Planning a small wedding is a daring adventure for some of you. Especially for those of you want to buck convention, or veer away from the large, traditional wedding that your families want you to have.

Maybe you want to run off to Paris – but you’re afraid to offend.

Maybe  you want a teeny, tiny family gathering in your living room – but you’re afraid your parents won’t think it’s ‘grand’ enough.

Maybe you want to celebrate your wedding with 20 of your closest friends on a mountaintop in British Columbia – but you’re afraid your friends won’t attend a destination wedding.

If this sounds like you, take these words and hold them close; there’s wisdom in them.

You won’t find glory at the center of safety, but at its edge. You won’t find love at a place where you are covered, but in the space where you are naked. You gotta take some risks. You have to not only pick up the dice, but roll ‘em. So go ahead, take the gamble. You have nothing to lose except the chance to win.

From Neale Donald Walsch’s daily inspirations

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Isabelle, 43 & James, 31

New York City

Wedding Date: October 17, 2008

Number of Guests: 15

Wedding Cost: $25,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Central Park – North Garden

Wedding Reception Location: Gilt Restaurant

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

I wanted to elope and have just my husband and I, but James wanted a bigger wedding so we compromised that way. We were also thinking of cost. We were either going to have a regular wedding and invite more people or have a spectacular wedding and go all out and have fewer guests. We also wanted to do it in NY because it is our favorite city and we knew that a lot of people could not afford to come. We would not change a single thing. It was the best day of our lives and all our guests said it was the best wedding they have ever been to. We did everything based on the fact that we wanted our guests to live this moment with us and remember it forever. We wanted this to be as memorable for them as it was for us.

Looking for easy, inexpensive and fun wedding DIY wedding favors that will put a big, happy smile on your guests’ faces? Make your own sea glass candy! You can make any flavor you want. Place them inside a pretty tin, tie with a ribbon – and you have a wonderful thank-you treat for your wedding guests.

To be honest, this was my first attempt EVER at making candy – and it was a breeze!

These candies aren’t only easy – they’re super tasty too. My husband and kids gobbled down the rootbeer candies so fast I didn’t even have time place them inside a favor tin to snap a photo!

These would be perfect for a beach wedding – or any wedding near the water.

(Sidenote: I have a serious, ever-deepening obsession with sea glass … the kind you collect from the beach, not the kind you eat – although that could become a habit. Come on over and check out my sea glass collecting blog.)

DIY Wedding Favors: Sea Glass Candy Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/4 – 1 tsp. flavoring oil (I used raspberry and rootbeer but you can use any flavor you want!)
• Icing sugar (to coat cooled candy)

Step One

Grease a cookie sheet or cake pan with butter.

Step Two

Measure ingredients.

Step Three

Pour granulated sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves.

Step Four

Without stirring, boil the mixture until a candy thermometer reads between 300 and 310 degrees. (This will take about 30 minutes.) Drop a small amount into ice water. If it separates into brittle strands its ready.

Step Five

Remove from heat and let boiling subside.

Step Six

Measure flavoring oil and pour into candy mixture. Also add food coloring if desired. Blend with a wooden spoon. (You’ll notice that it will get really steamy for a few seconds.)

Step Seven

Pour onto greased cookie sheet or cake pan. Let cool. (I put mine in the fridge)

Step Eight

Cover hardened candy with parchment paper and tap with a mallet to shatter candy into small pieces.

Step Nine

Use a basting brush and coat candy pieces with icing sugar.

Step Ten

Place into favor tins. (I lined the inside with a cupcake liner.) Tie with ribbon and adhere labels.

You’re a busy gal. In fact, your wedding to-do list seems to grow by the hour. The last thing you need is one more time-consuming task to add to your list. You’ve thought about making a website for your upcoming wedding, but you don’t really feel like putting forth a huge amount of effort to make it happen.

If this sounds like you, take a deep breath, relax and perk up your ears: I’ve found an easy way for you to create a beautiful, customized wedding website for $49 per year. And you can try it out free for seven days to see if you like it.

Wedsite.com lets you create a personalized wedding website (with no ads!) to keep all of your guests informed about your upcoming nuptials.  You can add text about how you met, how he proposed (or how you proposed), as well as information about your wedding attendants and gift registry. You can choose from a variety of design styles, as well as add your own photos and music to make it reflect your personality.

One of the things I like the best about Wedsite.com (aside from the lovely graphics!) is that it’s easy to use. You don’t have to spend an hour reading through instructions to create the website; just click your way through and before long you will have your own wedding website!

For more information on how to create your own wedding website go to wedsite.com

Continued from Part 1 of The Ups and Downs of an At-Home Wedding.

There are things to keep in mind if you are planning an at-home wedding. Very important things.

1. Toilets. It’s probably the least romantic thing about your wedding, but it’s probably one of the most important. No matter where you decide to have your wedding, you’re going to need at least one. If you are having your wedding at home, you might decide that guests can use the washrooms in your home. But after giving it some serious thought, you might change your mind.  If you are having an outdoor wedding, do you really want your guests traipsing in and out of your home? Can your plumbing system take the wear and tear? Is it possible that your septic system will be overstressed, causing a plumbing nightmare on the biggest day of your life? (Ever see Meet the Parents?) After doing some research, we discovered that port-a-johns definitely aren’t what they used to be. There are new user-friendly models in a variety of colors. Not only are they more pleasing to the eye, they have sinks and flush toilets. Even though they are more expensive, they were definitely worth the splurge.
2. Neighbors. Warn them in advance and give them a heads up closer to the big day. They might even offer up their driveways for parking – or a portable stage! Be extra kind to them as you get close to your wedding day so that they will put up with potentially high noise levels from your happy wedding guests.
3. Invite your caterer over before the big day so s/he can scope out your kitchen. S/he’ll need to know how much space there is to work in – as well as fridge and stove details.
4. If you are doing the outdoor thing, it’s a good idea to rent a tent. That is, unless you have a huge tolerance for risk. (Which I do not.)
5. Hire a cleaning person to clean your home thoroughly prior to your wedding – not to mention after your big day. Unless of course you have a lovely friend or relative who has kindly offered to take on this task.
6. Have bug spray handy. Citronella candles might provide ambiance, but they are useless when it comes to fending off hungry ‘mossies’.
7. If your guests like to over-imbibe, be prepared: some might want to crash at your house. We had a pretty tame crowd at our wedding, but like any good party there’s a chance this will happen at your wedding. If you’re not equipped for sleepovers, be smart and call a cab.
8. Enjoy the journey. Easy for me to say –  I got married eight years ago. But, really, try not to sweat the small stuff like boatlifts.
9. Give yourself a pat on the back for pulling it off. Planning a wedding at home is no small feat, but it’s one of the most rewarding things you will accomplish.  Raise a glass to yourself – (and to your neighbor) for a job well done!

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