’s wedding?
“Everyone loved the photo booth … Many people probably hadn’t been in one in a long time but no one forgets how much fun they are and how they put you in a relaxed but silly mood,” she says. “Smile for one picture, tongue out for another picture, eyes crossed and finally back to a laugh for the last shot.”
Photo: Anne Ruthmann Photography
DIY weddings are all the rage. Brides are getting creative with everything from handmade favors, to stationery, to guest books. Although handmade weddings are growing in popularity, there are plenty of brides who love the handmade touch, but simply don’t have the time for the DIY approach.
If you love handmade items and are also thrilled with the idea of supporting independent artisans and cottage industries, you will love Etsy.com for your intimate wedding.
Etsy is an online venue with 600,000 worldwide members and 100,000 sellers of handmade and vintage items.
“I think there is a movement towards buying handmade and I think the success of Etsy is testament to this — I have watched how the site has grown. It’s pretty crazy,” says Matthew Stinchcomb, New York based vice-president of marketing and communications, pointing out that 12,000 to 15,000 handmade items are sold through the site every day.
Although the site sells everything from paintings to purses, there are many unique items for handmade weddings, including a nice variety of wedding invitations and favors. And the prices are reasonable, considering the items are handcrafted- not cranked out in a factory.
Here are 5 of my favorite wedding items currently on Etsy.com.
Etsy shop Gamiworks. This is a collection of Japanese chiyogami (old-paper) gift tins that are ideal for wedding favors (fill with candies, nuts, or mints). This collection of 10 features an array of paper designs or simply choose your favorite designs from other items to compliment a theme. Each glass topped 2.5oz tin measures 2.8″ w x .9″ high. The price is $22.50 for 10. Discounts on large orders.
Etsy shop Digitalpaperie. Pink, handmade crown tags for wedding favors. This set contains 4 designs for a total of 12 tags. Measure 2 1/2″ across.
Cost per order is $4/set of 12.
Etsy shop Inkylivie. Garden themed wedding invitations in deep pink and chartreuse. Printed on thick textured cardstock, and layered on two pieces of colored cardstock. Can order sample set for $5.
Bridal Shower Favor or Wedding Favor
Etsy shop Nest. This wedding tissue holder is created in ivory shantung with a satin floral ribbon accent, lined in white cotton. It comes with a brand new package of soft tissues. Approximately 3.25″ x 5.6″. Cost $8 each.
Etsy shop Buttonempire. Cute bride and groom buttons for the couple to wear to pre-wedding events. $6 for pair.
Looking for more handmade wedding ideas? Check out the Etsy Wedding Blog
More and more couples are choosing to have a backyard wedding. Although outdoor weddings can be wonderful, they can also be disastrous affairs without the proper planning.
For most backyard weddings, tents are a must. No matter what The Weather Channel is saying a week before the wedding day, a tent, or some form of shelter, should be a top priority for couples. Some experts suggest renting an alternate venue, just in case.
One of the most obvious reasons for a tent is that it offers protection in case of rain. Although a tent will offer shelter from rain, wind is another story, says Cheryl Gilbert, who owns a tent rental company in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
“The biggest problem with any backyard wedding is high winds,” she says. “It is only a tent, it isn’t a permanent structure… When you get 60 km an hour winds, the wind gets under that tent and it could lift it up.”
Because of the weather factor, planning for a backyard wedding can be stressful for some couples.
“Some people are all depressed if it rains. If you are going to be disappointed, plan it inside,” she says.
When it comes to renting reception tents, there are three basic tent styles to choose from: push-pole, frame tents and tension tents.
Push-pole tents, which are the most popular of the three, have ceilings that slope from a row of center poles, to a series of poles on the perimeter of the tent. They are anchored in the ground by staking, and generally need seven feet of clearance around the perimeter of the tent.
Because there are interior poles, there is less room inside the tent than the other styles. Most people decorate the poles of push-pole reception tents with drapery to make them more appealing to the eye. Like the other styles of tents, push-pole tents have removable sidewalls, which are either plain white, clear vinyl or cathedral-window style.
Frame tents are generally more expensive than push pole tents. They are ideal for tight spots because they don’t need clearance around the tent’s perimeter. They are also ideal for narrow spots.
Tension tents, which are the most stable and wind-resistant of the three styles, are the least common types of reception tents. The center poles in a tension tent are very high, making the tent have very steep slopes. Because they have fewer interior poles than push-pole tents, there is more room inside the tent.
No matter what style of tent a couple chooses, a tent should be big enough so that guests can move around without bumping into each other.
“I always suggest to my customers to go with a bigger tent. That way they can have more room to move around, and pathways between the tables,” says Gilbert.
She also says couples should make sure everyone will fit beneath the tent – including the entertainment and the caterer.
Most companies that rent reception tents will do an onsite survey of the area to help determine the style and size of the tent appropriate for the event. The survey will also determine the best location for the tent.
“Sometimes the most beautiful spot is not always the best spot. It might not be level, there might be a septic nearby, or overhead wires,” says Suzor.
If you are having a backyard wedding reception, make sure you consult with a company that rents reception tents early on in your planning in order to determine the best place for your event.
Photo: Anne Ruthmann Photography
Now you can drink your dessert. Dessert cocktails are all the rage. At Al Copeland’s Sweet Fire and Ice in New Orleans, one can order a sippable Banana’s Foster dessert called the Sweet Fire and Bananas Foster Cheesecake Martini. At Florida’s 1 Bleu Restaurant, cosmopolitans and pina coladas are transformed into desserts made with alcoholic gels.
This would be perfect for a cocktail wedding, or a dessert reception.
Here’s a recipe that Bailey’s fans will love:
Baileys Caramel Apple Pie-tini
1 3/4 oz. Baileys with a Hint of Caramel
1/3 oz. Smirnoff Twist Green Apple Vodka
1/3oz. Applesauce
Dash of Caramel Syrup
Pour the applesauce into bottom of glass and float dash of caramel. Shake all other ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, strain and float on top of the applesauce and caramel.
Garnish with a slice of caramel apple. Yum.
Photo and Recipe: www.drinkoftheweek.com
An outdoor reception can be pure bliss. After all, what better backdrop than Mother Nature?
But celebrating outdoors is not for everyone.
An outdoor reception generally takes more planning than an indoor reception, and it can be just as expensive – sometimes costing even more.
Because brides and grooms are at the mercy of the elements, they’re also a bigger risk. Mother Nature can be glorious, but she is often unpredictable – and unkind. She won’t hesitate to offer up a deluge during the most delightful of days.
For that reason, outdoor weddings are not for worry warts. Wedding planning can be stressful enough, without having to worry about the weather.
Despite the risks and careful planning required, there are oodles of couples that wouldn’t have their wedding any other way. They’d much rather feel the cushioning of cool grass beneath their feet, than the hard floor of a church or rented hall on their wedding day.
For these couples, deciding on an outdoor reception location is at the top of the ‘to do list’. While some opt to have their weddings in their own backyards, others celebrate in vineyards, forests, beaches or public parks. There’s also the option of having the reception outdoors at a bed and breakfast.
Lea-Ann Suzor, who owns a tent rental company in Windsor, Ontario, Canada says many couples choose to have their outdoor receptions at their parents’ homes – or their own.
“I think people have spent a lot of time and effort on their yards. People are proud of their homes and they like to have their weddings at home so they can showcase their properties,” she says.
Outdoor receptions don’t have to play by all the rules. Some couples opt for champagne brunches, afternoon parties, or cocktail receptions instead of the formal dinner reception.
“We’ve had them go from a casual lobster bake, where guests wore shorts and sandals, to the very formal – with flooring, carpeting and elaborate floral displays,” says Suzor.
Suzor recalls another recent wedding where games, streamers, clowns and balloons were part of the festivities.
“It was almost like a fair. It was pretty and colorful,” says Suzor, pointing out that nearly a third of the wedding guests were children.
One formal option is the cocktail party, says Suzor, who points out that more and more couples are choosing this style of reception.
“A popular thing that I’ve seen recently is more stand-up, cocktail receptions where they have the butler pass around appetizers and wandering minstrel bands in an afternoon or early evening setting,” she says.
Whether a couple opts for a barbecue, or something more formal, an outdoor reception usually requires lots of planning.
“It’s definitely more work,” says Suzor.
And it can be more expensive than one indoors – especially if a couple wants the works (dance floor, lighting, air conditioning, and décor done by a professional).
Photo: Susan Adler Photography
