Candles – made from oranges? Brilliant, huh?

I love when DIY wedding projects are simple – and this one is as simple as they come! Orange candles add a beautiful botanical touch to garden wedding or party decor. They would look lovely placed in a row on a long table or individually on smaller tables. How do you make them?

* Do NOT leave orange candles unattended for any length of time. Also, make sure the orange is stable so it does not topple over. It is a good idea to place the orange on a dish or saucer. Do not place the candle near anything flammable.

You will need:

• A navel orange (they are easier to peel)
• a knife
• Olive oil or other kind of vegetable oil
• Lighter

The orange will be resting on the stem side, so find an orange with a stem that doesn’t protrude too much. Using a small, sharp knife cut around the orange – but only skin deep.

Use your fingers to work the skin away from the orange. Be gentle, so you don’t rip the skin! (If you are using a navel orange, the skin should loosen quite easily.)

Once it has been loosened, remove the skin – but leave the white stem-like piece intact. This will be the wick.

Fill with olive oil until it is about 1cm from the top of the wick. Light. Enjoy! The flame will last several hours. Don’t want to use an orange? What about a grapefruit? A tutorial on Instructables says you can use any type of citrus fruit – but I have yet to try anything other than an orange.

Nix the knick knacks and go green for your wedding with tree sapling favors from Tree Beginnings.

I don’t know about you, but I adore the idea of  tree saplings as favors. Unlike most favors, a tree is a lasting reminder of your wedding day for both you – and your guests.

At Tree Beginnings, you can choose from tree saplings in a burlap bag, a box or a tree tube. Don’t fancy the idea of saplings? Tree Beginnings has more than 200 eco-friendly favors to choose from including seeds, flower bulbs and a variety of plantable handmade papers.

Tree Beginnings, which operates out of a 100 year old farmhouse near Ithaca, New York, has been selling eco-favors for nearly twenty years – so you can feel confident that you are dealing with a company that has plenty of experience. Check out Tree Beginnings for more info.

Photo One: weddingbeepro.com; Photo Two, Three: thebridallounge.ie

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Even though Greg fancied the idea of a big wedding, Alaina convinced him otherwise – and they had no regrets.

“I’ve seen time and time again brides and grooms having to spend so much time welcoming every guest and getting pulled in so many directions that they can barely enjoy themselves. We were able to get up and talk to each one of our guests during our dinner and still had time to sit back down and eat. And we literally had the best night of our lives,” says Alaina.

I love the sunny color scheme and the DIY touches of this intimate barn wedding.

Thanks to photographer Adi Nevo for the lovely photos.

Alaina, 30 & Greg, 32

Sonoma, CA

Wedding Date: June 20, 2011

Number of Guests: 50

Wedding Cost: $33,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Cornerstone Gardens, Sonoma, CA

Wedding Reception Location: Cornerstone Gardens – Barn

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We knew we wanted it to be in Sonoma, and also had a tight budget therefore we couldn’t have it at a large wedding venue and invite everyone we know – it would have ended up being very costly. Being in CA, the majority of our guests had to travel, as most of them are from the Midwest. We figured, it’s our day and we’re spending the money (our parents didn’t pay for it), so we wanted to do what we wanted to most, and California wine country (specifically Sonoma Valley), is where we love to be. We also wanted to share that part of the world with those we love and knew most of them hadn’t been, so it was an amazing opportunity to introduce them to Sonoma Valley – which they all LOVED!!

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

Because there was a smaller group, rather than the typical 150-200, our guests felt they would have alone time with us, and we just didn’t have that kind of time. We did all we could to schedule and plan group events for the whole weekend so we could see as many people as possible and spend as much time with them as we could (knowing they traveled so far for us), but it made for a VERY exhausting (but fun!) week.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

It was, mostly for my husband. I don’t keep a lot of acquaintances – I’m very picky with who my friends are – but Greg on the other hand, likes having lots of people around him at all times and wanted to invite everyone he knew. I didn’t want those who weren’t very close to us to feel obligated to send gifts since they were obviously not going to travel out to California for the wedding. We had to argue on that quite a bit. Of course, in the end, I won. It was me sending out the invites, after all!

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

At one point our mothers kept asking if we could invite so-and-so, which at first I was fine with, but then realized it was rude if I was inviting people we didn’t know, but not inviting those we did. In the end, we invited most of those guests. We decided that we’d at least send the invitation. If they could make it, we’d work something out. But we did have to put the kibosh on a few.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Greg and I have a 4-year-old little girl, Lily Rose (she was 3 ½ for the wedding). I decided long ago it just wasn’t appropriate to have my father “give me away” since we basically were already like a married couple. I had my daughter walk me down the aisle, or so was the plan. Once we started she decided she wanted to go look at the pond running alongside the garden where the ceremony took place. So I continued on myself until I heard her yelling behind me that her shoe fell off. My wedding coordinator didn’t hear, so I had to tell everyone to hold on, I’d be right back, went back the way I came so I could go help her put her shoe back on. She still refused to walk down with me, but instead came behind me, cookie in hand (that was given to her by the coordinator) and smiles on every single guests face – including mine. As frustrating as it was, I can barely remember any other part of the ceremony, so it made it memorable. There are of course pictures of all this, but sadly no video.

What were the highlights of the reception?

Goodness, too many. We had two fantastic speeches by my MOH and the BM. Then my husband, Greg, made a pretty powerful speech that had everyone bawling, including him (and he never cries!). Our very good friends were our acoustic band, and they rocked. OH! Massive highlight was one of my bridesmaid’s step-son (8-year-old), Alex and Greg having a dance off; Greg did the splits! It went on for a good 5 minutes and was AMAZING.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

By far, being able to enjoy our day so much more. I’ve seen time and time again brides and grooms having to spend so much time welcoming every guest and getting pulled in so many directions that they can barely enjoy themselves. We were able to get up and talk to each one of our guests during our dinner and still had time to sit back down and eat. And we literally had the best night of our lives. I also always wanted one long Kings table for dinner and if we had even one more guest we would’ve had to do something different. Greg and I sitting at the head of one long table with all our closest friends and family was surreal. I also was able to make all my own stationery which included welcome guides, welcome kits, programs, escort cards and menus. Greg and I made them ourselves and they were definitely one of my favorite parts of the wedding. If I had a larger guest list there is no way I would have had the time or patience to do all that, or if I had they wouldn’t have looked very nice.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Keep it personal and remember: it’s all about the two of you, and not everyone else. If you have to cut out your mom’s best friend’s cousin because she was invited to their wedding, so be it. This is your one and only wedding (hopefully) and you don’t want to compromise your tastes and wants for what others want. Plus, a smaller more intimate group will guarantee clearer, more distinct memories. It’s hard to pinpoint different things when you’re pulled in a hundred different directions due to all the commotion and chaos of the several hundred people you’ve invited.

Vendors:

Venue: Cornerstone Gardens

Photographer:Adi Nevo (best photographer EVER!!)

Wedding Coordinator: Leslie Goldberg, My Dandelion Events

Caterer and Rentals: Alex’s Catering

Cake: Costeaux, in Healdsburg, CA

Music: Tony Calderisi & Chris Costello (personal friends)

Make Up: Cristina Hlebako – Santa Rosa, CA

Officiant: Reverend Jaqueline

If you are planning a DIY wedding, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A-to-Z Guide with Detailed Instructions and Endless Inspirationis one book you will want to get your crafty little hands on.

Although the book (which weighs more than my cat!) isn’t targeted specifically at brides, it’s chock full of fantastic DIY projects that are entirely customizable to weddings.

Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts contains complete instructions and brief histories for more than 30 techniques, detailed descriptions of the necessary tools and materials, and easy-to-copy templates.

Topics covered include: candlemaking, botanical pressing, decoupage, rubber stamping, and wreath making – among many others.

I have more than a dozen sticky notes throughout the book, marking projects that I want to try.

Like these vintage teacup candles and seashell candles. Would these make adorable wedding or shower favors?

 I’m loving these crepe paper flowers. I hope to give these a whirl in the upcoming weeks.

These glitter birds were the inspiration for my ‘glitter’arium.

If you are the crafty type – or are even a wannabe crafter, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts will ignite your imagination – and just might cause you to enter into a full-blown DIY wedding frenzy.

Can you imagine stumbling on these colorful retro chairs at a yard sale?

Retro chairs are all the rage for both wedding and ceremony seating. They add a fun, whimsical element to retro-inspired weddings. Aside from yard sales, Kijiji, Craigslist or the Habitat Restore are all possible sources for retro chairs.

Here are a few ways that retro chairs are used:

I especially love these ones because they are cushioned!:)

 These chairs bring me right back to my school days.

 These mismatched vintage lawn chairs are my absolute fave!! I’m sure you could snatch these up at yard sales.

 If you stumble on some ugly folding chairs at a yard sale, paint them!

 If your wedding is next year – you have lots of time to scour yard sales and thrift shops for wedding chairs. Once you’re done with them you can sell them and recoup your investment.

Photo One: Ruffled; Photo Two: Hindsight Bride; Photo Three:Andrea Reh; Photo Four: BlainPhoto; Photo Five: Hindsight Bride; Photo Six: Weddings Online; Photo Seven: Manuel/MC

I don’t know about you, but sometimes my eyes need a break from the pastel vintage haze that is everywhere in weddingland. Don’t get me wrong – my love affair with vintage has not died a sudden death, it’s just that sometimes I crave big, bold, bright, exciting colors. And something new. Different.

Enter Jell-o.

What’s more colorful and synonymous with fun than Jell-o? It’s the perfect combination of kitsch, sugar and jiggle to make it a playful addition to any reception. Or cocktail hour (if you add vodka.)

But  the real ‘cool factor’ comes from the random, abstract designs you can create using Jell-o.  Each of of these bite sized cubes resembles a mini abstract masterpiece. Move over Picasso!

Want to make ‘em? Here’s the recipe and tutorial:

Jell-O Art (Adapted from The Food Librarian)

Ingredients:

• 4-6 three oz boxes of Jell-o in various colors (use four boxes if you want the top to be smooth.)
• One 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
• 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
• boiling water

Follow instructions on back of Jell-o packages and make your Jell-o. Let sit for several hours in the fridge.

Once the Jell-o has set, cut the Jell-o into cubes.

Lightly oil a 9″ x 13″ Pyrex baking dish. (I dipped a paper towel in canola oil, and wiped it down.) Place cubes into casserole dish.

Repeat with all colors, mixing them in the pattern of your liking.

So pretty in the sunshine.

In a separate bowl, sprinkle two envelopes of gelatin into 1/2 a cup of cold water. Let sit for a minute or two.

Add 1 1/2 cup boiling water and dissolve. (I stirred mine.) Add the can of condensed milk. Stir and cool. (I set mine in the fridge for 1/2 hour.) Once it has cooled, pour the mixture over your Jell-o cubes. To remove bubbles on the surface, blow on them with a straw. Refrigerate overnight.

Once Jell-o is set, use a very sharp knife dipped in HOT water to slice Jell-o into squares.

Dip knife into hot water again and cut a thinner horizontal strip. Repeat process until you are done. There you have it: art you can eat!

Perfect for a wedding here, don’t you think?

What’s the best way to go green for your wedding? Choose an eco-friendly venue!

Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa in Escondido, California is big on green weddings. Not only does this historic natural estate offer an 11-acre paradise with orchards and gardens that are completely organic, the venue recycles, composts, conserves, re-purposes and avoids hazardous chemicals including cleaning supplies, pesticides and herbicides.

Another eco-friendly feature of this venue is that allows you have both your ceremony and reception in one place, thereby reducing your (and your guests’!) carbon footprint. Even better is that you can have all your guests stay overnight in one place!

The Wedding Weekend at Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa allows couples to rent the entire property for their wedding (full and exclusive use – no other events) and sleep up to 40 of their guests. Couples can bring in all of their own vendors – or go completely DIY and have family and friends pitch in during the event. (The site has two kitchens – why not enlist  friends and family with some of the food prep?)

Want to learn more about eco-friendly weddings at this California wedding venue? Visit Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa.

Photos: Clickery Photography

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Blair and Judson, who hail from Atlanta, Georgia, invited 16 of their nearest and dearest to their charming Parisian elopement.

“We loved traveling with our best friends, and it was amazing to have all the people we care most about together for a long weekend in my favorite place in the world. Because we were with all the people who love us most, there was no pressure to impress,” says Blair.

Thanks to Kim Petyt from Parisian Events for sharing this wedding with IW, and to Heidi Geldhauser from Our Labor Of Love for the incredible photos!

Blair, 26 & Judson, 31

Paris, France

Wedding Date: March 5, 2012

Number of Guests: 16

Wedding Cost: $10,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Square du Vert Galant, Ile-de-France, Paris

Wedding Reception Location: Angelina, Rue de Rivoli

Why did you have an intimate wedding? 

Blair: Both Judson and I have been to our share of weddings, and although we love attending our friends’ weddings, we hate how the guests never get to spend time with the bride and groom, unless they’re IN the wedding. We didn’t want all of our friends to come to town to watch us take such a big step, and then not get to spend time with them. We kept it small so we would be able to spend quality time with every person at the wedding, and it worked out so well for us.

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding? 

Blair and Judson: Finding lodging for everyone was difficult, but it was important to us that we all be able to stay in one place – especially since most of the wedding party didn’t speak French and wasn’t familiar with the city. Eventually, we found a place large enough for everyone, but it took quite a bit of internet surfing and perseverance. Also, because it was such a small wedding, we took on a lot of the nitty-gritty details ourselves, which was a lot to handle toward the end.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

Blair and Judson: No, because we made it a point at the very beginning of our planning to create very specific lines. By including ONLY immediate family, we didn’t have to worry about any family member being offended because they weren’t included.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

Judson: You have to deal with breaking a few hearts. We kept running into situations where close friends or relatives offered to find their own way to Paris and join us for the wedding and we had to gently turn them down. Allowing anyone outside of the core group to attend suddenly made it unfair to everyone else that wanted to come but couldn’t. Because we got married in France, where the requirements for a union to be recognized are so strict, we had to get married at the courthouse in the US before we left. This provided a good opportunity to have a few close friends attend that wanted to come to the wedding but couldn’t.

Blair: We are currently planning our stateside reception that will include ALL of our friends, so we’re still going to be able to celebrate with everyone.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Blair: Judson (a designer) decided to draw his vows instead of writing them. I thought the adrenaline was going to get me through the ceremony without any tears, but the second he pulled out his hand-drawn vows, I started crying.

Judson: For me, obviously, seeing Blair round the corner in her beautiful dress and watching her veil shoot straight out in the wind was a highlight. By the end of the ceremony, a group of onlookers had gathered around on the overpass and an enormous elementary school group on a field trip had gathered in the park. As we departed the ceremony together, we stopped to kiss and the kids exploded with cheers and jeers—even the teachers were clapping! That was surprising and amazing.

What were the highlights of the reception?

Judson: Though it wasn’t technically part of the “reception,” I loved driving all over Paris and getting amazing pictures with the wedding party. Dancing up on Trocadero with all the tourists making their own candid photographs of us was the highlight of that excursion.

Blair: Sitting and relaxing with everyone, knowing that we had FINALLY gotten married was amazing. Being surrounded by all of our best friends in such a beautiful restaurant was unbelievable, and I just remember looking down at Judson’s hand with his brand-new ring over and over in total disbelief.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

Judson: Once the initial planning was done and we were on the taxi to the airport, I feel like all the stress disappeared. We had some minor things to deal with once we arrived (flowers, dress pressings), but there really wasn’t much to worry about or much that could go wrong (aside from hoping for clear skies). Less cogs in the machine means less chance of a jam, I suppose.

Blair: Hands down, the best part was the time we got to spend with friends. We loved travelling with our best friends, and it was amazing to have all the people we care most about together for a long weekend in my favorite place in the world. Because we were with all the people who love us most, there was no pressure to impress, and no one who cared when things went wrong.

I also love how easy it was for us to make it “our own”. We had all kinds of special touches that wouldn’t be available in a large wedding. I made Judson’s boutonniere out of a jade cicada (his band name) and a peacock feather (my favorite), which was something I wouldn’t have had time for if we were planning a large wedding. I also sewed a tiny gold cicada and a medallion of the patron saint of Paris into the hemline of my dress as symbols of the two of us.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Blair: Don’t be scared to do it! It’s not a decision I have any regrets about, and I hold the memories so closely already. People always warned me about how my “wedding day would fly by,” and how I “wouldn’t remember anything about it,” but having a small wedding allowed us to celebrate for four days with our best friends and remember every moment of it.

Judson: You’ll probably feel like the wedding is small and manageable and that you don’t want to pay a planner to take some of the load off of you, but be aware that there will still be plenty of stress. I assumed going in that it would be a much easier process than working on something huge with 100+ guests – and maybe it was – but you’ll still have your share of tough moments, arguments over particulars, overwhelming freak-outs, etc. And save as much money as you can. The second you get engaged, just start saving. Get a joint savings, figure out how much of your monthly salary you can each divert, where you can cut costs, etc. If you don’t use it all on the wedding, you’ll love having the extra funds afterward. There’s a lot of expense involved in being newly married!

Vendors:

Planner: Kim Petyt, Parisian Events

Photography: Heidi Geldhauser, Our Labor Of Love

Wedding Ceremony Location: Square du Vert Galant, Ile-de-France, Paris

Wedding Reception Location: Angelina, Rue de Rivoli

Florist: Mina, Lieu-Dit

Dress: Casablanca Couture

Suit: Express Men

Inviting your pets to take on a role in your wedding? Maybe they’ll just be guests. Will you dress ‘em up or leave them au naturel?

To be honest, I’d probably be missing an eye if I tried to dress up either one of my cats. I’d likely incur only a few minor gashes if I attempted a simple bow tie – like this one from a recent real wedding that I featured. Doesn’t he look dapper?

Glasses add a sophisticated touch.

As we all know, dogs are generally much more compliant than cats, so gloves, long sleeves and protective eye wear aren’t usually required to dress them up. But if your dog has a mean streak, don’t try this at home. Doesn’t he look stylin’ in his shirt and tie?

Who doesn’t love a pug in a big red bow tie? Come to think of it – who doesn’t love a pug?

And for the ladies? What about this pastel dress for a summer soiree? Love those pleats!

Just in case it rains, there’s always a trench coat.

Photo One: Rover Dog; Photo Two: Intimate Weddings; Photo Three: Tumblr;  Photo Four: Rover Dog; Photo Five: Swoon; Photo Six: Rover Dog; Photo Seven:Rover Dog

Do you swoon over stationery hand-written in gorgeous calligraphy? Do you drool over the elegant loops and lines only to plummet back into reality knowing that you just can’t afford it for your wedding stationery?

I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to give up on that fancy lettering! You can do your own calligraphy even if you are a complete novice! And you don’t have to enroll of months of courses either. The trick?

A tracing table.

I bought a Porta-trace several years ago for photography purposes. Since then I’ve used it for oodles of craft projects and just recently I realized its magic in creating calligraphy.

Now, I do realize that calligraphy is an art form that takes many moons to perfect, and good calligraphers are worth every penny; their talent will not be matched by an amateur at a tracing table.

That said, you can create some pretty exceptional results using this method. It really is the next best thing to hiring a pro – and perfect for couples on a budget.

*Note: This will not work on heavy card stock. The paper has to be thin enough so that the light can shine through it.

DIY Calligraphy for Cheaters Tutorial

You will need:

Porta-Trace 10″ x 12″

Calligraphy Set

Envelopes

Printer

Find a font that you like;  I chose Harrington for this tutorial. Type your guest’s name and address and also your return address. Size the addresses. (I used 24pt for the return address and 32pt for the guest’s address). Print out the addresses.

 Cut out the addresses and fit them inside your envelope. Place on tracing table.

 Grab your calligraphy pen and start tracing the guest’s name and addy. The more you practice, the easier it will get. (Buy some extra envelopes for goof-ups.)

Do the same with the return address.

Now slip your invite or card inside the envelope and indulge in some pretty vintage stamps. Fini! Pretty fancy, don’t you think?