Real Green Weddings

We Have Moved!

2009-02-23T17:22:00.005-05:00

Dear friends,

I am delighted to announce that the Real Green Weddings blog has moved to our new green wedding site.

Real green wedding stories are now viewable in storybook format, and our new site allows you to save your favorite images. You can also search for ideas by color, season, or eco-strategy.

Click here to go directly to the real green wedding stories page or see what else we are up to by visiting the green bride guide homepage.

I hope you enjoy the new site!!

All the best,

Kate

P.s. Don't forget to come back and share your story with us! You can e-mail me anytime at Kate@thegreenbrideguide.com

Take Our Survey and WIN!!

2009-02-14T18:04:00.001-05:00

We are currently working to upgrade the green bride guide website and are conducting a survey to help us prioritize. Please take a few minutes to help make the site better and you could win a signed copy of The Green Bride Guide and more than $100 worth of eco-friendly products! Click Here to take survey

Energy Stars

2009-01-09T21:43:00.014-05:00

Suzanne Parmet and Michael Whelan were married on June 29, 2008 at East Lane Park in Bethesda, MD. "We chose Bethesda as the location for our wedding weekend because it is easy to get there by mass transportation. All of the events (which included a rehearsal dinner, welcome drinks, open house, ceremony and reception) were located within a short walk from the hotels we recommended to our guests and from one another so they could get around without driving."

Both Michael and Suzanne have environmental backgrounds. Michael is a registered architect, a certified Building Performance Analyst and a participating auditor in the Maryland Home Performance with Energy Star program. His company, Live Green LLC, provides energy auditing and design evaluation, which means he "gives recommendations for increasing a home’s energy efficiency, determines its gas appliance safety, and suggests other improvements for increasing the home’s value, comfort, usefulness and longevity." Suzanne is an attorney, with a degree in architecture and development, who currently works on workforce housing and other real estate development projects. She is also the Director of Design and Sustainability for her company. The two met at a party hosted by college friends.

The Decision to Go Green Because of their jobs, Suzanne and Michael knew how much impact this three-day event could have on the environment. "Michael and I are increasingly aware of the adverse impact that our choices – particularly with respect to energy usage and resource consumption – can have on the environment. Clearly, our wedding weekend was likely to have a significant carbon footprint – particularly when you consider the transportation impact involved for so many out of town guests." To decrease the impact of their wedding, the couple decided to incorporate many green elements into their planning and asked their guests “to join in making choices that would help decrease the impact of the weekend."

Invitations Although they originally considered sending an electronic invitation, they opted for a sustainably made paper invitation instead. "To appease my mom, we decided to send out printed invitations (but without direction or reply cards, and using tree-free paper). The cover wrapper and envelope liner for our invitations were made from mulberry and sugar cane paper. The printed sheets and envelopes were made from milkweed post-consumer recycled paper. The thread tying the pieces together was linen. We did all the printing and assembled the invitations ourselves."

To supplement their invitations, the couple set up a wedding website. "We developed a wedding website because it enabled us to reduce the amount of paper needed to share important information with our guests. Instead of sending them each a lot of cards with information about events, printed updates as details changed, and reply cards with envelopes, they could instead find out everything they needed to know and RSVP right on the site. It also allowed us to describe in great detail the mass transit options for getting to Bethesda and to make arrangements for ride sharing." Their wedding website also featured a Green Choices page, which included “a detailed list of tips for reducing energy consumption, reducing fuel consumption, reducing water consumption, recycling and reusing, avoiding petrochemicals and selecting natural products."

Reducing Waste The couple took other steps to reduce waste as well. For example, "only reusable plates, glassware, silverware and linens were used during the wedding reception." For the Open House on Saturday, they supplemented what they already owned with recyclable and reusable products. They also assembled welcome bags for their guests, using Whole Foods reusable bags (made from post-consumer recycled materials), and filled them with snacks and a summary of the weekend activities printed on recycled paper.

Decor "Our wedding ceremony was held in an outdoor park, so no additional flowers were needed."

"Our wedding canopy was decorated with cards made by guests."

For the reception "we made our wedding centerpieces using glass vases and dried flowers and plants – including cattails and bamboo."

Food Suzanne and Michael chose to serve a primarily vegetarian menu - as vegetarian food requires ten times less energy and one hundred times less water to produce than meat. The menu included bagels and cream cheese, cheese blintzes, grilled portabella mushrooms, red peppers, omelets, salads, yogurt, cheese strata, and a variety of homemade breads.

Dessert Instead of serving a traditional wedding cake, the couple offered their guests a selection of small cookies and cupcakes from Heidelberg Bakery (which are easier to take home or donate after an event). "Many of the desserts were made by our friends and family and the cupcakes were decorated by my sister."

Carbon Offsetting To further reduce the impact of the weekend, Suzanne and Michael sent guests a note about carbon offsetting. “We suggested that guests use a carbon footprint calculator to determine their carbon footprint for traveling to the wedding and then balance all or some of their emissions by buying carbon offsets. Some options include making a contribution Green Communities Offset Fund, which raises funds to support the development of green, carbon-reducing (more energy efficient) homes for low income families, to Native Energy, an offset company that invests in renewable energy projects on Native American land, to Carbon Fund, which supports renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects, or to an environmental group that works on climate change issues such as Natural Resources Defense Council.”

Entertainment The couple kept costs down and further decreased the footprint of their wedding by putting together a CD of their own music to play during the reception. "We also put together a slide show of photos of us growing up, as well as our families and other guests attending the reception. Tommy Joe’s (the reception venue) played it on their TV screens throughout the restaurant during the reception."

Photo Credit: Greg Land

Virginia is for Lovers

2008-12-20T22:31:00.014-05:00

Melina Ann Vissat and Brian Christopher Hannon were married on October 11, 2008 in Haymarket, Virginia. They both live and work in the Washington D.C. area. Brian is a financial analyst with a government contractor, and Melina is a marketing writer with a strategic management consulting firm. They met on Match.com, "which proves that normal people use internet dating!"

Location Melina and Brian were married at The Regency at Dominion Valley country club. "We chose the place because it had a beautiful outdoor patio. We considered doing the wedding in downtown DC, but we couldn't find a place that had a sufficient outdoor area and a rain contingency plan. The Regency had both - a beautiful outdoor patio overlooking the golf course with fountains and a stone bridge, as well as enough room inside in case poor weather drove us indoors."

The Decision to Go Green Melina has always been an eco-advocate, so going green was an easy choice. "I am involved in my company's sustainability service offering, and in my free time I am a freelance writer who writes for publications in the natural sector, such as the Nutrition Business Journal. We decided to go as green as possible with the wedding, since weddings are typically such wasteful affairs. We just felt guilty!"

Flowers and DIY Embellishments Melina made almost everything for the wedding herself. When it came to the flowers, she "made the men's boutonnieres out of small wooden flowers, fake berries, curly willow, ribbon and feathers. They were more like small pieces of art than traditional boutonnieres!" For the ceremony they used "fake flowers in mason jars for the aisle decor and covered an arch with vines and curly willow that our florist pulled from the woods near her farm."

Her bridesmaids carried red, orange and peach roses and mums accented with berries.

Although they used real flowers for the centerpieces they were rentals! Their florist, Barbara Von Elm from Growing Wild Floral Design in Delaplane VA, does everything she can to keep costs down. To start, "she doesn't have a physical shop, which keeps her overhead down, and she does a lot of rentals because they are less expensive." Barbara created this centerpiece with roses, tiger lilies, mums, dahlias, curly willow, and ferns. "It was a lovely, relaxed mess of flowers! After the wedding, the centerpieces were whisked away and reused by the florist for other displays."

Reusing and Recycling For gifts and non-floral decor items, Melina also reused and recycled. "I made the bridesmaids' jewelry out of materials that I already had on-hand, such as fake pearls, wire and ribbon. I made pillar candles for the tables, by covering empty metal soup cans with wrapping paper and placing pillar candles on top. I also reused foamcore board from presentation boards I had made for work to build a cupcake tower to house our wedding cupcakes."

Melina even made the cake toppers - "a mini-Melina and a mini-Brian" out of Sculpy Clay.

Giving Something Back Each guest's plate had two pieces of Endangered Species Chocolate. The company donates 10% of its net profits to sales to "help support species, habitat, and humanity."

Home-Style Wedding

2008-11-19T11:40:00.017-05:00

Cathy and Nick were married on August 16, 2008 in Baltimore, MD.

How They Met Cathy and Nick both work with the mentally ill. Nick is a clinical social worker and Cathy is a psychologist. The two were set up on a blind date by friends and immediately clicked. "Our shared passion for social justice was one of the first things that drew us together."

The Decision to Go Green Although Cathy and Nick had originally planned a larger wedding, they decided it was more important for them to use their resources to buy their first home together. They also wanted to have a "socially responsible wedding that was consistent with our values and minimized excess and waste." To this end, the couple sent out hand written invitations inviting a small list of guests to celebrate with them at their new home. "Our invitations were handwritten by a good friend. Both the invitations and thank you notes were written on recycled paper and we decided to limit waste by not using RSVP cards."

"Our wedding occurred on the front porch and the celebration was set up as a garden party in the side yard and included 15 of our dear friends and family."

Flowers It was important for Cathy and Nick to have locally grown flowers at their wedding. "Imported flowers expend tremendous resources, require preservatives for their journey, and are often the product of deplorable working conditions. In an effort to minimize our wedding’s impact on the environment, we chose to work with Local Color Flowers, a Baltimore based floral design company that values ecological responsibility and supports local growers." Local Color Flowers used an array of brightly colored summer flowers for Cathy and Nick’s wedding including Zinnias, Gomphrena, Asters and Celosia.

For the reception, the flowers were displayed in mason jars, decorative tin buckets, antique headlights, and glass tumblers. Instead of having favors, the flower arrangements from the ceremony and celebration were sent home with guests at the end of the night.

Creating a Space The couple asked their friends to pitch in with the table decor. They were able borrow everything they needed, including silverware, pitchers, candelabras, place card holders, and folding tables and chairs.

They strung white lights around the table to create an intimate outdoor space.

They used their iPod to play a "funky mix including everything from Brazilian music, traditional Irish music, Tribe Called Quest, Wilco, and Stevie Wonder."

Dessert On their wedding day, a good friend surprised the couple (who had chosen not to have a wedding cake) with a homemade cake made with local ingredients from Trickling Springs Creamery. The cake was adorned with a Mexican good luck charm (a figurine of a skeletal bride & groom) "bringing additional humor to the day."

Going Digital Cathy and Nick’s photographer, Tristan Spinski provided the couple with the digital negatives instead of prints. "We were able to create our own wedding album without printing pictures unnecessarily. Since we chose to have a small, intimate wedding, many of our loved ones were not physically present. It was important to us to be able to easily send family and friends electronic copies of our photos."

All in all, Cathy and Nick felt that "a socially conscious wedding with minimal impact on the environment was the ideal way for us to begin our marriage." As Cathy said, “The day just felt like us.”

Love at the Thursday Club

2008-11-13T19:52:00.024-05:00

Shawn McDonald and Roger Grant were married on September 26th at the Thursday Club in San Diego, an organization that benefits a host of worthy causes including the Children's Dental Health Association of San Diego, Urban Corps, St. Paul's Retirement Home Foundation, and Goodwill Industries of San Diego County.

How They Met Shawn worked at Powerhouse Gym in Pacific Beach during college where Roger was a member. Although he had a crush on her, Roger kept it a secret for almost a year because "he didn't want to be 'that guy' at the gym." In 2002 the two finally met at Typhoon Saloon in Pacific Beach, where Shawn first noticed Roger from afar (he was one of the tallest guys in the crowd). She went over for a closer "look" and Roger instantly recognized her. The two hit it off immediately and ended up talking and dancing all night. "We had an absolute blast together, our meeting that night was truly meant to be." Six years later the two still chuckle when thinking about the night they met, "You so often hear 'you'll never meet your future husband or wife at a bar,'... don't be so sure, you just never know!"

Arriving in Style The couple made arrangements for their family and the bridal party to arrive in eco-chic style with Wherever Shuttle, San Diego's first green transportation company. "All of their vehicles run on vegetable oil! Wherever Shuttle was professional, timely, efficient and eco-friendly! We use them often just to go out in San Diego because their affordable, at your door, green service is better than getting a taxi!"

Bridal Style Shawn chose a number of accents for the wedding that were sustainable or could be used again. The rings were placed in a bamboo box Roger bought on eBay for $10.

Shawn wore a chocolate brown pair of shoes by Kate Spade that she "found online for half the retail price. The best part is I can wear them again since they aren't 'bridal white' shoes!!" She made her shoes her "something blue" by adding crystals that she purchased at Micheal's and arranged on the bottom to say "I Do".

For her something old and something borrowed, Shawn placed pictures of the couple's grandfathers in her grandmother's locket and tied it to her bouquet. "We wanted to incorporate their memory into the wedding."

The Ceremony In addition to honoring their loved ones who had passed, the couple did everything they could to "incorporate all of our immediate family in some way into the wedding ceremony as well. If they were not in the bridal party, they were included in the processional, which is traditionally just for parents and grandparents." Roger's dad become an Officiant for the Day in San Diego County so he could marry them!

A Sweet Theme The reception was held at the same venue as the ceremony, so their was no additional travel for their guests. The theme of the reception was 'The Sweetest Love' and their colors "were chocolate brown (the sweet element) and white." Shawn carried the theme throughout the reception using all white flowers (by Bloomers) and deep chocolate linens accented with white. Each table was named to follow the theme: "Sweetest Love", "Sweetest Day", "Sweetest Song", "Sweetest Moment", etc."

DIY Elements Part of being green is conserving resources, including money. "When I started planning my wedding I spoke to many wedding planners in San Diego and was disheartened when they told me with my budget I'd have to be willing to 'go without' a lot of things. They advised me that I should expect to spend $35,000-50,000, which was not possible. So I chose to plan everything by myself. I researched, researched, researched until I found fabulous vendors that fit my budget as well as ways to create the details I wanted without paying someone to make them. All of the wedding details I hand created with the help of a dear friend and my mother, managing to save my family a fortune! It was a lot of work, but it felt really good to know that I was able to add a personal touch to the day as well as save a bundle! Having the guests tell me how much they loved all the details was the biggest compliment and made it all worth it!"

Here are a few of Shawn's DIY touches:

Instead of place cards, she bought blank business cards and printed the name of the table and the guest name on the front and their wedding date on the back. All of the items were accented with chocolate brown ribbon she "found at a fabric store on sale." All left over ribbons she kept to reuse for thank you gifts.

Instead of buying an expensive guest book, Shawn made a memory box where each guest could leave their favorite memory of the bride and groom. The memories were written on blank index cards and left in the box for the couple to read after their honeymoon. "We kept the box with all of our wedding cards in it, so we can open it up at any time and enjoy the memories and cards from our guests ."

To add another 'sweet' touch she found romantic sayings that she printed out at home and put in frames around the reception site. "For all of the items I made, I used a filigree design that I found for free within Microsoft clip art." Many of the decor items, such as the frames and vases, the couple have placed in their home as mementos from their special day.

Shawn used Microsoft Publisher to create this sign for their signature drink the "Sweetest Sparkle" (sweet rose champagne served in a flute rimmed with chocolate flavored sugar - "not your usual bubbly combination but it was delicious and the guests loved it!"). The photograph below was taken while Roger was proposing to Shawn at Ponte Vineyard in Temecula. "He had the manager of the winery take a photo of us... I had no idea he was preparing to get down on one knee and propose!"

For favors, Shawn tied the leftover ribbon around personalized CDs featuring the couple's favorite songs.

A Sweet Ending For dessert, Shawn and Roger bought a cake from a local doughnut shop. "We saved approximately $700 compared to what 'wedding cake bakers' quoted us and everyone raved about how good it was! Thank goodness for the top because that was all we had leftover!"

Catering: Culinary Concepts

Music was provided by: B'Entertained

Photo Credit: La Vida Creations Photography

November Contest!

2008-11-08T12:39:00.003-05:00

The Green Bride Guide Online is offering monthly contests!

Only a few people have entered our November contest so far - so the chance to win is high!! The contest is for the first signed copy of The Green Bride Guide.

The book is now available for pre-order on Amazon, where you can search inside the book for a sneak peak.

For more details about the contest click here.

Going Green and Saving Green in Texas

2008-10-23T17:24:00.017-04:00

Tara Brown and Michael Selders were married on August 24th in Houston, Texas. The ceremony and reception were both held at The Four Seasons Hotel, to eliminate the driving time of guests and to cut down on carbon emissions.

How They Met As Tara tells it, "We met waiting tables at Macaroni Grill in April of 2001 and started dating in August of 2001. Michael is now a cardiovascular technologist (aka Eco Tech) and works for the Digirad Corporation and I work for the Stewart Title Guaranty Company as a Senior National Closing Coordinator."

Why a Green Wedding "As a child, Mike traveled all over Europe and I visited a lot of National Parks. So, we developed an appreciation for nature early on but never really understand how our actions impacted our environment until we educated ourselves on the issues as adults. Once we started understanding how our daily consumption affected our world, we started making eco-friendly changes to our everyday lives. We currently recycle everything we possibly can and we also donate items that we don’t need anymore instead of tossing them in the dumpster. I was very hesitant to [get married] because I knew how much waste is produced by weddings. I finally decided that if I could eliminate the large amount of waste and add some other eco-friendly initiatives into a wedding, that I would do it. So, I told my husband about my plans and he jumped on board." Michael took Tara's wishes to heart and gave her an engagement ring with a diamond that had belonged to her great grandmother.

Wedding Planner Soon after, Tara and her mom, Jackie, went scouting for eco-friendly event planners. They found Jessica Zapatero at Green Lily Events to coordinate the wedding. Jessica helped them plan a complete eco-friendly affair. "One of the biggest eco-initiatives was the on-site recycling (because Texas does not have laws about recycling at large events and it almost never happens). Jessica got Waste Management and the Four Seasons to work together to recycle the paper, cardboard, plastic and aluminum. When Waste Management said they could not recycle the glass because of liability issues, Jessica took care of it herself (she paid for it!) and hired a local individual to pick it up and bring it to the local recycling center. By the day of the wedding, we had implemented over 20 different eco-initiatives and our eco-wedding was a success!"

Invitations Not only did Tara and Michael make green choices, but they saved green too: "A common myth is that eco-weddings cost more, but that is not always the case. Although many eco-friendly products and services do cost more, there are ways to cut costs. For example, instead of purchasing paper invitations, we opted for tree-free and recycled paper invitations from Invitesite. We actually ended up saving about $500 by assembling our eco-friendly invitations ourselves." The coupled saved money by making other smart green choices as well (see the cakes section for example).

Attire For her Tara's gown, Tara chose a floor length gown with a sweeping train made from Raw Silk by Paloma Blanca – a Canadian company that gives a percent of every sale to Dresses That Heal.

The men wore eco-suede kippot from Zara Mart (made from recycled cardboard) and the bridesmaids donned natural make-up from GloMinerals.

Flowers The florist, Plants ‘n Petals, reused part of the decor from the ceremony at the reception. "The tall side pew containers that held the curly willow and floating candles were moved from the ceremony room to the reception. After the wedding, the chiffon fabric from the Chuppah [bridal canopy] was reused as was the riser. Also, a couple of floral displays in the ceremony room were moved into the reception and used as centerpieces."

Many of the flowers were purchased from local Houston farms, and all of the arrangements were donated after the event to the Lexington Place Healthcare Center.

Decor Tara and Michael were able to use a lot items offered by The Four Season, including chair covers. The table linens were provided by Cover Me Satin and "were already in their warehouse so nothing was ordered." After the wedding all of the linens were laundered in energy star appliances. As with the invitations, the seating cards and menus were printed on tree-free paper.

Cake An unexpected saving came when the couple ordered green wedding cakes. "I originally wanted a wedding cake and grooms cake from the best baker in town and her quote ended up being $1500 which was out of my mom’s price range. Our wonderful wedding coordinator, Jessica, introduced us to Monica Martinez of Monica’s Divine Delights. Not only were her cakes absolutely fabulous, but they were more affordable. The quote from Monica for the same cakes with the same designs but organic was $1100! So, we ended up with delicious organic cakes and we saved $400."

Favors Out of town guests were greeted with recycled bags filled with local and organic products, which were put together by Holley Brown of Sweet Couture. "The guest bags also had my Aunt Marcia’s famous Chocolate Chip Cookies and Banana Nut Muffins. Since my Aunt made quite a bit of food for each bag, we also saved money." For favors, each guest was given a packet of seeds in a small plantable pot (the pots actually go into the soil and biodegrade so nothing is wasted). "Seeing our guest’s expressions when they saw their plantable eco favors was great."

Adieu At the end of the day, everyone gathered outside and tossed cones of ecofetti (a kind of biodegradable confetti) to send the newly married couple off.

Tara and Michael got into a horse drawn carriage (an elegant carbon neutral option!) and rode off.

Looking back When asked what her favorite part of her wedding was, Tara replied, "If I had to pick one thing, I would say just having an eco-wedding was my favorite part! Now that the wedding is over, my husband and I are extremely happy with the choices we made. We are proud that our wedding did not have a large negative impact on our environment and we hope to inspire other couples. Overall this experience has been life changing and we are planning on making all our future events eco-friendly." Photography Credit: Michael Ramos, digital photographer

Daisy Decor

2008-10-07T15:25:00.013-04:00

Soo and Glyn Swift were married on August 22nd in the Seiners Arms Hotel in Perranporth, Cornwall, UK. As Soo wrote on TripAdvisor, "The hotel is lucky enough to be perfectly situated practically on Perranporth beach, and was the perfect location for our wedding. The staff was fantastic, extremely friendly and nothing was too much to ask."

To decrease the footprint of their wedding, the couple "decided to hold the ceremony and reception in the same venue, and organised car sharing in order to reduce fuel emissions. Our guests were kept informed via email of arrangements for the day."

Soo and Glyn are a very laid back couple. "On the day of the ceremony, we had beautiful sunshine and both Glyn and I enjoyed a surf in the morning."

Invitations The couple made their own invitations on recycled paper and decreased waste by asking their guests to RSVP via e-mail.

Rings Their rings were simple rose gold bands from an independent jeweler in Devon. "We had them inscribed with our names and the date by a local engraver."

Flowers Soo and Glyn merged the beach theme with white daisies to create a beautiful summer affair. "We decided to have a daisy theme running through the wedding."

They used ivory gerbera daisies from the local florist for all of the arrangements and Soo's bouquet.

"We used flower petals and locally collected shells to decorate the ceremony room, which over looked Perranporth beach."

Accessories Soo wore a daisy applique dress with a matching necklace and flip flops.

For the ceremony, she wore a daisy in her hair and Glyn used a single daily stem for his boutonnière.

Food Their guests enjoyed fresh ocean fare and local meat, "One of the Seiners most outstanding features is it's food, so I'd strongly recommend the Seiners barbeque buffet for anyone who wants a casual, sophisticated wedding.The wedding buffet consisted of barbequed localled caught fish and localled reared meat." After dinner guests enjoyed individual cakes.

Registry Soo and Glyn set up a registry of eco-frendly gifts, which I wrote about in June. Click here to read more!

And if you were wondering what the guests thought of the event - "All of our wedding guests said they had a fantastic time and we honoured to be a part of our day."

Casual Charm

2008-10-03T21:16:00.020-04:00

Hillary Rosner and Philip Higgs were married on June 24, 2006.

How They Met HIllary and Phil are both journalists. The couple met in 1997 while working for The Nation magazine. Phil is now a contributing editor for SKI Magazine and Hillary worked on An Inconvenient Truth, The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, and Go Green, Live Rich.

When it came time to plan their wedding, going green was an easy choice. "I've got an MS in environmental studies and write about environmental issues, and Phil has written about green building and is in fact now building a straw bale studio behind our house in Boulder. So having green elements at our wedding was a no-brainer."

Invitations "My father and his business partner made the invitations, which featured a print from a linoleum block I made when I was around 7. They were printed on recycled paper, of course! And the reply cards were old postcards--each one different--that I bought at a used bookstore."

The Location HIllary and Phil were married at Full Moon Central in Big Indian, New York - in the Catskill Mountains. "We chose our wedding site partly so that most people could stay on site, thereby minimizing the driving once the guests were there. And we also liked that they offered menu options that were largely organic and/or locally grown."

The Ceremony The ceremony was held outside on the grass. "We wrote the ceremony ourselves and were married by my cousin, who's a minister. There was nothing religious in the ceremony, except for the Jewish tradition of breaking the glass."

Attire "I went barefoot at the ceremony, which was in a big grassy meadow, but the shoes I wore later were made by Terra Plana, which uses nontoxic glue and recycled materials in its shoes. My wedding dress wasn't green in any way except that it was just a regular dress--it cost around $250--that happened to be white. I couldn't stomach spending all that money on something I'd wear once."

Rings "Our rings were designed by Jennifer Leitzes, a friend in LA who's a jewelry designer--she also did my engagement ring, which has diamonds taken from old earrings of my mother's and a ring that belonged to a great aunt. And the gold was recycled."

Flowers For the ceremony, the couple used simple bouquets of wildflowers from Full Moon. "I wasn't going to have a bouquet at all, but at the last minute a friend presented me with a bouquet of wildflowers she'd collected on the property while she was out collecting flowers for the flower girls' baskets."

For the reception, Hillary and Phil opted for live plants (which can be used again and do not have to be shipped in from overseas). "We used potted plants instead of cut flowers as centerpieces. My friends went to work transferring the potted plants into painted terracotta pots my father bought. We decorated the tables with fabric we bought, which my cousin spent hours cutting into squares the day before."

Activities "Much of the wedding was DIY. My best friend from high school taught a yoga class on Saturday morning before the ceremony. We did all the music on an ipod (my husband programmed it all) except for a local trio we hired for the cocktail hour. On Friday night we had a big bonfire with s'mores."

Favors "For party favors, a friend of mine from Boulder (who ended up getting sick and missing the wedding!) lovingly made these beautiful soaps, which she individually wrapped in scraps of fabric."

Pictures "My sister and two friends are all photographers, so we put them in charge of taking pictures. One of the friends has a photo booth business, so as a wedding gift she set up the booth at the reception, which was really great.

Registry HIllary and Phil used their charity registry to raise money for The Humane Society, Doctors Without Borders, Trees For Life, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. "My mother insisted we register for some actual, tangible items, even though we didn't need anything. So we registered for a very small number of items, and then did a charity registry and a honeymoon registry. Lots of people used the charity registry, which was cool."

Honeymoon Even their honeymoon was green! "We went to an eco-friendly hotel in Costa Rica and then an eco-resort in Nicaragua (which I wrote about for a green issue that Town & Country did [Etiquette: Planning a Green Wedding, T&C Weddings Spring/Summer 2008]).

"We then traveled to a remote part of the country and went down river by boat, visiting various rainforests and other wildlife-rich areas."

"Nicaragua is an incredible country - I've been back once since then and hope to make it back again soon. There is so much intact rainforest, and they're developing so quickly now that there's a unqiue opportunity to protect it - or lose it forever."

Photo Credit: Drew Fellman

Grandparents' Garden - A Family Wedding

2008-09-24T20:08:00.017-04:00

Dustin Ohlman and Ashley Place Ohlman were married on July 26, 2008 in Plano, Illinois.

How they met: "I was born and raised in the midwest- Aurora, Illinois, to be exact, and Dustin is a Chattanooga boy through-and-through. We met at an arcade and miniature golf place when I traveled to Chattanooga to visit my cousin at college, and we got along really well. We hung out the rest of the weekend I was there, then stayed in contact for the next year. The following summer, I decided to move down to Chattanooga for a change of scene, and Dustin asked me out soon after I got here! We were married 3 years from the same weekend we met!"

Why a Green Wedding: "I grew up being taught to be very environmentally- and economically-conscious, and I still try to live as 'green' as possible. I didn't want to abandon those beliefs for one day, just because it would be easier or fancier." To this end, Ashley and Dustin tried to utilize the resources in their community. "Supporting the local economy was very important to us. We made a conscious effort to hire vendors that were from small, local companies, or to use the talents of family friends. We didn't want to contribute to large companies or imported pieces when we had small business and local products to use that were just as good." They also made a concerted effort to minimize waste. "We tried to rent and resuse as much as possible, because there was no sense in wasting things- for example, we rented china instead of having disposable plastic plates, the potted plants that were bought as tent decorations are now hanging at my grandparents' home, and we had our ceremony and reception during the day so no lights were needed."

The Location: After scrapping plans for "a large, traditional, Southern wedding in Atlanta," Dustin and Ashley decided to have a smaller, family-oriented wedding in her grandparents' backyard.

"We were the second couple to marry there- my aunt and uncle [had their ceremony in] almost the same spot, over 20 years ago. It was wonderful to have it there! I grew up playing in the same spots we got married, and I got ready in my grandmother's bedroom, among all my family's photos, and a photograph of my aunt, Yvonne, who had passed away before I was born and to whom I have always been compared."

Bridal Attire: Dustin and Ashley paired items from their wardrobes with things that could easily be worn again. "I wore shoes I already owned, and borrowed my mother's earrings. Dustin wore a navy suit, white shirt and shoes he already owned, as well. We bought him a tie that he will be able to wear again. My dress for the reception was a Jcrew "final sale" find, and I have since had it shortened and have already worn it again! The bridesmaids bought matching, navy JCrew dresses that can be worn again (although doesn't every bride say that?), and they picked out their own shoes. I gave them individual necklaces as gifts, and told them they can wear the gifts at the wedding if they wanted (only my sister wore the gift necklace- the other two girls wore their own). The groomsmen wore their own navy pants, white shirt, and shoes. Dustin gave them ties as gifts for them to wear (something that, as two of them are college kids going on interviews, they will definately wear again!).

For her 'something blue," Ashley chose a handmade blue and cream mantilla veil- from Etsy seller Honeycombveils. "It was my favourite piece of my ensemble."

Flowers: "The girls and I carried wildflower bouquets from The Wild Rose - a small, local florist shop run by two hilariously fantastic sisters. They also did all the floral arrangements for the wedding, including the centerpieces and the two hanging pieces for the entrance of the tent."

"After the wedding, we donated the centerpieces and hanging pieces to a local nursing home that had taken care of my great-uncle before he passed. My mom and grandmother collected potted flowers in the months before the wedding to decorate around the tent and yard, and along with my family, my grandparents' neighbours Rob, Adrienne and Cindy and their friend Mary worked tirelessly in getting the property ready for the wedding! There aren't words to describe their selflessness and generosity. Mary even brought three beautiful flower arrangements from her own garden to decorate the gift table, the beverage table and the bathroom counter. My parents, Randy and Rhonda, picked up stones from a local gardening center to line each side of the aisle and to serve as paperweights for our escort cards. The stones are now used in my grandparents' landscaping.

Paper Pleasures: "We wanted something unique, and we didn't want to give our business to some large corporation that churns out the same, boring invitations all the time. We ordered our invitations from Etsy seller InkyLivie, who designs and produces custom stationery from her home. I borrowed the design from the invitations for our programs, menu, escort cards, and favour cards, which were all homemade.

Food & Drink: We chose a local catering company called Upper Crust Catering for our meal. It was a little bit more of a headache to deal with a small company like that, but it was worth it in the end because everyone really enjoyed the food. It was more important to us that we give our business to local vendors and have good, homemade-tasting dishes that everyone recognizes, than to go with a bigger, trendier company with artistic, gourmet dishes that our down-home family wouldn't enjoy. The catering company even gave us all the leftover food, rather than throwing it away! For drinks, we borrowed two big beverage jars from my parents' church for our homemade lemonaid and the 8 gallons of sweet tea that Dustin made for all our southern guests.

Cake: Our cake was made by a very talented family friend, Sue Hipple. Oh my goodness, it was wonderful! One tier was a coconut cake, to represent Dustin's southern heritage, and the other tier was a cinnamon-vanilla cake with a Mexican chocolate buttercream filling that tasted like Mexican hot chocolate, to represent where I grew up. The cake was iced in white buttercream and decorated with conceptual fondant papeles picados, which mimicked the papel picado banners that fluttered under the reception tent. Sue even made us a small cake to act as a cake topper, because she knew we were staying for a few days in Illinois and then traveling to Chattanooga, so we wouldn't be freezing a top layer. We enjoyed that cake with my family on the last two nights we were in Illinois.

Favors: For favors, Dustin and Ashley paired a small gift with a charitable donation. "I am a childhood cancer survivor, so as favors, we chose to make a donation to the Children's Cancer Research Fund. We handed out butterflies made from natural resources (the butterfly is the symbol for the Children's Cancer Research Fund) in small organza bags, with cards explaining the donation."

Photography: "Our photographer was Stephanie Clark of Louis Joy Photography. She is amazing. She was so much fun to work with, and she was so laid back and easy going that it was wonderful to have her there. My gratitude goes out to her for not only capturing our personalities so well, but for so fearlessly putting up with our friends and family."

Mother Knows Best!

2008-09-21T19:05:00.008-04:00

Many moms help their daughters plan and prep for their weddings. However, Denee wrote in telling me about how she helped her daughter, Shaylan Brown (pictured with mom above), after the wedding was over by launching a website to help her resell (read: recycle) all of the treasures from her big day.

"While helping my daughter, Shaylan, plan her wedding I had searched online for a site that was dedicated to JUST previously owned Wedding accessories in one Central Location as opposed to jumping from specialty site to specialty site. At that time I couldn't find what I was looking for but I thought that newlyweds surely didn't want to keep all their leftover merchandise stacked up in their new homes (or worse...in their parents' garage!!). I grew up knowing that one man's trash is another man's treasure because my parents loved garage and estate sale shopping. You can't imagine the beautiful things they found that people just no longer wanted. They also taught us about recycling and conservation (my brothers and I were fined a nickel every time we left a light on). So the idea of "She Just Got Married" a site for Newlyweds to sell their gently used accessories AND a place for the Brides to Be to find them and save a little money, came naturally."

A few of the items from Shaylan's wedding are already available in the boutique including:

The black scroll centerpieces...

The heart/calla lilly card holders...

and a beautiful Oleg Cassini dress.

Buying and selling gently used wedding wares is a great way to save money while decreasing waste and the environmental footprint of your event. I bought my wedding shoes on eBay and my husband and I listed the fountains we used for our wedding on another auction-based site.

She Just Got Married is a great idea and I wish Denee and Shaylan the best of luck.

Did you buy something used for your wedding or donate your gown or other items after the event - share your story with the community!

What's Black & White and Green All Over? A Zebra Crossing Wedding!

2008-09-10T20:24:00.018-04:00

Beth Richardson and Steven Kent were married on March 1, 2008 at Duke Gardens in Durham, NC.

The couple met in South Africa, while Beth was working at the Amy Biehl Foundation helping artisans start small businesses.

In 2005, Beth started Zebra Crossings, a fair trade wedding boutique whose mission is to provide couples with "unique handmade items that improve the lives of the producers who make them and whenever possible preserve the health of our environment." Beth and Steven used many of Zebra Crossing's products in their own wedding - and generated over 200 hours of employment for artisans in developing countries in the process! "We felt it would be appropriate for our wedding celebration support artisans like those that were the reason that we met in the first place."

Here are some of the Fair Trade highlights:

1. Beth and Steven announced their wedding electronically using Zebra Crossing e-stationary.

2. For their invitations, Beth and Steven used these beautiful Bodhi leaf cards (made from tree-free paper) with a bamboo stick closure.

3. Their programs and menus came from Nepalese Paper and their place cards and table numbers came from Cards From Africa. Both fair trade stores offer handmade recycled paper stationary.

4. Their guestbook was handmade in India with tree-free paper.

5. Beth gave her bridesmaid's (pictured below holding bouquets of snapdragons, daylilies, and irises from Tre Bella Flowers & Gifts) luxurious all-natural Indian silk shawls to match their dresses.

6. Beth's diamond ring is certified conflict-free and their wedding bands were handmade by artists in South Africa.

8. Each guest received a fair trade, hand-beaded zebra keychain from South Africa.

9. Even the topper on their zebra striped cake was fair trade!

10. Finally, to ensure that the gifts purchased for their wedding were in line with their values and beliefs, Beth and Steven set up a registries with Global Exchange, Gaiam, and The I Do Foundation.

To learn more about fair trade visit the Fair Trade Federation's website and be sure to check out Zebra Crossings to find more fair trade products for your wedding.

Finger Puppets available at Zebra Crossings

Photo Credit: Steve McCaw

A Brown and GREEN Wedding

2008-09-07T11:25:00.017-04:00

Christine Mentink and Greg Diedrich were married July, 26 2008. Christine is a managing editor at a nonprofit medical society where she leads "the Green Team" - getting co-workers to "recycle everything from paper to batteries and cell phones." Greg is a bicycle fanatic. "He builds them, teaches other's how to maintain theirs, and constantly promotes bike riding and less car driving. In fact, he doesn't own a car and bikes year round---through Chicago rain and winters!" In addition to being a bike enthusiast, Greg is also a graphic designer.

The ceremony took place at the First Congregational Church in Des Plaines, IL. "We chose this location because it accepts all people and all marriages. The church will marry people regardless of religious affiliation and believes that all people have the right to their individual beliefs. The church was also very green."

"We didn't waste electricity by using air conditioning to attempt to cool the high-ceiling space - instead we used overhead fans and open doors. We used an aisle runner provided by the church that is washed and reused for all wedding services. We let the drinking fountain do its job instead of promoting the use of bottled water. Throwing rice is not allowed by this church, so we completely skipped the tradition of "throwing stuff" at the bride and groom to reduce waste of any kind. Also, the church is located very near public transportation, so some of our guests took the train to our wedding."

The reception was at Old Orchard in Mount Prospect, IL (pictured above). "We chose this location for its beautiful landscape, ability to house 200+ guests, and willingness to take green measures. The venue manager and I had an in-deph conversation about green concerns during planning. In addition to the usual washable china, napkins, and tablecloths, we did not serve bottle beverages at the bars. The venue buys in bulk and reduces garbage whenever possible as their usual practice. The venue also allowed me to provide multiple meal options for my guests, including vegetarian and gluten-free."

The Dress and Bridal Accessories "My dress was bought from a consignment store [I DO Designer Bridal Consignments, in Chicago], which I feel is a very important green element. Too often, exorbitant amounts of money are spent on dresses that are mass-produced, overpriced, and distributed for one-time use. I found a beautiful dress from my local consignment store and was able to give 'new life' to this dress and to support a local, female-owned small business in doing so."

"We also incorporated "green" elements by using independent artists to contribute to the wedding as much as possible. The ties, cuff links, and all jewelry and wedding party gifts were made by hand by independent artists instead of being mass produced. [Local artisans] almost always reuse as much material as possible, create less waste, and use less energy. One of these artists created the favors for our wedding shower: We gave all our guests homemade, all natural soaps."

Flowers "Greg's cousin owns a flower shop [Locker's Flowers in McHenry], so they provided all of the flowers. The shop is family-owned and a local, thriving business in the community where many of the groom's family lives and where he grew up. It was important for us to include his family in the planning this way."

Instead of wearing a veil, Christine commissioned, Mikiye Creations, whose work can be found on Etsy, to create a reusable silk flower clip. "She designed [this clip] for me, based on photos I sent her of my dress, flowers, and jewelry.

For the reception decor, Christine and her mother created simple, elegant displays with limes, which guests took home and used after the wedding. "My mom and I went to the local market and bought 400 limes! How often does anyone get to buy 400 limes! The limes were taken home by many of the guests, including one who told me that she'd be using her to make margaritas the next day for her own guests! My mother-in-law used hers to make limeade! I love that the centerpieces used live ingredients that were reused."

Programs + Seating Cards Greg's sister created the programs (printed on recycled paper) as their wedding gift. They seating cards also matched the brown at lime color scheme.

Favors Each guest received a favor box tied with a green ribbon. "The favor boxes had two truffles in them. I did not want to give out favors that would be thrown out or regarded as "tchotchke." The truffles and the boxes were made by Truffle Trolley, a family-owned business. The truffles were a delicious treat that everyone could enjoy immediately and would not go to waste."

Photography Their photographer, Jay Crihfield, provided them with "the digital negatives instead of printing out any prints." Christine and Greg plan to provide their guests with electronic copies of their photos and to create their own wedding album so "nothing is wasted and we do not print a single picture we do not want."

Carbon Offsetting The couple is also planning to "'give back' by donating money for tree planting or carbon emissions to offset and celebrate the wedding."

Carbon Offsetting

2008-09-01T21:33:00.002-04:00

Many couples are now choosing to lessen the environmental impact of their weddings by purchasing carbon offsets. I just discovered Brighter Planet - a new company that works with Native Energy and other partners to fund renewable energy projects. They offer carbon calculators for driving, flying, home use and weddings. Click the image below to learn more.

Photo Card Save-The-Dates

2008-08-30T12:12:00.007-04:00

One of the things I suggest in The Green Bride Guide is having your save-the-dates do double duty as holiday cards. This is exactly what Lisa and Kevin did - but they took it one step further by sending photo cards two years in row:

The first year friends and family members received a christmas card featuring a picture of the couple reading a copy of Wedding Planning For Dummies. The caption was "Be Married and Bright and Please Save the Date!"

Photo: Gene Higa Photography

The next year the card had a photo from their honeymoon on the beach in Thailand that read "Happy Holidays from The Honeymooners!"

Lisa had the cards printed using Kodak Gallery. "I just got full frame, no border. 5X7 for the Save the Dates and 4X8 photo cards for Just Married in sand."

The full fame option makes the cards look like regular photographs, so they are more likely to find their way into a frame than into the trash can.

What a fun way to share the good news!

DIY Paperbloomster Wedding

2008-08-24T23:14:00.021-04:00

Lisa Yuen and Kevin Rhoads were married August 4, 2007 in The Green Room in the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center - across from San Francisco City Hall (pictured below).

Kevin is a golf professional at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts and coaches the Harvard womens' golf team. Lisa is an actress (who has performed both on Broadway and in several movies). For entertainment, Lisa asked some of her colleagues to share their talents. "I asked 4 of my friends from Miss Saigon, Annie and The King and I to sing at the ceremony and cocktail hour. For the recessional, my friend Derek Isetti sang "Orange Colored Sky". Richard Rockage, a musical arranger for The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization created a new arrangement of "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy". We started the reception with our first dance - some fun choreography by a Miss Saigon alumnus (Alan Ariano) that incorporated ballroom waltz, lifts, the Robot and moves stolen from the movie, Napoleon Dynamite. Another friend, Peilin Chou, of Lifefilm Productions made a documentary about our courtship and our families that was shown during the reception."

In addition to calling upon friends from the entertainment industry, Lisa personalized her wedding by incorporating designs from the business she runs with her sister Janice Yoshihara called Paperbloomsters. Janice made the flowers for Lisa's wedding, including "peonies, roses and cherry blossoms - about 200 of them!!!" Each flower was made by cutting petals from sheets of dried recycled paper. You can watch Lisa demonstrate the process on Martha Stewart by clicking here.

For the ceremony, Janice decorated the flower girl basket with paper flowers and the ringbearer presented the rings on a giant paper peony.

At the reception, paper flowers lined the walls and perfectly complimented the (live) centerpieces.

The live flower arrangements were designed by a good friend of Kevin's, Karen Burling of Huckleberry Designs and the bouquets (shown in image above) were done by Matika Angkatavanich of Simply Blooms.

Invitations, Seating Cards + Favors In addition to all of the flowers above, Lisa used her paper craft talent throughout the wedding. As Karen Burling wrote on her blog, Lisa's guests received "not just a piece of paper....but a handmade book! I was told that Lisa had spent precious hours making these for her guests. Talk about a personal touch!"

She also made matching seating cards!

Favors And that is not all...Lisa used the leftover paper from her invitations to make individual favor boxes for her guests.

And what was in the boxes? "The outside of the box represented me and inside was all Kevin." Because Kevin is a golf pro, that meant each guest received a Titleist golf ball reading "Kevin hit a hole in one! August 4, 2007.'"

Photo Credit: Gene Higa Photography

To read Lisa and Kevin's green wedding planning tip click here.

California Courting

2008-08-19T22:25:00.020-04:00

Mandy and her husband Joe were married in Anaheim Hills, California in May 2008. Their wedding took place on the "grounds of Kindred Community Church, in the hills" and their reception was held in Woodbury Community Park where the site fees "go back into the upkeep and care of the beautiful hillside oasis - home to tons of birds, lizards and other woodland creatures. [It was] hard to believe that a bustling city and freeway weren't far away!"

Another cool thing about their reception location was that the park utilizes low energy appliances. "Mother nature provided the ambiance and light for the wedding itself and the reception location provided low energy appliances and fixtures [for the party]." In addition to choosing eco-friendly locations, the couple incorporated a number of other green elements into their plans as well.

Recycled Paper Mandy and Joe used recycled paper for their invitations, programs, menu cards, etc.

Instead of having a guestbook they used an "old branch for a 'wish tree'" which guests hung little tags on.

Bamboo and Rice Paper Parasols To keep her maids comfortable on the hot California day, Mandy gave each of them a bamboo and rice paper parasol (both biodegradable natural materials).

The men enjoyed them too!

Locally Grown Flowers Throughout their wedding Mandy and Joe used roses from Growers Direct in Tustin, CA (a local grower).

For their centerpieces, they set the roses into vases full of sliced organic limes, which they surrounded with soy votives. "No rocks or other things to throw away - everything was biodegradable and the vases we gave away."

Favors Mandy and Joe wanted their favors to reflect their love of nature and wanted to encourage their guests to get outside and explore. To this end they chose "Love Beans" and reusable compasses. "Continuing with our nature theme, we gave little potted plants with a bean inside that says, "Love" when it grows. We also encourage walks through nature, and provided these compasses for said walks with non-animal (leather) synthetic cords."

Cake After a vegan dinner they cut a fake cake! Instead of getting a cake they knew would go uneaten they had a faux cake from Fake The Cake and offered guests a simple sheet cake made by a local bakery instead. They had just enough cake for every guest to get a slice.

When their wedding was over - what did they drive away in? Their own car - and they did not have to drive it far either! "The house where we came home to after the wedding was only one block away from the reception (and the wedding was less than 15 miles from the reception as well)! Low emissions!"

Photo Credit: Nataly Lemus

Dinner Party Wedding with DIY Style

2008-08-14T17:14:00.012-04:00

Darryl Harvey and Alissa Lewis had an intimate wedding - "only 40 of our dear friends and family members" - at restaurant 121 in North Salem, NY on April 6th. "We had the wedding set up to be more like a dinner party than anything else. I walked down the aisle to Annie Lennox's version of "Waiting in Vain"--this was kind of an inside joke between us because I am forever waiting on Darryl to get ready, to get downstairs, to get out the door, to come home...He's a bit of slowpoke! We wrote our own vows which were tremendously moving for each of us and for all the guests--for weeks after people were remarking on how special and emotional the ceremony itself was."

Alissa is extremely crafty. In fact, she has her own invitation company Mew Paper Arts - where every item is "handmade with pure intentions for the environment" and proceeds go to "support a quirky gal and her fat cat." Needless to say, when it came to planning her wedding, "the DIY theme went all the way through--from the stationery, to the music, decorations--even the cake!"

Handmade Paper Alissa flexed her paper making skills and created one-of-a-kind favors that doubled as seating cards. "I made all of the stationery items--and being a designer myself I felt like I had to really show off! The invitations were made with partially recycled materials to match the sapphire/diamond theme of the dress. I combined placecards and favors by giving each guest a set of handmade notecards with their names on it placed at their seat. I felt like our favors were something that would be used and not tossed out."

Flowers "Instead of spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on flowers for the tables I just had a gorgeous bouquet made by a florist and used candelabras that I got on clearance at Home Goods for each table. My mom used flowers from her own garden and the local market to make a few large arrangements to spread through the room. We saved a bundle by doing this...and the candelabras are being reused in our home!"

Music "During the cocktail hour and dinner we played music through our IPOD using the restaurant's sound system--we had a kooky mix that included everything from Bill Withers, Aerosmith, The Beatles, Alicia Keys and The Allman Brothers."

Cake Alissa and Darryl even had a homemade cake. "My best friend and Maid of Honor made us a beautiful, petite cake. A lot of our wedding focused on reducing waste--often these big weddings are so over the top, cost a ton and there is so much wasted, including food. So our cake was sized for the amount of guests, as was the rest of our menu--people were well fed, but nothing was thrown out afterwards."

"Overall the event was a dream come true--super low key, but really memorable as well. Having such a small group of guests made it easy for us to spend time with each one and make everyone feel special about being there and know that we appreciated them."

To read about Alissa's unique wedding gown click here.

Eco-Chic + Vegan Too!

2008-08-10T19:51:00.020-04:00

Rachel Venokur and Christopher Clark were married June 1, 2008 at The Garrison in Garrison NY. "We chose The Garrison for it’s natural, beautiful grounds, organic chic feel, the ability to use food from their gardens and [the fact] that they use locally grown, sustainable and organic [food] whenever possible."

Rachel is a Holistic Health Counselor (she does private consulting through her company Renew...For a New You), so it was important to her that her wedding be "as eco and conscious as possible." She is also a vegan, and "The Garrison was able to provide amazing and interesting vegan options that everyone enjoyed, along with an organic and local non-vegan menu." In addition to choosing an eco-friendly venue, here are some of the other ways Rachel and Christopher "went green":

Invitations, etc. Their save the dates, invitations, escort cards and menus were printed on 100% recycled paper with soy ink (by Sweet Letter Press).

The Gown Rachel bought her wedding gown from Veka Bridal in NYC, because they are "known for their non-traditional not too bridey wedding dresses, which was what I was looking for." She is planning on donating the dress to charity and is currently, "considering a few places, like the Bridal Garden in NYC. I just would like it to go to good use."

Local Flowers Their ceremony took place under a bamboo chuppah which was covered in herbs, berries and local flowers.

Rachel carried a bouquet of wildflowers wrapped in lace from her mother's wedding dress. She also used her Grandmother's diamonds in her wedding band and she and Christopher displayed family wedding photos at the reception. "Everything was very personal, from the escort card photos to the old family wedding photos, to our choreographed first dance to a Queen Song. We really wanted to add a personal touch to an organic, yet elegant wedding. People walked away saying how the wedding was 'so Chris and Rachel' and that is exactly what we wanted. We did it in an eco way that didn't bombard our guests with how to save the earth, but elegantly presented to them how easy it is to make a few simple changes that can go a long way."

To decorate the tables they used "local wild flowers, herbs and berries in vintage, recycled and refurbished pots." These were surrounded with soy candles poured into " vintage glasses that were either already in the family or bought at antique sales and thrift shops. The candles and glasses will be re-used by our florist - StoneKelly." Instead of having favors, Rachel and Christopher encouraged their guests to take home the vintage pots of flowers from the tables.

The escort cards and table numbers (imprinted with photos from the couples travels) were also nestled in containers of sustainable blooms.

Dinner For dinner, their guests enjoyed local, organic and vegan fare. Click on the menu below to see the full details - sounds delicious!

Dessert Instead of a traditional wedding cake, Rachel and Christopher had "a Vegan cupcake trio made by The Groovy Baker with organic ingredients as our main dessert." The cupcake tiers were topped with adorable (edible) vegan marzapan people made to resemble the bride and groom. Cupcakes are a great green alternative because they are easy for guests to take home.

Eau de'Toilet Even their bathrooms were green! Rachel and Christopher "used green and organic products in the ladies and men's room baskets whenever possible." Including baskets of eco-friendly toiletries is a great way to help spread the word about your favorite green products.

Kate's Note: Being green runs in the Venokur family. Rachel's cousin Danielle owns dvGreen - a green event company in New York. Danielle is one of the green wedding experts I interviewed for The Green Bride Guide.

Photo credit: Photomuse

A California Vineyard Wedding

2008-07-30T18:27:00.006-04:00

Joann and Chris were married in Napa, California in September 2007.

Both are designers (he is an industrial designer and she is a graphic designer) and they met at a branding consultancy in Oakland. Joann describers her husband as "a down to earth layback kind of guy from Australia" and herself as "a more intense punctual city girl from Hong Kong."

Joann had lived in California for over 15 years and wanted to have either a beach or a vineyard wedding. "After [researching] and of course checking with our budget, we decided to have our wedding at a private vineyard in Napa."

"When we found this vineyard, we felt in love with it. It was rustic and private. It was kind of like an empty canvas to an artist...it only needed few more touches to make it come alive."

"I always wanted to plan my own wedding, so we did not hire a wedding planner, and we were eager to do as much as possible ourselves."

A few of the eco-friendly designs they incorporated were:

1. Invitations, programs and menus designed by the couple and printed on 80% recycle paper.

2. Place card holders made from recycled wine corks -"we cut a slit in the middle, and used a pin to stabilize the back."

3. The groomsmen's boutonnieres were made by Joann's mom. "We decided to used old checker clothes and cut leaf shape as the backing. They matched what the groomsmen were wearing (checker vans)."

4. To match the surrounding, Joann worked with Laura Auyeung, from Poppy's Petalworks to create amazing displays with seasonal autumn flowers & foliage, including dahlias, Safari West protea, Pin Cushion protea, hanging amaranthus, china berries, Coffee Bean hypericum berries, and Milva roses.

For the tables Laura used twig balls accented with orange and burgundy dahlia & china berries. As Joann described, "We used old grapevines (they are easy to find and eco-friendly as they are unwanted items from vineyards). We utilized them as our wreaths and centerpieces for our tables (and that saved me from over using flowers - and $ too, because the grapevine balls created quite an unique look [by themselves])."

The couple also had a sign-in wishing tree Laura made from fresh manzanita branches accented with orange Tiger dahlia. It was finished with a small nest with two feathered birds (signifying the new home the couple was building together). Guests wrote their blessings on custom designed cards and hung them on the branches.

5. To create a difference between the indoor and outdoor spaces, Joann and Chris used different colored rice paper lanterns. "I purposely changed the lantern colors from red/orange to silver where the dance area was, so that it would help shift the focus. For the lanterns inside the barn, I didnt have to hang too many, and the trick was to buy different sizes of the same color ( in this case 12" and 24"), and [stagger them to create a] greater space."

6. Instead of an American wedding cake they had a French Wedding cake. "The cake was a traditional French wedding cake - Croquembouche. I always wanted this type of cake for my wedding since many many years ago. Because I like the dramatic and delicious golden color, and that became a wow factor for our wedding. And the shape of each cream puff matched my lanterns! Creative International from San Francisco did a great job. It was truly delicious. [The pieces were] served on martini glasses with hot chocolate fudge and mint leaves on top." Because of its construction, it was easy for guests to take home the left overs - so nothing was wasted!

Joann and Chris have set a new bar for vineyard-chic - what a beautiful event!

Photograph Provided by Apertura Photo and Poppy's Petalworks.

Picture This

2008-07-25T17:13:00.007-04:00

Chris Chappell and Erin Daly were married on June 21, 2008 in Washington State. Instead of buying disposable cameras for their weddings they used CameraRenter - a new service that rents digital cameras across the country. "Our experience working with Jonathan [at CameraRenter] was great. We enjoyed using the digital cameras, seems like everyone at the wedding did too. The photos we've seen came out really nice."

Like a netflix for cameras, the cameras arrive in the mail, you give them to your guests to use at your wedding and then mail them back in. CameraRenter uploads all of the pictures for you onto a Personalized Memory Sharing Website.

In addition to being an environmentally friendly alternative to disposable cameras, CameraRenter has added benefits including...

1. You get pictures the photographer couldn't get.

2. You get to see the wedding from your guests' point of view...

...including the way it looked to the kids! (BTW - Erin suggests designating one kids camera to ensure most of the pictures are high quality).

3. Instead of being limited to just a few pictures per roll - your guests can take hundreds.

4. You don't have to bug guests for their pictures because all of the pictures from all of the cameras go to the same website.

5. Nothing is disposable, no bad pictures are printed = nothing is wasted!

What a cool, eco-friendly way to capture your big day!

I was so impressed with this service that I asked the owner Jonathan Bailor about offering a discount to Green Bride Guide readers - and he said yes! So -to receive a FREE archive CD enter the following code at check out: 0.00_81thegreenbrideguide

A Midwest/Belgian Wedding

2008-07-22T11:53:00.014-04:00

Katrien Michiels and Mark Singer were married on June 8th at Promontory Point, a public park in Chicago IL. The two, both financial consultants (SAP), met through a mutual friend who invited them on a ski trip in March of 2006. "We quickly hit it off and were engaged almost two years later." When it came time to plan their wedding, Katrien and Mark decided to make it as simple and as eco-friendly as possible. "We both have a love for the outdoors and try to think green as much as we can. We wanted our wedding to reflect that, and tried to balance simplicity [and] eco-friendliness, while keeping cost in mind."

Invitations To announce their wedding, they used seal-and-send invitations. The invitations were printed on one sheet of recycled paper which folded into a square for mailing. "We loved our invitations! We did not want to use the amount of paper usually involved in a wedding invitation and thought these were a cute way to get around the inner envelopes and tissue paper. The people at Valley printing in ND were a pleasure to work with! The invitations were then shipped to our home, with seals, and we folded them, added address labels, and sealed them ourselves."

For their programs they bought seed paper (plantable paper embedded with seeds), and printed them out at home.

Transportation Their guests were shuttled to and from the wedding on public transportation. "We had everyone dropped off and picked up and brought from and to the hotel downtown using the Chicago Trolley - which was probably my favorite part :)"

Flowers For their centerpieces, Katrien and Mark used sprays of dried lavender in glass candle holders.

Cake Instead of getting an expensive "wedding cake" Mark baked their cake himself. "For desert my husband baked 4 duncan hines cakes and frosted them (my brothers helped) with simple white frosting." To supplement, "We had an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen for the head table, which is the one we cut." For toppers they used playmobile people.

Belgian Touches Katrien is Belgian (her family moved to the States when she was 13) and she wanted her wedding to reflect her ancestry. To this end they had the following:

- Belgian Beer - "Our beer selection was therefore superior. We offered Hoegaarden and Stella - as well as Miller Lite for the faint of heart. Our guests loved it, the caterer was dry by 10:00PM."

- Favors Our favors were little belgian chocolates we served with coffee after dinner.

- Dessert In addition to the cake, Katrien's mom and aunt had baked belgian waffles, which were served with the coffee.

Entertainment To balance out the Belgian touches, Katrien and Mark included some good old fashion western entertainment. "We set up two games of cornhole (a yard game where you throw beanbags filled with corn at a board) out on the front patio for people who wanted to hang out back there instead of down by the lake or inside for dancing."

Katrien and Mark prove that you can have a fun and beautiful eco-friendly wedding without breaking the bank!

Honoring Family Ties

2008-07-19T14:07:00.006-04:00

Marika and Saxton incorporated elements from both sides of the family at every turn - which made their wedding more meaningful and more beautiful.

Something Old Marika had three something olds at her wedding - her engagement ring, a 1920's vintage piece, her late mother's wedding ring (which was pinned to the underskirts of her dress), and the ring pillow, which she had "made out of a handkercheif that belonged to Saxton's grandmother who had just passed away." She also wore Saxton's family's lace before the ceremony. She was the 32nd bride in their family to wear it!

Something New + Something Borrowed Marika's something new was this striking purple shawl that matched her bridal party. "My wedding stole/shawl was hand knit by my sister-in-law as my wedding gift. It's absolutely gorgeous!" For her "borrowed" item, she wore drop earrings that belonged to Saxton's cousin.

Charity Registry Creating a charity registry is a wonderful way to raise awareness about and money for causes that are important to you. To honor Marika's father who passed away in 1998, Marika and Saxton selected a charity that is particularly dear to Marika's heart - ZazAngels. " ZazAngles is a foundation that my father, Michael Zaslow, started in 1996, to raise awareness about ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). After my father died, my mother worked tirelessly to keep the foundation going before her death in 2006. ZazAngles is part of the Greater New York Chapter of the ALS Association."

If you want to learn more about ALS, Marika's mother Susan wrote a powerful book about her husband's struggle entitled Not That Man Anymore: (A Message From Michael).

It includes his journal entries along with Susan, Marika's and other friend and family members memories of the experience.

If you would like to donate to ZazAngles in Marika and Saxton's honor click here.

Paper Pleasures

2008-07-16T12:21:00.007-04:00

In addition to being a generous spirit, Marika is a talented printmaker. So "after months of looking at 'run of the mill' invitations," Marika and Saxton decided to do something unique and create an invitation featuring one of her pieces. "Our invitations were a labor of love! We designed the invitations and other elements around my print. They were printed by Mr. Boddington's Studio and I would recommend them to anyone and everyone!"

They carried the visual theme over to their favors, which were hand wrapped books. "We [gave] out books for our favors instead of something else disposable (something plastic, glass etc). We figured that people would be more likey to keep/use the wedding favors if they were books. We chose 21 of our favorite authors and named each table after that author. We then gave everyone at that table a book by that author." To make their gifts even greener, thy tucked in a double-duty card, "We wrapped the books ourselves and used the menu card as the place card, elimenating one more piece of paper."

And speaking of books and paper, Marika and Saxton set up a gift registry with the I Do Foundation so that whenever someone purchased a gift 10% was donated Trees for Life, a non-profit that "helps people make connections to tap the latent resources in their own community. This may mean seeking knowledge on farming practices from a nearby university, organizing fruit-tree grafting workshops, or setting up training for teachers or librarians." As explained on the Trees for Life website, " When people set an example by following the process themselves, others come to them to learn...They become a model that others will follow." This statement certainly applies to Marika and Saxton who offer inspiration to us all.

Local Attraction

2008-07-15T09:20:00.015-04:00

Marika Hufford-Zaslow and Saxton Pope were married on May 24, 2008.

Marika has a master's in Social Work from NYU and is currently starting her 2nd master's degree in Child Life, working with terminally ill children and their families. Child Life specialists "provide play therapy for children in long-term care in clinincs and hospitals and guide them through medical procedures." Saxton manages a restaurant in the West Village in NYC but is planning to go back to school and get his master's in English (he wants to teach high school students). The pair met in 2002 when they were both Resident Advisors (RAs) at Sarah Lawrence College. As Marika tells it, "We became fast friends and we've been together ever since!"

When it came time to get married, it was important to Marika and Saxton to include as many local elements as possible.

First, they chose a beautiful NY location that was easily accessible by public transportation. The couple was married at the Wainwright House - a historic mansion and non-sectarian holistic learning center in Rye, NY. "We chose the Wainwright House because we wanted some place out of Manhattan but some place close enough that our guests could get to it easily. We also really wanted to have water at our location and Wainwright fit all of those criteria. It's right on the Long Island Sound across from protected marshland. It's a gorgeous location."

Second, the couple had Gary Stone at Cornerstone Caterers create a decadent meal featuring Connecticut and New Jersey produce. The fresh fruit and berries came from a local New York farm.

Finally, Marika and Saxton hired Grand Design Flowers, who used organic blooms from their on site garden (which includes flowers, fruit trees, herbs and organic vegetables) to create dramatic spring arrangements.

They used peonies from the gardens along with fragrant sweet peas (started from seed in the early winter) to make fragrant bouquets for Marika and her bridesmaids. The table flowers included peonies, lavender lisianthus, green hydrangea blossoms and phlox in recycled glass compotes.

They also created lush floral wreaths with blooms that are easy to dry and preserve so Marika and Saxton could take them home. What a beautiful and sustainable way to remember the day!

Handmade Huppah+

2008-07-12T13:16:00.012-04:00

I promised yesterday that I would share the two most unique things Paula and Harlan did for their wedding and here the are.

First, Paula chose to wear a purple dress - elegant enough that she looked like a summer bride and simple enough that she can wear it again!

Her dress was custom made by “Gentleman Jim,” the first African-American tailor ever hired by Macy’s. He now owns a small tailor shop in Atlanta. To read more about his story click here.

Second, Paul and Harlan were married under the family huppah.

The huppah was made by her cousin Bill Gordon and after each family wedding, the names of the new bride and groom are added to one of the poles.

The huppah cover was sewn by the groom's mother, in Paula and Harlan's favorite colors (purple and orange, respectively)...

and the effect was breathtaking.

Paula and Harlan now use the huppah cover as a quilt on their guest room bed, which is perfect because in judaism the huppah symbolizes the married couple's new home. What an amazing way to celebrate heritage and family unity!

If you are not lucky enough to have a seamstress in your family, and want to buy a handmade huppah cover you can use in your home click here to see a selection of huppah covers made by Israeli artists. Photographs care of Rebecca D'Angelo.

A Weekend of Fun in North Carolina

2008-07-10T22:25:00.014-04:00

Paula and Harlan Luxenburg were married at the Highland Lake Inn in North Carolina on June 1, 2008. The Highland Lake Inn is a member of the Green Hotel Association and features a wide variety of eco-friendly practices and services, including using locally grown organic food in their restaurant (they catered the couple's reception) and biodegradable cleaners in their rooms. As Paula and Harlan wrote in their welcome brochure, "We were looking for a place close to our home in Chapel Hill where all our friends and family could have fun and relax together for the whole weekend. When we discovered that Highland Lake Inn not only met that criteria, but also practices sustainability in numerous ways and has delicious food, we knew we’d found our place."

In addition to choosing a green location, Paula and Harlan incorporated a number of sustainable practices into their event.

1. Paper Products + Tasty Treats First, Paula and Harlan sent out electronic save-the-dates, which were followed by 100% recycled chlorine-free handmade invitations. When guests arrived they were greeted with reusable tote bags with Clif bars (Paula's favorite green business) purchased in bulk on Amazon, mini fair trade chocolates from Divine Chocolate, a farmer-owned company, and a schedule of events printed on 100% PCW paper. At the ceremony, they passed out 100% PCW paper programs with tree-free/fair trade covers (courtesy of Zebra Crossings).

2. Local, Seasonal + Organic Flowers Paula and Harlan got their flowers from Fisher Branch Farm, a family-owned organic farm located near the Highland Lake Inn.

Harlan's twin sister Rebecca was in charge of the arranging. She put together this gorgeous bouquet of Ferns, Baby's Breath, California Poppies, and Stokesia flowers for Paula to carry. The flowers at the reception were "displayed in old mason jars, which we had fun collecting at antique stores."

3. Green Entertainment As a destination wedding, Paula and Harlan's guests were invited to spend the weekend relaxing and enjoying the natural beauty in and around the Highland Lake Inn - which included swimming and paddle boating on the lake.

The evening before their wedding they had a talent show where friends and family members showed off their skills. There was singing, drumming, and even a burping rendition of the alphabet. In this picture, the bride and her former band-mate are singing one of his original compositions.

As if everything below were not enough, Paula and Harlan also included the following eco-chic elements:

- Paula’s wedding ring is made from recycled platinum (insert link).

- They gave their guests "tote bags and sports bottles [as favors], reusable mementos that we hope will remind our guests of the weekend for years to come."

- They asked everyone in their wedding party to wear "attire of their own choosing, so they [were] guaranteed to wear their outfits again on many other occasions."

But that is not all! Check back tomorrow to see the two extremely unique and green things Paula and Harlan did for their wedding...

Marking the Days DIY Style

2008-07-07T10:17:00.008-04:00

Laura, a Corporate Credit Analyst for First Midwest Bank, and Andy, a Service Rep for John Deere, live in Rock Island, Illinois with their two pugs and chihuahua (Max, Putter, & Tiger, respectively). After several "near miss" encounters - eerie life overlaps they discovered later on - they met through Match.com in October 2006 and are currently planning their wedding for November 2008.

When she is not busy with work or school (both Laura and Andy are in Business school at the University of Iowa) Laura loves to craft. In fact - she recently launched her own custom designed wedding invitations and DIY kit site elle Z Designs. So it is not surprising that when it came time to solicit bridesmaids that she came up with a clever craft for the occasion. "I have two girls that live out of town/state so I wanted to be able to send them something fun. I realized this would be the perfect opportunity to make a CD Jewel Case Calendar, a project that I had been wanting to try for some time. I was pretty excited about this project, not only were they really cute, but they were useful! It [was] something each girl could use every day for an entire year; since we had almost a year until the wedding it was perfect. [Plus], I figured if I became really ambitious, I could give them a new calendar refill every Christmas!"

Laura designed each month to have wedding/love related photos, quote and poems and marked important dates (like her wedding) in the calenders. She posted the details of her DIY project on her wedding website - but I will put a few of her pictures here as well:

The coolest part about this design is that CD case folds out to become the calender stand - so nothing is wasted. What a great way to recycle all of those old CD cases! (Photo taken from Martha Stewart images)

Thank you ladies!

2008-07-01T10:54:00.006-04:00

After Karen and Brett Delarios' wedding, Karen wanted to thank her bridesmaids for all of their hard work and support. Luckily, her Matron of Honor, Diane Fawcett, had just the thing - eco-friendly cards from her company Shakespeare's Bride. Karen selected four different cards (see example below), each made from FSC certified, 100% Recycled, 100% Post Consumer Waste paper and printed with soy-based inks. What a nice eco-friendly way to say "thanks for helping out!" For more eco-friendly cards click here.

In Lieu of Favors

2008-06-30T12:21:00.006-04:00

When Karen Delarios and Brett Delarios got married in April at the Spanish Hills Country Club in Camarillo, CA, they decided to give money to three charities in their guests' honor in lieu of favors. They chose The Ocean Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Karen got the idea when she and Brett attended the wedding of a friend of theirs. "I had a friend who's mother died of lung cancer and rather than give favors at his wedding, he donated to non-smoking lung cancer research in honor of his mother, and it really touched me. For years I've been donating to various animal charities - mostly at the holidays - and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to send a little more money their way, while at the same time perhaps inspiring our guests to think along the same lines, and to hopefully make them aware of these worthy causes. My husband is a "fish" at heart :) and loves the sea, which is why we chose the Ocean Conservancy. I personally have a passion for animals and preserving the environment and the habitats of so many animals in decline, but also have a passion for helping domestic animals that are so in need of our help - hence the Nature Conservancy and the ASPCA."

To let their guests know about their decision, they put a small note on each table.

Flower Power

2008-06-28T10:32:00.014-04:00

Anikka and Mel were married on May 4th at the Prado, a historic building in San Diego. "Since we had guests traveling as far as Europe and the Philippines, we wanted it to be very San Diego (historically), totally us and of course a great party. We chose the Prado because of its great award winning food, service and it was in the beautiful Balboa Park." By choosing a historic location with a grand ball room, they were able to use lighting to create ambiance and did not need a lot of extra decorations.

Anikka's background is in fashion so it was important to her that everything be "high design." To that end she had a good friend of hers, Charmae Salazar, who runs BellzandWhistlez, create a one-of-kind invitations for her with hand drawn flowers.

Anikka and Mel used the flower motif throughout their wedding and forwent a cake topper in favor of this unique deisgn.

For flowers, they worked with Organic Elements to design 22 "minimal water usage" centerpieces that incorporated veriflora certified flowers.

Finally, for favors, Anikka and Mel created a candy station and gave each guest a reusable jar to fill and take home. Photographs from Bellzandwhistlez and Trailbook photography .

One Bride's Brilliance

2008-06-26T16:40:00.009-04:00

Fred and Kristin Bowen were married April 24, 1999 on Amelia Island, FL. While planning her wedding, Kristin became enamored with reception table décor and decided to create unique seating cards for the occasion. She hired a local craftswoman who specialized in custom kitchen tile to help produce these elegant reusable place cards.

"The place cards served both the need to lead guests to their seats, but also to uniquely accessorize the reception tables and serve as party favors as the end of the evening." In fact, her guests were so impressed with her design that they started ordering sets for themselves, and soon her idea blossomed into PlaceTile Designs - a company that now offers a wide variety of reusable ceramic items, from wine stoppers to menu cards.

She still makes place cards too!

To see more of Kristin's place card designs click here and type "erasable" in the search box. For her menu card click here and type "erasable" in the search box.

Are you planing a unique project for your wedding? The first person to e-mail me with details and pictures gets a free gift!

Honor Thy Ancestors

2008-06-24T09:30:00.005-04:00

Another thing Rachel Solov and Eric Ward did that I really like was to create a display table with pictures of the couples in their families. As you can see in the picture above the display looks great with a hodgepodge of different frames, so you can collect frames from your house, borrow frames from friends and family members or buy pre-owned or antique frames from a local consignment shop to create a sustainable and sentimental presentation.

Celtic Design

2008-06-23T09:21:00.011-04:00

Krista and Sam have chosen their wedding rings and each ring embodies a different way of being green.

Sam's ring supports local artisans and non-profits. Sam is Scottish and wanted a traditional two-tone Celtic open knot wedding ring. So Krista and Sam went to the Fairfield County Irish Festival in CT, where they found a ring crafted by Celtic Revival - a small family owned business that donates a percentage of the profits to Habitat for Humanity and Heifer International.

Krista's engagement ring is reset family heirloom Sam designed Krista's engagement ring using a diamond that belonged to his grandmother. As a sweet side note, the diamond actually came from a pair of diamond stud earrings that Sam's sister had inherited. To thank his sister for letting him use the stone, he had the second earring turned into a pendant for her.

Krista's wedding band is vintage Sam and Krista bought her vintage wedding band on a trip to California from Old & New Estates in San Francisco. They chose an art deco design with nine channel set diamonds and hand carving. As Krista wrote "ultimately my goal is to reduce, reuse and recycle - in that order. I definitely wanted a wedding band so reduce wasn't an option here but by purchasing a vintage band I could reuse instead of buying a new piece" And to keep these treasures safe on their big day? Instead of using a ring pillow, Krista and Sam decided to use this reusable celtic design hand-carved wood box.

A New Antique

2008-06-21T10:26:00.006-04:00

After the film Blood Diamond made her cry (an understandable response to a well acted movie that portrays a disturbing truth about the diamond industry), Rachel Solov and Eric Ward decided to buy an antique stone and have it reset. Using an antique diamond is the most environmentally conscious choice, and as Rachel wrote, "With all of the conflict the diamond trade has caused in Africa, it was important to me to find a stone that could be 'recycled'." So Rachel and Eric went to an "amazing estate jewelry store" in LA -the Hardwear Store - and designed this exquisite ring with the help of the store's owner Arnold (arnold@hardwearjewelry.com).

So if you live in LA and are looking for ring now you know where to go. If you don't live in sunny So. Cal., check out the yellow pages in your town or try an online dealer like the Antique Jewelry Mall.

Lovely Calla Lilies

2008-06-20T07:56:00.015-04:00

Rachel Solov and Eric Ward were married on May 25 at Rancho Bernardo Inn in Rancho Bernardo, California. They hired Sharon at Organic Elements to create the ultimate modern white wedding. She used local and veriflora certified flowers to create gorgeous displays. Here are some of the highlights:

- Rachel's Bouquet (pictured above) incorporated mini calla lilies, white cymbidium orchids, grown hyacinth, ivory hydrangea and lily of the valley wrapped in a simple ivory satin ribbon.

- The chuppah (bridal canopy) featured four sleek calla lily lined posts. - The trees were lined with lights, lanterns and pomanders. - For the centerpieces, they used tall glass vases filled with green apples and cut limes to hold sprays of ivory calla lilies. - Finally, Rachel and Eric used calla lilies to top their 4 tier red velvet cake (with cream cheese and chopped pecan frosting and fresh strawberries) - made by Dan Stringfield at Twiggs. As a side note - the pattern on the cake matched the pattern on Rachel's dress - a fun touch. To be even more sustainable, Rachel and Eric asked Sharon to reuse their flowers. For their rehearsal dinner, they had white daisies in clear plastic pots with white polka dots. The pots had been used for centerpieces at a previous fundraiser Rachel's mother worked on. Sharon was able to incorporate the flowers into the wedding decor the next day to maximize their use. Similarly, the buffet pieces were transfered during strike for reuse at the buffet the next morning and the apples were donated to local families. And speaking of donations, Rachel and Eric made donations to CASA LA, which is Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, in lieu of favors. They also registered through the Wedding Channel and elected to have a portion of the proceeds from their gift registry donated to a family violence prevention organization.

Photographs care of Mindy Sonshine

To Change or Not to Change (Your Name) - That is the Question

2008-06-18T22:47:00.004-04:00

I do not think the question about whether you should change your name is necessarily a environmental one - but if you are considering it I recently discovered a green solution and feel compelled to share. Click here to be connected to my post on the subject in the reading room.

Puppy Love

2008-06-18T21:28:00.008-04:00

According to an American Kennel Club survey, 18% of all dog owners (and 27% of dog owners under 30) report that they either have or would include their dog in their wedding ceremony. Sadly, our dog Reuben was home with sore paw the weekend of our wedding but Lisa and Andy were able to have their dogs Oskar (a rottweiler/German shepard mix) and Finnegan (a greyhound/doberman mix) on site for their big day. I absolutely love the picture they sent in (above).

If you are thinking about including your pup(s) in your wedding be sure to do your homework and to weigh the pros and cons. How does your dog do with crowds and loud noises? What will you do if he or she suddenly (and uncharacteristically) freaks out? Or jumps on your dress? Make sure you have someone designated as the dog sitter and a solid plan to keep fido (and your guests) happy, safe and comfortable.

If you don't want to deal with the hassle of having your dogs in the ceremony, but want to include them in the festivities, you can always take some "family photos" afterwards or take your dog on your honeymoon.

Comment: If you are a pet lover and want to buy natural products for your pet, I recommend the only natural pet store. ~R

Kate's Reply: Thanks for the tip! I have also include links to many different eco-friendly pet products in the look book.

The Adventures of Miss and Mr. Olive

2008-06-16T22:31:00.007-04:00

Krista, who works for CancerCare - a non-profit that provides support and education for people living with cancer, and her fiancé Sam are planning a green wedding in Northern California (one of my favorite places on earth) next October. Like Lisa and Andy, featured last week, Krista and Sam also chose 100% PCW paper invitations from the Invitesite.com.

You can see step by step photos of her invitation assembly on her blog "A Green Wedding Adventure: Eco-Friendly in Disguise," where she writes using the whimsical moniker "Miss Olive" - inspired by the groves of olive trees where she is getting married and the "very Greek neighborhood" she lives in in New York. On her site, Krista explains why she chose the "Angelica"design above:

"What makes these invites eco-friendly? 1. All paper (invite, envelopes, RSVP, info card, thank you cards) made entirely from tree free paper and 100% post consumer recycled paper. 2. Purchased from small, California based store. 3. RSVP postcard [pictured below] saves paper (and money) from the standard RSVP set of an envelope/reply card. 4. One double-sided insert with basic information and our wedding website. We did not include extras such as a map, reception card, etc. since all of that information is on our website." She even offers the financial run down for complete disclosure (grand total $271.75 including thank you notes/envelopes and additional cardstock - not bad at all!). I look forward to watching Miss Olive's (or should I say the soon-to-be Mrs. Olive's) wedding planning adventures unfold. Bookmark her website and check back for updates on her inspiring eco-friendly affair.

Sugar Plum Fairy Cake

2008-06-14T15:01:00.009-04:00

Instead of using a cake topper, Lisa and Andy asked pastry chef Leslie Heinsohn-Balassone of Calico in Rhinebeck, NY to use fruit to decorate their cake. She created this scrumptious looking masterpiece (chocolate with chocolate ganache frosting and white chocolate cream filling) with a chestnut leaf motif. To decorate it, Leslie used seasonal fruit from the region, coated in a sugar glaze. Lisa reported the result was as "devine"as it looked.

American Chestnut Favors

2008-06-12T10:22:00.008-04:00

In addition to their mutual love of water, chestnut trees have special significance for Lisa and Andy.

For Lisa, the chestnuts reminder her of her grandmother: "My grandmother died in 2005. We were really close, and it was a difficult time for me. While I was home for the funeral - and going through her things - my father discovered that she had kept a chestnut in each of her coat pockets, pocketbooks, and dresser drawers. He gave one to me for safekeeping. Upon my return to New York, I returned to work and as I opened the door, two chestnuts lay before my feet. I knew then that my grandmother would always be watching over me. I carry them with me to this day in my handbag."

Andy also has a family connection to Chestnut trees: "American Chestnut trees, as you probably know, were once ubiquitous in the American landscape. They were one of the dominant species in the eastern forests from Maine to the deep south. Sometime just after 1900 the blight came to the U.S. from Asia, where Asian chestnuts had long developed resistance to the disease, and it soon wiped out virtually all the American Chestnuts east of the Mississippi. By 1940 the species was all but extinct. In my twenties, when I was building houses in the Woodstock area and tramping around the Catskill mountain, I often saw the saplings growing out of hundred-year-old stumps. They never survived beyond a few years before succumbing to the blight. So when I found not one but two mature, large American Chestnuts right under my nose on the property [I had recently inherited from my great uncle], I believed that I had been given an extraordinary gift.

To celebrate this shared connection, Andy and Lisa decided to include chestnut trees in their wedding in several ways. First, they included chestnut imagery on the invitations. They were hoping to have their wedding under the grand chestnut pictured above, but had to move the ceremony site due to rain. However, Andy's daughter Paloma still read Pablo Neruda's poem, "Ode to a Chestnut on the Ground" during the ceremony, and Andy told their friends and family about what the Chestut symbolized to them:

"The chestnut is a survivor, representing the attributes of persistence, consistency, and determination against adversity. I told our friends that the old tree shared a sense of the quixotic with those of us who fight for a better world, whether it be the environment, hunger, abuse, human rights. It showed that if you send your roots deep and allow yourself to be nourished by your sense of place, you can stand long after the others have fallen. Ancient societies such as the American Indians and the Druids are some of our ancestral cultures that revered natural objects such as extraordinary trees and rocks, believing that important spirits inhabit them. Pre-Christian societies (now called pagan, a convenient pejorative) all over Europe were animists, and as we struggle to maintain and grow an environmental ethic in the 21st century U.S., it is important to remember that thousands of years ago people all over the world were comfortable with their place in nature."

Lisa and Andy also gave their guests chestnut sapling as favors. "Our guests' favors were chestnut seedlings from the Empire Chestnut Company. Each tree included a brochure from the American Chestnut Foundation. Lisa said, "we thought it would be nice to help foster future generations of chestnut trees and to decrease global warming impacts through active tree planting." Andy added, "By handing out chestnut seedlings to our guests, we were sharing our love of the tree and its symbolic values. They are now in the ground from New York City to Wisconsin." For more companies offering tree and seed favors click here. For basic planting instructions you can print out at home click here.

Cell Phone Recycling

2008-06-10T20:19:00.002-04:00

With the announcement of the release of the new iPhone yesterday I figured now was a good time to share a site that helps you find cell phone recycling centers in your area. click here

Recycled Paper and Used Books

2008-06-10T16:09:00.013-04:00

Lisa and Andy used these beautiful scarlet wedding invitations for their wedding from Invitesite.com - made from sugarcane and mulberry fibers. When they had paper leftover, they used the remnants to construct seating cards, which they hung from branches.

The cards directed their guests to their tables, which were named after literary genres:

"Andy and I are avid readers and writers. We share a love of literature and, both writing novels at the time, began our relationship long-distance by sending each other copies of chapters for review and critique. We not only wanted to incorporate elements of who we are as individuals and as a couple into the wedding but also wanted to give our guests favors that would not be discarded the next day."

So they went to The Strand, "a mammoth used bookstore in Manhattan on a cold and rainy spring day with a list of over 100 of our favorite books in hand, hoping to find them all!" They found 70 (not bad!) and ordered the rest online from Powells, a famous used book store in Portland.

The books were divided into themes, which became the names of the tables:

Erin go Bragh (I'm Irish), The Tuscan Sun (Andy's Italian), The Seafarers (our love of water -- and Andy was a former boat builder), The Dramatics (our favorite plays), The Philosopher's Stone (our favorite philosophers), The Nature Within (books about nature, environmentalism, ecology), The Rebels ... (our favorite male writers), ... With a Cause (our favorite female writers), The Drawing Room (our favorite classics), and The Mysterious (our favorite crime/murder mysteries).

The books doubled as favors, as each guest got to choose one book from a selection at their table. Lisa and Andy went out of their way to "arrange [the] table seating according to the interests of [their] guests" - so their guests were treated to good conversation as well.

"People loved the personal touch - and it jumpstarted conversations with guests who otherwise didn't know each other. It is such a fantastic feeling to know that 100 of our favorites are now in the hands of our closest friends and families!"

e-Announcing

2008-06-09T09:15:00.004-04:00

When Jason and H Alex got engaged, they sent around an e-mail announcement to friends and family. By making the card with Photoshop and e-mailing it, they were able to tell all of their friends and family at once (while saving paper and postage).

Spring Style

2008-06-07T23:23:00.013-04:00

When Lisa Rainwater got married last month, she wore a gorgeous douppioni silk dress from the Bridal Garden, a New York store that sells once worn couture gowns and veils to raise money for education. Andy wore a wool suit he bought from Brooks Brothers, "specifically due to the sustainable farming practices used to acquire the sheep's wool."

For the flowers, Lisa and Andy chose beautiful local blooms:

"As you know [flowers] can be an enormous expense - both environmentally and for the budget. We chose flowers that were of the season and purchased from local florists/gardens." Lisa had sweet pea and lamb's ear in her bouquet, and her matron of honor carried lilacs. Their centerpieces were particularly beautiful. "Instead of table centerpieces filled with 'disposable' flowers, we used moss from our Woodstock property, that is able to be 'replanted' and regrown in its original location." Coupled with seasonal peonies the effect was show stopping.

If you like the wooden 'boats' they used from Ikea, you will be glad to know they are planning to resell them. Keep your eyes out at www.recycleyourwedding.com. As for the large urns filled with perennials, they are going "back to in our rock garden, [where they] will be with us for many years to come."

The photographs of Andy and Lisa's wedding were taken by photographer Lori Toole)

UK Utopia

2008-06-06T09:13:00.005-04:00

Suzanne Frost, a health librarian, and her fiance Glyn, a freelance graphic designer, are getting married on August 22 in Cornwall, England. (Pictured above with their Springer Spaniel Captain).

Suzanne and Glyn are planning a number of green elements for their wedding. Suzanne writes: "We try to live as ethically as we can, and we've been really interested in trying to make our wedding as green as feasiblily possible (and it's surprisingly hard to do!) We are holding the wedding ceremony, reception and evening disco all in the Seiner's Arm, so we can cut our emissions by not travelling. Most of our guests are staying in the hotel itself, and the rest are camping just a five minute walk away. We've organised car sharing for guests for the initial journey down to Cornwall and back. Our wedding flowers are daisies, and we are giving daisy seeds to out guests as favours. As a honeymoon, we are staying in the UK and will be camping and surfing around the coast of Devon, Cornwall and South Wales."

In addition to the above, Suzanne and Glyn registered with the UK company Our Green Wedding List. "I found this company by accident, but they are fab! You can easily register and once you've registered, you can browse their gift selection and add the gifts you fancy onto your wedding list." The company offers a collection of recycled, craft/artisan, organic, energy efficient, fair trade and Made in the UK gifts and waits until one month after the sate of the wedding to deliver them (to save shipping cost and packing material).

What a great tip for all of the eco-friendly couples living in the UK. For American couples - you can register for art and experiences or charitable donations and traditional gifts that give a percent to charity. You can also register with individual companies that carry a wide array of eco-friendly products.

Riverkeeper Romance

2008-06-01T22:51:00.009-04:00

Lisa Rainwater and Andy Mele were married May 10th in Woodstock, NY. On Sunday, May 25th, their wedding was featured in the New York Times Sunday Styles section. Lisa Rainwater is the policy director for Riverkeeper and Andy Mele was the executive director of Clearwater.

As you can imagine, these two environmentalists did a lot of "green" things for their wedding, which I will be writing about in the coming weeks, but let's start at the beginning - with the ring.

Because she knew about the incredible pollution associated with gold mining, Lisa told Andy she wanted a ring made out of recycled gold. He was having a hard time finding the perfect ring and then (and I am taking this directly from the Times article, because it is such a great story):

"During one trip to Florida, [Andy] had to help his mother remove a ring from her swollen finger. He took her to a jeweler, who had a tool for the job, and while he stood at the counter, he said, 'there in the case, right beneath my mother’s hand,' was an engagement ring that matched the ring he had been fruitlessly hunting for for months. It had 'subtle interlapping wave forms, unmistakedly a water motif,' he said. And it was made of recycled gold. He bought it and gave it to her that night." What a wonderful story for their aquarian romance!

To find links to eco-friendly jewelers click here.

Washington State Style

2008-05-30T10:54:00.004-04:00

Kassie and Andy kept the flowers for their wedding simple and local. "We also got our flowers from a dahlia farm - I think I got about 50 dozen for $200. We used them to decorate the tables and the bridesmaids' bouquets and the cake - everything. The room where we had dinner was huge, and dahlias are so brilliant and multicolored that they really made it look great!" (The flowers also looked beautiful with the navy blue dresses!) Their caterer used local flowers in the salad, and served other local foods as well. With a wedding in Kitsap Memorial State Park in Washington state, that meant seafood - including local oyster appetizers and salmon for dinner.

Something Blue

2008-05-30T10:42:00.008-04:00

Instead of asking them to buy new dresses, Kassie and Andy asked all of the bridesmaids to wear a navy blue dress of their choice. Kassie chose navy not because it was her favorite color, but because she knew it would allow her maids to recycle previously worn gowns:

"It's not that I care so much about navy blue, but two years prior, our friend Anna had been married and two of my sisters and I had been her bridesmaids and she chose navy blue. Then my third sister Molly, who got married last year, just used the same color so we could wear the same dresses, so I did the same thing again." Because Molly didn't have a blue dress to wear, "she bought a white one for $15 and dyed it!"

Choosing one color is a great way to create a unified look while saving your bridesmaids money and decreasing the impact of your wedding on the environment. You can also offer a color pallet for a more diversified look.

Back to Nature

2008-05-29T09:58:00.004-04:00

Okay - so it took us more than 7 months to do it, but Barry and I finally returned the rocks from our centerpieces back from whence they came! If you do use natural elements in your wedding, whether shells from a beach or pine cones from the woods be sure to put them back so nature can continue on its course - relatively undisturbed.

Remember it is never too late to recycle anything from your wedding!

A Traditional Belgian Veil

2008-05-24T20:14:00.004-04:00

Kathleen (Kassie) Goforth, pictured below with husband Andy Perry, wore an original wedding veil from Kristen Elizabeth. Kassie said "the veil was absolutely my FAVORITE thing about my wedding (other than my husband, of course!). It was just gorgeous and made me feel like a princess." She chose the intricate cotton Belgian lace veil because she wanted to continue "an artisan tradition that has been so important for centuries. Since I have Belgian heritage, it was so meaningful to me to have a Belgian lace veil. The idea that so many women throughout history have worn veils like it made it even more special." By choosing this piece, Kassie not only honored her ancestry, but she also acquired "an heirloom to be passed down to my own sisters, daughters, nieces, etc." In fact, she was so taken with it she decided to take a lace making class this summer, when she and her husband will travel to Belgium for a family reunion. What a lovely way to honor her family line.

2 Opportunities

2008-05-24T17:12:00.008-04:00

This Blog is dedicated to stories and pictures from real green weddings - so I rarely add in entries that are not directly connected to a couple who has contacted me. However, every once in a while an opportunity or contest comes along that I want to share. Now I offer one of each:

The Opportunity: If you are looking for a recycled dress for either your wedding or the night before, Gems & Jewels is donating 25% of their sales from the Spring 2008 Regal Collection to support Sister Study. The owner's sister has breast cancer and the sister study "is the only long-term study of women aged 35-74 whose sister had breast cancer." Definitely a worthy cause!

The Contest: The workers for Men's Wearhouse (tuxedo rental shop) factory in Canada are trying to keep their jobs. To help get the word out they are having a contest with a $500 prize. To enter you have to "Create a video, song, drawing, essay, or photograph which describes how your wedding will be eco-friendly and fair trade and send it to the Our Jobs Matter Bridal Contest!" The contest runs until July 1 - so start preparing your entries now!

Virginia Visions

2008-05-23T19:21:00.004-04:00

Molly Muir Brooke and George Dana Becker, who are getting married this August in Virginia, are already cooking up plans for a green meal. "We are working with a caterer to design a meal that highlights local, fresh, in-season, and mainly vegetarian and organic foods. Fortunately, this is easy to do in August in Virginia when all the gardens are in full production!" Their guests can "expect to see fruits and vegetables from local sources like Dave Matthew’s cooperative, Best of What's Around Farm, and local tofu from the local Twin Oaks Community." They also let their guests know about their green choices on their website so guests will "appreciate getting a real, local experience and food [they] really want to eat!" We can't wait to see the menu and the pictures!

Recycle Your Wedding

2008-05-19T14:13:00.013-04:00

After our wedding, when I had donated my dress, returned my mother's hall rug, and put away the family and heirloom items we used - I was surprised to find we still had a lot of miscellaneous wedding STUFF sitting around in our basement. We listed some of it on Craig's list and sold a few things off on eBay, but then I was introduced to the new Recycle Your Wedding site.

As CEO Rob Bailey notes, "Every bride wants a fairytale wedding, but not every bride can afford to spend $30,000 on their wedding. That's why it's so important to provide economical alternatives to expensive bridal and retail stores.The bridal community is a tight one, and new brides understand the struggles that future brides face. And when they can share their ideas, suggestions, and even products, it gives everyone a chance to enjoy the possibility of a fantasy wedding come true."

It also saves closet and landfills space, and helps offset the cost of your wedding. Also, unlike eBay, listing is free - which I highly approve of!

I like the idea of a wedding-centered marketplace - where couples can buy, sell, and trade wedding items (and bid on services). My husband and I listed glassware, candle holders and even the pump mechanisms we used in our table fountain centerpieces. Here's to another great way to keep things out of the waste stream! Recycle you wedding!

Wedding Website Wonders

2008-05-15T15:32:00.006-04:00

Suzanne Parmet & Michael Whelan, who are getting married next month in D.C., have used their wedding website (created with Wedding Windows) to help spread their green message. In addition to providing guests with the usual information - how to get there, where to stay, etc. - they have also added a detailed list of the green choices they made for the wedding along with things their guests can do, both at the wedding and in their daily lives, to be more sustainable. To see the text from their website click here.

Adding a "green choices" page to your website is a great way to let guests know about your eco-friendly efforts and get them excited about attending a sustainable event.

Beadazzled

2008-05-15T02:09:00.009-04:00

Another cool thing Jessica Fichtner did for her wedding was incorporate her love of beading: Her bouquet included vintage button accents... She made all of the jewelry for her bridal party using natural pearls... ...and she made each guest a reusable napkin ring. A Herculean endeavor to be sure - but what beautiful results!

To find vintage glass beads for your own wedding project click here.

Spring Fling

2008-05-15T00:58:00.011-04:00

Jessica and Edward Fichtner got married a few weekends ago in San Diego. They had the wedding in Balboa Park, and the reception at the Prado, a historic mansion. To celebrate spring, they chose an orange, pink and green pallet and hired Sharon at Organic Elements to create vibrant displays using green hydrangea, bright pink hyacinth, orange tulips, orange ranunculus, pink freesia and green hanging amaranthus - all of which were in season and available locally. Sharon used the same flowers to top their lemon cake with buttercream frosting and instead of having favors Jessica and Edward set up a candy buffet to match. It was a huge success: "People loved it. They ate every piece so nothing went to waste!" To create the candy buffet, they bought bulk sweets and placed them in apothecary jars which they plan to resell (considering the fact that several friends have already expressed interest in reusing for their weddings it should not be hard!). What a fun and tasty way to celebrate the season. Photographs courtesy of Meurer Image Photography.

Cooking-Moons (Culinary Travel)

2008-05-02T12:03:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite parts of traveling abroad is enjoying the local cuisine, so when my husband and I decided to take our honeymoon in Morocco, I was very excited (I heart tajine!). In addition to exploring the shuks and smelling and tasting spices, vegetables and meats, we decided to take a one day cooking class at La Maison Arabe. It was awesome! In addition to being fun and interesting, it was one of the best meals we had while we were abroad. I highly recommend taking a cooking classes on your honeymoon if you are gastronomically inclined. In addition to one day workshops you can now find week long cooking holidays or skip the cooking entirely and just take a tasting tour. Click here to see more options.

Gala at the National Museum of Women in the Arts

2008-04-29T23:18:00.009-04:00

When Abby Levine and her husband Matt Golden got married in Washington D.C. last year their "wedding was green in a few, simple ways." Instead of ordering a full wedding wardrobe for their invitations, they chose to forgo the extra paper. "We decided to save paper and not order the inner envelopes with the invitations, even though they came with it for free. We just didn't want to waste the extra paper for something that didn't seem necessary." They also chose locations for the guests to stay, the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding that were "all transit accessible" and they "encouraged guests to take the train or walk." (Taking public transportation is a green transportation option that can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding). One of the coolest parts of their wedding was the location. Abby and Matt held the event at National Museum of Women in the Arts. In addition to supporting a worthy cause, having their wedding in the museum provided decoration and entertainment for their guests. Because of the grandeur of the setting "we were able to limit the number of flowers we bought...[the] beautiful museum required very little decorations of any kind." What a gorgeous event - and fabulous entrance!

Family Ties

2008-04-23T23:28:00.002-04:00

Planning a wedding can be surprising isolating and it is easy to feel like you have to plan for and provide everything yourselves. No so! In fact, incorporating family items into your wardrobe and ceremony decor can provide an additional layer of meaning to your event while saving you time and money. For example, my husband and I used two kiddush cups - the same one my parents used for their wedding in 1974 and one his father used at his bar mitzvah. We covered the alter in a tablecloth Barry's grandmother hand stitched when she was a child and used the hall rug from my parents house as a runner. I wore Barry's grandmothers pearls and we used a break the glass pillow made by his great aunt. It was wonderful to be surround by familiar objects and reminded of all of the connections on both sides of the family that we were bringing together.

Helping Hands - The Benefits of Having Friends Pitch In

2008-04-19T15:30:00.018-04:00

When Justin and his wife Autumn got married last year at Camp Becket, they asked all of their guests to pitch in and help out: "Like many people, we made sure our wedding was definitely a group effort. I think we had 50 different volunteer job descriptions and we asked everyone to take a job--but we did it so everyone took only one job, and no one (almost) had to work all weekend. We left it up to our family and friends to just work together to make stuff happen in the end - we left decisions up to them, etc. We were so lucky--they were incredible!"

Autumn's mother and sister made a broom out of biodegradable straw and ribbons that Justin and Autumn jumped over to complete the ceremony (an African-American wedding tradition dating back to slavery). On the day of the wedding friends and family members constructed the chuppah out of wood and vines from the camp forest... and placed seasonal flowers in reusable fish bowls.

For the music, Justin's brother Marc put together a choir of friends and family, "We just asked for volunteers at brunch before the wedding, and he worked with them for an hour. 50 or so of our friends and relatives actually sang during the ceremony--a beautiful gospel song called 'let your light shine' and it was really incredible. (helps if you have friends and relatives who can sing)." Autumn's family, talented New Orleans jazz and folk musicians David and Roselyn and Arlee Leonard also sang at the wedding.

Instead of getting a cake, Justin and Autumn asked each guest to bring a pie for a potluck pie-off. "It was INSANELY good. way better than a cake would have been -- and something for everyone."

The benefits of having everyone help? "Not only did it free us up to focus on the moment, but everyone afterwards talked about how meaningful it was to have been part of making it happen. I think everyone felt like they owned a piece of this beautiful event. There were no spectators, only participants."

Clever Containers - The Blumebox Wedding

2008-04-18T18:48:00.009-04:00

When Wade Flanagan and his wife Whitney, the owners of Blumebox, got married in Palm Desert, California last year they used their clever recycled and reusable Blumebox containers throughout the event: "We transported and stored the bridal bouquets in our taller blumeboxes - each one personalized for the bride and bridesmaids." This allowed the flowers to "double as table arrangements at the reception" and guests were encouraged to take them home, which meant the "florist didn't have to come back to the reception venue the next day to collect the vases." At the end of the evening "their were a few centerpieces left over and the staff were basically drawing straws for them, since they could be taken away and the vases didn't have to be returned." [Blumeboxes can be recycled]

Wade and Whitney used blumebuds as place card holders, which doubled as favors that guests were able to take home. What an elegant, clever and sustainable design!

A Wonderful Walk

2008-04-13T18:41:00.008-04:00

When Claudine Pepin and her husband Rollie Wesen were married in New Haven a few years ago, they had the ceremony in a chapel near the Yale campus and the reception at the Union League Cafe down the street so the wedding party was able to walk between the two events. C.M. Glover, a photographer for the New York Times who also took the picture of us for the article "How Green Was My Wedding" shot their wedding. In addition to being eco-friendly, walking to or from your wedding is great for pictures! Claudine and Rollie look timelessly elegant.

P.S. Claudine now runs a cooking school in Denver Colorado called A Cooks Kitchen that looks fantastic.

The Maine Event

2008-04-08T22:38:00.023-04:00

When Keith Bisson and Beth Owen Bisson got married in Maine they tried to support the local community. Their wedding was held in the orchard of Maine Audubon's Gilsland Farm. On the alter they placed three oil lamps made by a local potter: one for Keith's parents, one for Beth's parents, and one for Keith and Beth's new home. For the cake, Keith's friends (who own Wild Oats Bakery in Brunswick) made a white cake with lemon curd and raspberry filling adorned with fresh flowers. Beth's mom and sister grew some of the flowers used in the ceremony, and Keith and Beth supplemented what the needed with organic flowers from Whole Foods. Beth and her family designed and assembled all of the floral arrangements including the women's bouquets and the men's boutonnières.

As with our wedding, Keith and Beth allowed their bridesmaids to wear any dress they liked and the men wore suits they already owned. Beth tied the dresses together by giving her maids scarves in complimentary hues. The soft spring colors looked wonderful!

Handmade Wreaths and Homegrown Flowers

2008-04-07T10:55:00.012-04:00

Heather Pancake Fincher + her husband Matthew used recycled elements and flowers from her mother's garden throughout the ceremony. Her mother made wreaths by hand to hang on the church and arranged wildflowers and garden flowers to decorate the church and walkway. "An event planner friend of my mother's let us re-use decorations she already had (tulle, bows, etc.). She also makes elegant and gorgeous banners by hand, and she made one with the same wildflower theme as our invitations.

My husband made holders for vases out of logs he had at home, and they each held three vases which were filled with wildflowers cut from behind my parents house and arranged by my mother and mother-in-law. Wildflowers and flowers from my mom's garden were placed in buckets borrowed from a friend along the posts up to the church. I also wore white roses from my mother's garden in my hair, and our bouquets were wildflowers and from the garden. For our reception, our guests threw flower petals from flowers in my mother's garden in addition to blowing bubbles."

Her family's hard work did not go to waste - as we can see, the results were lovely!

A Family Affair

2008-04-06T22:17:00.011-04:00

When Heather Pancake Fincher married her husband Matthew, they incorporated many natural and local elements into their day: Heather wore a beautiful silk gown designed and sewn by hand by a local dressmaker. They also used local food: At the rehearsal dinner (or the "pre-ception" party - as she calls it) "the meat was locally catered, and the rest of the sides and desserts were handmade delicacies by my family and neighbors." During the week of the wedding, Heather's family cooked many of the meals, and served party leftovers after the wedding. "Many organic foods were served, in addition to veggies from the garden in my parents' back yard. My aunt made our wedding cake from scratch and decorated it with flowers." Heather tried to keep all of the events close together: "Our ceremony and reception were within walking distance, so no one had to drive between locations. The wedding party stayed at the Green River Bridge House bed and breakfast and in a neighbor's home that served as a bed and breakfast next door, so guests were able to car pool and often walk to meet one another for the few days people were there. The Green River Bridge House is next to a river, waterfall and covered bridge, just down a slight hill from the little white church with a steeple [where we had our wedding]. It was Perfect!" Heather has taken her passion for green weddings to the next level. In 2007 she founded her own eco-chic invitation company Our Happy Wedding Day and I have added one of her designs to the interactive look book invitation page.

Help Plant 1 Billion Trees

2008-04-05T14:46:00.006-04:00

Several couples have mentioned carbon offsetting as a way they reduced the environmental footprint of their wedding. The Nature Conservancy has just launched a new ambitious tree-planting campaign I thought you might be interested in. I was so excited that, to help offset the emissions generated from hosting this website, I donated 25 trees to the Nature Conservancy's program.

Skip the Bouquet Toss!

2008-04-04T21:45:00.005-04:00

Because most bouquets are quite heavy, a new (and upsetting) trend is for brides to use a disposable plastic bouquet for the "toss." Instead of partaking in this ritual my sister gave me the much nicer (more romanic, less humiliating, and more environmentally sound) idea to invite all of the married couples up onto the dance floor. Over the course of the dance we asked the couples who had been married less than five years, ten years, etc. to sit down. We finally got down to the two couples who had been married longest - Barry's grandparents Milton and Rae Goldberg (left) and my Great Aunt Maxine and Uncle Josh (right). It was very exciting. In the end, Barry's grandparents ended up taking home the prize (my bouquet). They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this year! I told my husband that now I won't settle for anything less.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

2008-04-01T11:42:00.003-04:00

The Friday night before our wedding, my husband and I welcomed our out-of-town guests with a dessert reception. In order to save money, and to ensure everything was as green (local and organic) as possible, we baked the desserts ourselves. (For tips on how to do this efficiently click here). Although neither of us is vegan, my husband baked a vegan chocolate cake which was the hit of the party. Here is the recipe, as well as a link to the book it came from, for those who are so inclined.

Register for Art + Experiences!

2008-03-28T11:46:00.008-04:00

One of the green things my husband and I did that we loved was to register for art and and experiences instead of just things. You can use a honeymoon registry company like Honeyluna or The Big Day honeymoon registry and add non-honeymoon items to list.

Using this service, guests gave us a night at the first green hotel in New York (Greenhouse 26), art classes, salsa lessons and a piece of work by Kevin Kutz, among other things. We also set up a registry with the I Do Foundation, so that when guests did buy us tangible gifts a portion went to support the causes of our choice.

Recycled Schedule of Events

2008-03-26T13:12:00.005-04:00

Our wedding took place over the course of several days and involved three different properties (a few miles apart). We wanted to let our guests know about all of the events we had planned and give them directions between the locations, but did not want to use a lot of paper. To solve the problem, my brother designed this folding brochure, which we were able to print out on two sides at home on recycled paper. To make our program, my brother used Apple’s “Pages,” which he describes as a hybrid of Microsoft office and Adobe Indesign - an intuitive program designed specifically for brochure and flyer layout. Instead of printing out one per person we only printed out a handful and left them next to a chalkboard which we updated with the day's events.

Local Honeymoon

2008-03-24T20:43:00.013-04:00

When you stay close to home you keep money in the community and decrease your carbon footprint. After our wedding, my husband and I took few days and drove up to Vermont with our dog Reuben to unwind. It was a wonderful "mini-moon." We stayed at a small bed & breakfast, hiked about, got massages, went wine tasting and tried our hand at falconry. After our wedding we were exhausted - so it was the perfect way to decompress. If you are interested in taking your dog on your honeymoon click here for tips on where to stay and how to travel safely. For more pictures of our border collie Reuben click here.

It is also possible to set up a honeymoon registry, so guests contribute to your adventures. Click here to read more about honeymoon registries.

Potted Orchids + Recycled Chargers

2008-03-22T00:33:00.007-04:00

H Alex and Jason set potted orchids amid recycled chargers for a simple but elegant decor. After the wedding, friends and relatives were invited to take the orchids home as mementos of the event. For other tree and seed favor ideas click here.

Recycled Paper Seating Cards

2008-03-22T00:14:00.005-04:00

When Jason and H Alex got married, they used recycled paper to make their seating cards. The colors corresponded to the guests' entree choices:

Purple = Eggplant Rollatini
Pink = Salmon
Pale Yellow = Alfredo Pasta
Bright Yellow = Kids Pasta

Adorable, delicious and good for the environment!

Donate Your Bridesmaid Dresses Now!

2008-03-19T19:08:00.005-04:00

After my wedding I donated my dress to Brides Against Breast Cancer. (For more places to donate your bridal gown click here). However, there are also a number of places do donate bridesmaid dresses. The two most common options are The Cinderella Project and the The Glass Slipper Project. However, a friend of mine just e-mailed about another wonderful opportunity: *HELP*NOT ENOUGH DRESSES*MAY HAVE TO CANCEL* 100 Dresses needed by Monday * Hello Everyone We all remember how important prom was. Unfortunately many of the girls on my friend Spring's reservation, the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, do not have resources for Prom. So the Teen Center on the reservation started "Passion for Fashion" where they collect dresses, then the girls get to "shop" for Prom. Unfortunately there have not been enough donations this year, and they may have to cancel. They need to know by the end of this week if they can collect 100 more dresses. So if you can help, please RSVP with specifics. Please forward to others (especially college and high school gals who may have some goodies from last year.) NEEDED: *formal dresses (new or gently used. all sizes, up to 24) *formal shoes *make up *accessories *shoes *evening bags DEADLINES: *MAILED BY: MONDAY MARCH 24 *PROM "SHOPPING": Week of March 31 MAILING ADDRESS: Cheyenne River Youth Project "Passion for Fashion" P.O. Box 410 E Lincoln Street Eagle Butte, SD 57625 Phone: 1-605-964-8200 Fax: 1-605-964-8201 Email: info@lakotayouth.org www.lakotayouth.org

If you are reading this post after the deadline - it is still worth calling the above number - perhaps they can get a jump on next year!

Edible Elements

2008-03-19T11:57:00.011-04:00

To share the news about the "bookend" events for our wedding - a dessert reception and Monday brunch - my husband and I decided to tuck edible elements into the invitation. For the reception, we added words to the label of a piece of Green & Black's organic chocolate and put a personalized label on one side of a Choice Organic English Breakfast Tea Bag. We chose Choice because the back of the bag says "organic" in big letters so even though we covered the entire front of the bag with our label, our guests still knew they were trying organic tea. This was a fun and tasty way to spread the news - and less expensive than printing additional cards! We printed our labels out at home, but you can also buy pre-made labels in a variety of shapes and sizes. I have included a few links on the DIY page of the look book. I have also added a link to Choice organic teas on the coffee + tea page and to chocolates in the favors section of the look book.

Take the Train!

2008-03-11T15:45:00.007-04:00

According to the EPA, cars, trucks and buses are the leading producers of air pollution in the form of smog and carbon dioxide. To combat this problem, Joshua Houdek and Kristi Papenfuss used the train to get around on their honeymoon. Whether on your wedding day, your honeymoon, or just moving about through life, it is best to take public transportation whenever possible. For more green transportation ideas click here. You can also offset the carbon emissions from your trip. *It is worth noting that Kristi is on the Board of the Global Citizens Network - a non-profit that organizes short term volunteer opportunities abroad - what a great idea for an alternative adventure!

Compostable Dishes

2008-03-07T22:23:00.010-05:00

Another thing Joshua Houdek and Kristi Papenfuss did was to cater their meal with compostable dishes, like the ones available from Stalkmarket which are made from bagasse - a sugar cane processing "leftover" - making them a compostable, biodegradable and recycled product. Because bagasse is so durable, the plates do not have to be coated in polyethlene (common with wood-pulp paper products), which is an added benefit. The fewer chemicals the better! (Click here to see MSNBC coverage of this and other aspects of their green wedding).

It's Electric- The Solar Powered Wedding

2008-03-07T19:53:00.014-05:00

Joshua Houdek, an organizer for the Sierra Club, and Kristi Papenfus powered their wedding (ceremony and live band) with a portable solar array: "We rented a 'power cart' for $30. The power cart basically consists of a big battery that is pre-charged by a small solar panel. I’m no electrician, but I’m told the thing puts out 1500W, or amp hours." Joshua noted that if you live in Minnesota you can rent a solar trailer large enough to "power a rock concert" from the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society. To calculate the emissions from their event Joshua and Kristi used NativeEnergy, a carbon calculator that is endorsed by the Sierra Club. They also helped offset the carbon emissions generated from the event by giving their guests energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. Read more about their wedding in the New York Times and in Waste News.

Make a difference -- join Sierra Club today! May 6, 2008: Kristi + Joshua were just featured in a segment on green wedding on Kare 11.