Eco-spired: Candle Centerpieces
Posted by Ashley | Filed under Green Wedding Ideas
One of my best friends from college just got engaged (congrats, Kate & Matt!), and we have started discussing all things weddings. She wants to use candle centerpieces rather than flowers, which I thought was such a simple way to be a bit more sustainable when decorating your reception! I hopped on over to WeddingWire to use their awesome Inspiration Board tool and came up with a few ideas to share:
Photo credits (Clockwise from upper Right): MMD Events, Designs by Ahn (DBA), Granny’s Bridal Boutique, Jour Parfait, Granny’s Bridal Boutique
Share your centerpiece ideas in the comments, {green weddings} readers!
Recycled Bride’s Top Sustainable Wedding Trends for 2010
Posted by Green Weddings | Filed under Green Wedding Ideas
Our friends at Recycled Bride shared some of their top eco-friendly tips for this year, and we just had to send them along!
1. There’s No Place Like Home – Local is the hot word for sustainable weddings in 2010. From venues to menus, couples are making efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and cut their budgets by keeping celebrations “all in the neighborhood”. Backyard weddings are helping guests cut back on travel, and caterers are responding to clients’ demands for more locally produced food. Even wedding favors and decorations will be sought out from local artisans and shops.
2. Alterna-florals – The hippest weddings are in full bloom with flower alternatives like sustainable succulents and DIY paper flowers. Conventional cut flowers are expensive, plus they’re grown with pesticides and have a huge carbon footprint, so couples are seeking alternative ways to decorate. Many will eschew the floral look altogether by using soy candles, fruit, and found objects for table centerpieces and bouquets.
3. The Hourglass Bride – String beans in sheath dresses are so yesterday. Inspired by voluptuous newlyweds like Christina Hendricks of Mad Men, Salma Hayek, and Beyonce, brides are embracing their curves in wedding dresses that emphasize a well-rounded figure. Many are even flaunting — or creating — an hourglass silhouette with gowns that sport belted waists, peplums, and plunging necklines. This is the year that women will ditch their grueling “Buff Bride” workouts in favor of kinder, gentler activities like yoga, and celebrate their naturally feminine shapes.
4. Wedding Planning Goes Digital – From blogger brides to Facebook-ing florists, wedding planning has become an online community affair. “More and more, brides are turning to wedding forums to look for fresh wedding ideas and the latest wedding trends. Together, brides and vendors make these forums an incredible wedding planning resource to connect with others who are passionate about weddings.” says Christine Dyer, Founder of BridalTweet.com. Brides increasingly connect with each other for advice, support, and even labor trades on community-based social networks like GiveGetNation.net and BrideShare.net.
5. Not-So-Mellow Yellow – The hottest color of 2010 is also the warmest. Sunshine-y yellow pairs beautifully with cobalt blue and violet for an electrifying palette that’s bright and bold. Or combine pale yellows with white, ivory, and fresh green tones for a sunny and natural color theme. Many succulents bear yellow blossoms, making this cheerful color an easy choice for sustainable bouquets and centerpieces.
6. The Times Are A-Changing – Saturday night weddings aren’t the only game in town. Brides and grooms are scheduling their nuptials on weeknights, Sundays, and even early mornings in 2010. It’s less expensive to book a venue or caterer on “off days”, and as telecommuting becomes more popular, guests are gaining flexibility in their schedules. Weddings we’ll see this year will include sunrise affairs followed by romantic brunches, and chic mid-week dinner parties.
7. Bright Bridal Shoes – Forget the white and ivory satin slippers and “dyeable” sandals of wedding days gone by. Bridal shoes in bright and bold hues like fuschia, emerald green and electric blue are hot hot hot in 2010. Colored shoes are a chic and stylish surprise under a white wedding gown, plus they’re more versatile than white satin and can be worn again with a little black dress.
8. Flexible Registries – The registry has been reinvented by sites like the AlternativeGiftRegistry.org, and this year we’ll see many brides and grooms skipping the Stepford registries in favor of more flexible options. More couples will opt for “open” online registries where they can request everything from charitable donations to eco-friendly housewares to cash for a down payment on a home.
9. Unexpected Seating – At both receptions and ceremonies, seating arrangements are being switched up. Think scattered chairs and benches for ceremonies, and long communal tables, clustered couches, and bar tables with stools for receptions. No more will the family and friends of the bride and groom be kept apart by rigid seating assignments at separate tables. This year’s seating arrangements will encourage guests to mix, mingle, dine and dance.
10. Something Old, Something New – The hottest sustainable trend for 2010 (and our personal favorite, of course!) is incorporating recycled elements like gently used wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses, pre-owned wedding decorations, and vintage bridal jewelry into weddings. Sites like RecycledBride.com connect buyers and sellers for free, so they can reduce their wedding budgets and their carbon footprints. More and more brides are joining the wedding resale revolution, discovering how easy it is to save money and be a little greener by buying and selling their gently used wedding items.
Tell {green weddings}, which tip is your favorite? Do you have trendy tips to share?
Washington DC’s most Sustainable Wedding Vendors
Posted by Green Weddings | Filed under Green Wedding Ideas
If you live in the greater Washington, DC area and want to have a gorgeous and green wedding, the Mid-Atlantic Green Wedding Showcase is definitely worth checking out.
WHEN: February 21, 2010 | 1pm to 5pm
WHERE: Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, College Park, MD
For more information and to register, visit www.greenweddingshowcase.com
Things to do:
Meet vendors that provide green or sustainable services such as
Sticky Fingers Bakery
Attend the Aveda Institute Eco Fashion Show featuring many green designers for eco friendly wedding fashion, such as
The Cotton Bride
Check out the venue and host of the Green Wedding Showcase - Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center
This beautiful setting was recently awarded with the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Award and is definitely a venue to look at while exploring the green wedding showcase!
Added Bonus
This event’s carbon footprint will be offset by Carbonfund.org which is a nonprofit company that offers great tips on how to offset your wedding! Check out their Carbon Wedding Calculator.
Tags: eco friendly, eco friendly bridal gowns, eco friendly venue, eco friendly wedding, eco friendly wedding fashion, go green wedding dresses, green wedding showcase, green wedding vendors, green weddings, sustainable wedding vendors
DC CWC 2010: The Washington DC Couture Wedding Consortium
Posted by Green Weddings | Filed under Green Wedding Ideas
Calling all wedding enthusiasts and aficionados ! Where will you be on February 6, 2010? Come to the Washington DC Couture Wedding Consortium (DCCWC) for the 2nd annual luxury bridal show at the Decatur House from 1-4! Join the best and the bridest (pun definitely intended) of the wedding industry! Meet and mingle with founder of the DCCWC and Editor-In-Chief of Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine, Katie Martin, Style Editor for Eco-Beautiful Weddings and President of POLISHED Robin Fisher, the custom Garter Girl, Julianne Smith and ogle over dress collections by The Cotton Bride and Punkrock Bride (as seen on the cover of Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine). Blogging LIVE from the DCCWC and giving you the play-by-play are featured bloggers: Devon Pearce & Danielle Freedman from District Weddings, Emily Newman from Once Wed, Nole Garey from Oh So Beautiful Paper, Amy Jean Chung from Weddzilla & the Relentless Bride. Receive free gifts and giveaways. And much, much more!
Tags: DC CWC
Have it Your {Sub}way
Posted by Green Weddings | Filed under wedding transportation
Let’s face it: transportation can stomp all over our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint (stomp? footprint? Ah, forget it…). While you could certainly have your reception, ceremony and guest accommodations all located within walking distance or hire a fleet of Priuses (Priui?), sometimes logistics simply don’t work out that way.
If you’re fortunate enough to live in an area with Public Transportation, why not take advantage of it?
A couple shares a wedding kiss as the Los Angeles Metro whizzes by
A destination wedding using Paris's Metro
- The wedding party on Washington, DC’s Metro
Tell the {green weddings} gang, would you take the subway on your special day?
It’s Hip to be Square
Posted by Green Weddings | Filed under Green Wedding Ideas
Can you tell we’ve got the weekend on the brain at {green weddings}? We’ve been turned on to Square One Vodka, an organic rye vodka produced here in the good ol’ US of A. The spring water hails from the Tetons and the rye is cultivated in North Dakota. Square One comes in three different flavors: Original, Cucumber and Botanical (which packs a punch at 90 proof!).
Signature cocktails are a fun way to add personalization to your party punch, and it’s even more exciting when you can use organic products! Their website shows a variety of cocktail recipes that are sure to wow your guests. I love the idea of using local ingredients in your signature drink: Orange-infused for a Florida wedding, cranberries in winter, or cherry blossoms for spring in DC.
Check out some of the guest mixologists‘ ideas:
“Going Green”
- 2 oz. Square One Cucumber
- 4 oz. Jasmine Green Tea
- 1/2 tsp. Stevia (natural herb sweetener)
- 1 oz. Cointreau
- 1 dash Fee Mint Bitters
Combine all ingredients into a large tumber, serve over ice with a mint garnish.
I love the “Peaches & Herb” cocktail that’s featured. Does it make you want to have a Georgian summer wedding or what? Check out the recipe and the YouTube video:
- 2 oz. Square One Botanical
- 3 lemon verbena leaves
- 1 thick slice of ripe white peach
- 1/4 oz. lemon juice
- 1/4 oz. organic agave nectar
- 1 dash Fee’s Peach Bitters
Muddle lemon verbena and peach in rocks glass. Add lemon juice and agave nectar and top with lots of crushed ice. Pour Square One Botanical over crushed ice and stir well with a bar spoon. Garnish with a thin peach slice and lemon verbena leaf.
Square One Botanical in Peaches & Herb Cocktail
Tell us, are you having a signature cocktail at your reception? If so, how are you incorporating eco-friendly elements? Cheers!
Add Eco-Chic Bling to Your Wedding Ensemble
Posted by Green Weddings | Filed under Green Wedding Jewelry
What is a green bride to do, when she’s torn between saving the planet one environmentally conscious step at a time and your dream wedding gown that is not-so-environmentally friendly? Not to worry, just add some green bling to your wedding ensemble! Remember that an eco-chic wedding doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing situation, so consider some of these eco-beautiful accessories for you and your bridesmaids.
In your quest for eco-chic accessories, we recommend turning to Etsy designers, where your purchase is eco-friendly by simply buying from local designers. DarkPonyDesigns created this simple and sophisticated pendant from vintage chandelier crystal, complete with vintage charm and retails for less than $20!
Coutesy of Etsy Designer DarkPonyDesigns
Courtsey of Etsy Designer DarkPonyDesigns
Twisted Crystal by Etsy Designer Kacey Higley has made a broad variety of versatile pieces with a vintage flair. Her collection includes custom flowers, brooches, shoe clips, sashes all made of vintage and new, re purposed material, which are hand cut and sewn together.
Twisted Crystal Brooch Courtesy of Etsy Designer Kacey Higley
Twisted Crystal Courtsey of Etsy Designer Kacey Higley
Eco-chic wedding bling provides the best of all worlds for green brides looking to add unique accessories and be eco-friendly all at the same time.
Tags: eco bling, eco friendly, Eco Friendly Jewelry, eco friendly wedding, eco-chic jewelry, eco-chic wedding
Recently Engaged over the holidays? Look at 100% recycled wedding save the dates and invitations!
Posted by Green Weddings | Filed under Green Wedding Ideas
Pancake & Franks: 100% Recycled Letterpress Wedding Invitations
While browsing one one of my favorite sites, One Kings Lane, a great site with discounts on designer products, are featuring Pancake & Franks! If you haven’t heard, this invitation company specializes in customizable high-quality letterpress printing, “delicately expressed on fine stock made from ecologically respectful 100% recycled paper with soy-based inks.”
While many engaged couples have turned to emails to notify guests of their wedding plans. It is still quite popular and somewhat sweet to receive a formal save the date or invitation to their wedding guests.
Just look at these beautiful samples from their website or check them out on OneKingsLane.
Here are some custom designs for weddings:
Tags: 100 % recyled, eco firendly save the dates, eco friendly invitations, eco friendly letterpress invitations, recycled wedding invitations, soy based inks
Happy Holidays!
Posted by Green Weddings | Filed under Green Wedding Ideas
All of us at Green-weddings.net want to wish you and yours happy holidays!
Holiday Tip:
This season many of us are wrapping gifts, but we don’t need to waste paper in the process! Check out Earth Presents
- Matching gift tags and bows are also 100% recycled and recyclable.
Cute Menorah Design
A family friend has created their own line of 100% Recycled and Recyclable wrapping paper. The designs are inspired by the drawings of students with special needs. These festive eco-friendly wrapping paper designs are a great way to share your cheer this holiday season! My friends and family loved this paper, AND we could recycle it!
Eco-Friendly Fun at the DC Green Wedding Consortium!
Posted by Green Weddings | Filed under Green Wedding Ideas
Kate and I had a blast attending the DC Green Wedding Consortium’s Holiday Party at the Decatur House last week. Thank you so much to Michelle Slaughter from HerPreSign and Katie Martin from Elegance and Simplicity for inviting us!
Here’s Kate and I with Michelle. She is also the Managing Editor of Eco-Beautiful Weddings, who unveiled the cover art for their premiere issue (which came out December 15!)
The reveal of the cover photo for the premiere issue, don’t you love the detailing on the dress?
All the desserts were delicious, organic and provided by Cakes by Design and Mallowdrama. We also sipped some some refreshing cocktails with Square One Vodka.
Kate and I had to sample some of the cupcakes! Yum!
If you are getting married in the DC area, be sure and check out the entire member list of the DC Green Wedding Consortium. They are all great vendors who will help you put an “eco-beautiful” spin on your big day! You can also browse all the other Green Wedding Consortium member cities here.
