Rebecca 26, & Daniel 26

New Paltz, NY

Wedding Date: July 18, 2008

Number of Guests: 13

Wedding Cost: under $2,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Outside Gardens at Mohonk Mountain House

Wedding Reception Location: East Dining Room 1 at Mohonk Mountain House

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

Daniel and I did not want a big wedding.  If we began to invite friends and extended family, it would have been over 100 people.  So we decided that just our immediate families and their significant others would be the best bet.

Are you looking for creative DIY save the dates? Check out the fabulous DIY save the dates that Carey and Nathan made from vintage postcards.

The couple is having an intimate wedding  with 55 guests in New Hampshire. They wanted to create save the dates that had a personal touch.

“We wanted something unique, vintage, old world, interesting. Something that gave a little preview of what New Hampshire and our wedding will be like,” says Carey.

The solution? Vintage postcards! And the couple found just what they were looking for on eBay.

“We ended up finding over 60 postcards from 1930-1940s era on ebay! And, better yet they were all from the White Mountains in New Hampshire where we are getting married. It was perfect,” says Carey, adding that the postcards cost about $25 (or forty cents a card).

Nathan created two stamps for the back of the cards. One was a request for the guests to save the date (October 3, 2009), and the other was a signature post mark for the wedding date.

The couple created the text graphic in Illustrator (but it can also be done in Microsoft Word or Photoshop) and ordered the stamp from www.rubberstamps.net. (Just in case you are wondering, the handwriting on the stamps is a font called Bell MT.) The stamp cost $24.95 and the self-inking postmark stamp cost $18.95. (The couple points out that they have used the postmark stamp on many different pieces in the wedding decor.)

 The couple mailed the postcards in recycled brown envelopes because they didn’t like the look of the invitee’s addresses next to the stamp.

In total, the project cost $90 including envelopes/postage.

What’s the reaction from guests?

“They loved them! Everyone received a different postcard so the most fun was talking to the guests afterwards and hearing their unique reaction to their postcard. Since we are having a small wedding  I was able to be a little more personalized with who received each postcard. I really wanted to evoke the feeling of New Hampshire and the White Mountains to our guests who have never been to New England. I hear it worked! Everyone is excited for the big day, and the beautiful colors that fall in New Hampshire promises,” says Carey.

Photos: Carey Kirk

I used to be quite smitten with Richard Gere, which is the sole reason I went to see a movie called Autumn in New York almost ten years ago.

I don’t remember much about the movie. I don’t even remember if I liked it. But I do remember that it filled me with desire; not just for the yummy leading man, but for the Big Apple itself.

The movie’s breathtaking scenes of New York’s colorful tree lined streets and parks left me pining for it in a big way.

When I heard about Elope NYC, I had instant flash backs of those gorgeous NY scenes. I got thinking about all of the brides out there who are looking for an inexpensive and romantic way to say ‘I do’ and I couldn’t help but think how incredible it would be to have an intimate, autumn wedding in NYC? One that was big on charm, but small on stress. Heck, any time of year would be fabulous to tie the knot in NY.

Whether you love the idea of having a destination wedding in NY, or you are a New York resident who is keen on a NY small wedding, you’ll want to check out Elope NYC.

Elope NYC is comprised of a husband and wife team (Liam’s a photographer and Judie is an officiant) who specialize in informal, intimate weddings. Most have less than 40 guests – but many have no guests at all.

“Most of our couples select a favorite park, B&B, restaurant, hotel, or private home for their ceremony, wedding portraits, and post-nuptials celebration.  These sites are far more romantic, beautiful, and even quaintly old-fashioned than traditional wedding venues,” explains Judie.

And no matter what type of ceremony you’re after (civil, spiritual, or non-denominational), Judie is your gal. Interested? Check out ElopeNYC.com for more info.

Photo One: Kiamoy.com; Photo Two – Five: ElopeNYC.com

Who says picture frames have to be boring?

Edyta Szyszlo Photography created these eye-popping orangy red frames by painting over resale shop frames with good ol’ housepaint. Want to learn more? Check out the full DIY photo frames tutorial.

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Handlebars,

so ‘Dali’esque

so mesmerizing as a child

this funny hair above the lip.

A disguise.

A statement.

Strange and

Compelling.

I have never kissed

a man with a handlebar

moustache.

I can’t say I feel bad

about that.

But they’re still fun

to look at.

Photo One: Carl Zoch; Photo Two: Daria Bishop; Photo Three: Merge Weddings; Photo Four: Libby Bulloff; Photo Five: Love Life Images

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