Win a Wedding in Times Square

Just because you aren't exactly a nature girl at heart, you don't have to write off the spontaneity and originality of planning a wedding with a spectacular outdoor backdrop. Try looking for a more metropolitan setting for your nuptials! Get Married is offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to tie the knot in New York City's Times Square on New Year's Eve. All you brides and your sweethearts have to do is crank out an essay and video package that tells your love story and submit it online at the Get Married Web site. After the winning couple is chosen, other visitors to the site get to surf photo galleries and vote on sponsored elements like the cake, dress and invitations. Then, to top it all off, the couple gets the perfect rock star wedding on New Year's Eve with an audience of a million guests! The deadline to submit your entry is October 1, 2010, so be sure to get started soon! Who knows: You just might end up with the ultimate kiss at midnight this year!

~Kasey Brooks

Win a Solar-Powered Outdoor Wedding

Sun Crystals is seeking 20 couples to tie the knot or renew their vows on October 22, 2009, in New York City's Foley Square. For your chance to win an eco-friendly Sweet & Solar Wedding, complete this online form and state in 50 words or less why you want a solar-powered wedding and what makes you a naturally sweet couple. The deadline for entries is October 16, 2009.

Eco-wedding planner Danielle Venokur of dvGreen will design the event, which will be powered by trailer-based solar panels. From the band and the lighting to the paper goods and the naturally sweet, chilled refreshments, every element of the Sun Crystals Sweet & Solar Weddings will be sun-ergized and eco-friendly. Winning couples will trade "I Dos" throughout the day in town hall-style outdoor ceremonies complete with sunflower bouquets, naturally sweet wedding cakes made with Sun Crystals All-Natural Sweetener and a photo for each couple.

Cool Treats for Hot Summer Outdoor Weddings

Temperatures are expected to top 90 degrees here in the Northeast today for the first time this summer, and I'm thinking about cool treats for hot summer outdoor weddings: specifically, gourmet popsicles! BizBash New York recently reported on a Brooklyn-based company, People's Pops, that makes and delivers popsicles in a variety of farmer's market-inspired flavors: Watermelon & Mint, Organic Lemon & Ginger, Peach & Chamomile and many more. I also stumbled upon my About.com colleague Andrew Collins' piece on Las Paletas, a Nashville gourmet popsicle shop that sells an ever-changing line-up of unique flavors such as Rose Petal, Honey Dew and Hibiscus.

These stories got me thinking that signature-flavored popsicles would make a terrific treat at an outdoor wedding. Have a cooler-full of frozen treats waiting as guests arrive for your wedding ceremony on a sultry summer day. Ask your caterer to serve popsicles as a palate-cleansing surprise dinner course. Or offer popsicles as a light alternative to dessert or for a cool sweet refreshment when the dance floor heats up.

Know of a gourmet popsicle provider in your area? Click "comments" below to share the info.