We Have Moved!

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

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Energy Stars

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

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

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

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