Amy Cericola and her fiance, Mark DeAngelis, knew they didn’t want a big wedding.

They met on a dating app two years ago and realized that they live just across the river from each other – her in Pembroke, him in Allenstown. They’re both in their 50s and have each been married before. The couple initially planned to wed in Las Vegas before deciding to hold a ceremony close to home so their children could attend.

“We’re older and we’re focused on retirement, so we were hoping to do a smaller, more inexpensive type of wedding,” Cericola said.

In searching for local venues online, Cericola stumbled upon The Wedding Place, run by Amanda McCrea in Penacook.

Most people have heard of wedding planners, but McCrea calls herself an elopement specialist. She opened The Wedding Place in August with the goal of offering an affordable middle ground between courthouse nuptials and big weddings.

For the past 15 years, McCrea has helped her friends organize ceremonies that fit their dreams and their wallets. Now she aims to do the same for the Concord community in the space she designed and renovated herself.

“When friends would say, ‘We can’t get married, it’s too expensive,’ I would challenge them and say, ‘What’s your budget?’ And then I would plan their wedding,” McCrea said.

The Wedding Place has an elopement room, complete with an altar and wide windows that let in sunlight, and a bridal suite in the back. Should a couple wish for something slightly more elaborate than a more traditional elopement, the space can accommodate up to 15 to 20 guests.

Certified as a Justice of the Peace, she can marry couples herself and offers different packages ranging from $500 to $1,500, complete with photographs, music, champagne, cake, assistance writing vows, and more. Couples can also customize their own packages, with McCrea offering her guidance and support throughout the process.

“For the people for whom it’s their second marriage or they don’t want to spend a lot on a wedding, there’s a gap that needed to be filled from a courthouse to a large wedding venue,” she said. “Where’s that middle area where somebody can just go and feel really great about the wedding they had because it’s in a beautiful space, but not spend thousands of dollars?”

After meeting with McCrea and touring The Wedding Place, Cericola decided to hold her wedding there in January. She expressed feeling a sense of relief at having someone to guide her throughout the process.

“I like that she’s handling everything and that she has connections at a reasonable cost. That made me feel good about what we’re doing,” Cericola said.

In addition to helping couples plan wedding ceremonies, McCrea also offers ring customization. When she and her partner, Keith, wanted to get commitment rings, they struggled to find affordable options. McCrea learned a lot about diamonds and diamond alternatives, such as moissonite, and then decided to offer ring consultation services to help couples customize wedding bands and engagement rings.

“You go to a local jewelry store and the prices for a lab diamond are six times what they should be,” McCrea said. “And then you go online, and if you look at moissonite and other options, there’s no one to explain to you what the differences between the stones are and to help you to understand the quality of the stone.”

When putting together her business concept, it occurred to McCrea that others may also struggle to navigate the ring process.

“I thought, ‘What a great way to combine the two and get people at the beginning of their journey and give a space where people can come in,’” she said. “You sit down with them and give them your time, and you can educate them on the difference between moissonite, lab diamonds, and diamonds”

She envisions The Wedding Place as also being a space for vow renewals and commitment ceremonies. One day, she hopes to expand to a larger setting with options for outdoor ceremonies. For now, if couples want to wed outside, McCrea will use the park beside the business.

McCrea, who began business school in 2007, recalls when her advisor asked her what she wanted to do with her degree. She replied that she wanted to open a business called The Wedding Place and now, 17 years later, she’s done just that.

“I really wanted to bring something locally to the community where people could seek out options that they’re not able to get, or they can get them online but the education and the familiarity with who they’re buying from isn’t there,” McCrea said.

For Cericola, planning a wedding on her own felt too overwhelming in conjunction with managing a household and working.

“The most important thing is the two people,” Cericola said. “When you scale it down and make it more intimate, it can be more focused on the two people and not so much having a large party. You can do that anytime. For the wedding, I think something more intimate is our style at this point in our lives.”

To learn more, visit https://www.theweddingplacenh.com/ .

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com.