The blog will also appear on our U.S. website www.treebeginnings.com in the very near future.

How can you be recommending daffodils for a fall wedding? Everyone knows that daffodils grow in the spring! Isn’t using local flowers that are in season an important aspect of a green wedding?

You are absolutely right! Importing flowers from a faraway location generates carbon emissions, contributing to pollution, so this should be avoided if at all possible.

Consider, however, that for daffodils to bloom in the spring, the bulbs must be planted in the fall. Why not give your guests a favor that keeps on giving – daffodil bulbs in an eco-gift box?

Daffodils have the flower meaning of rebirth, respect, regard and unrequited love. Planted in the fall, the bulbs will blossom delightfully in the spring. Plant a Memory with the beauty of flowers that will create memories of your wedding day as they blossom every spring .

Our brilliant daffodil flower bulbs are presented in a nest of green moss and enclosed in a recycled brown box finished with daffodil yellow raffia ribbon. They are available for weddings from September to November, but should be ordered early to avoid disappointment.

Love-in-a-Mist is a very pretty plant with a romantic name, lacy foliage and charming light blue and white flowers. Once established, the flowers will self-seed every year and produce an amazing ground cover.

When you order your favors from Tree Beginnings, your guests will receive a sealed packet of seeds along with a terra cotta clay pot and a peat pellet, nestled inside a box made entirely from recycled materials and finished with your choice of pink, royal blue or oatmeal raffia ribbon. Each gift is accompanied by a personalized imprinted paper card with a thank you message, poem, and growing instructions.

Be sure to watch this blog over the coming weeks for lots more autumn wedding ideas!

“A flower touches everyone’s heart”

Georgia O’Keefe

Here’s a photo of the happy couple:

Thank you, Kathi and Alex, for sharing your special moment with us!

Green is the New Black – Stress Free Eco-Friendly Wedding Ideas

You’re getting married! Yay! Now, what?

Planning your wedding can be a lot of fun. It can also be a great big giant headache. There are so many things to consider, feelings to protect, and your own happiness to pursue. What do you do first? How do you prioritize?

First of all, relax. Take a deep breath…and release. There. Much better.

So you want to have an environmentally friendly wedding – an Eco Wedding, if you will. But how do you go about planning one? Is it possible to have the wedding of your dreams without doing so much damage to the environment that there won’t be anything left for your children’s wedding?

The answer is a resounding YES!

And the best part of having a Green wedding? You save money! What could be better than having a dream wedding while saving the Earth and fattening your wallet? Maybe eating a whole lot of chocolate without breaking out or gaining weight – but that’s a whole different issue.

Back to the topic: Stress-free eco wedding planning. Right.

If you are planning a more intimate wedding – family and close friends only – why not have a short ceremony and the reception at the same place?

Some friends of mine actually went to a justice of the peace accompanied by immediate family only, then invited 20 of their closest friends to their favorite restaurant for a wonderful and beautiful organic feast. Transportation was provided to limit CO2 emissions.

If you want a larger wedding, consider having the wedding and reception at the same venue. Ask what furniture is accessible on-site and how much of it is available for your specific date. If the venue provides tables, chairs, linens, utensils and such, you save money and stress from coordinating furniture rental.

Ask about the site’s recycling policy. Do they recycle?

Does the venue provide a caterer, or can you hire your own? Some places may not let you hire an outside caterer. If this is so, ask the caterer if they use seasonal fare and support local farmers (the shorter distance food needs to travel, the less CO2 emissions produced from transporting it).

Find out about the chef’s vegetarian menu. Is it more than just steamed vegetables over rice or pasta? Request that the wedding cake be made of organic and natural ingredients – no artificial sweeteners.

Opt for a vintage gown or a second-hand dress. After all, it’s traditionally a very bulky dress that you’re going to wear only once. After the wedding, sell it to a consignment store so another bride can use it. Another option is to donate the dress to a charity that will either use the dress or use the material to make another dress.

Wedding flowers can cost a lot of money. A less eco-minded girlfriend spent over $10,000 just on cut flowers alone! Yikes! Instead of replicating this extravagance and waste, why not ask your bridesmaids to feature their organic bouquets from local suppliers as centerpieces for the tables? Or display a potted plant that someone can take home and plant in their garden. You can also use the flowers from the wedding ceremony to decorate the reception area. Most florists will accommodate this eco-minded request.

Now for the wedding favors. Some examples of eco-friendly favors are seed packets – tastefully decorated, of course. You can make your own and slip them into recycled organic envelopes, or you can purchase them online. Organic and fair trade chocolate is another option. Try to give something consumable and biodegradable – stay away from plastic trinkets that end up in the landfill.

And finally, give yourself a break. Hire an experienced and reputable wedding planner. It may seem like an indulgence, but it’s really more of a necessity. Hiring a wedding planner can actually result in saving you a lot of money (and your sanity!).

How?

Wedding planners know all the intricacies involved in planning a wedding. Your wedding won’t be the first one they have planned. They are very well-connected and know who the reputable providers are in the business.

Wedding planners are also very experienced in the negotiating process. Because they work with vendors on a regular basis, they can get you a discount on a lot of things that you may not be able to negotiate yourself. They have your best interest in mind and can help guide you into making informed decisions.

Call us today and find out how we can help make one of the most important days of your life a stress-free and eco-friendly day as well.

Posh Productions Event Planning & Design -
Amira Harris: Lead Wedding Planner
-Calgary, Alberta Canada
http://www.poshproductions.ca

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amira_Harris

Sheila, how can I get my seedlings to stand up on my reception tables, I really like the look?

Dear Jessica,

These seedlings look amazing standing up on the tables.

Add some rocks for weight when assembling the burlap and they will stand up anywhere. The weight not only anchors the seedlings, but will withstand any wind if you have an outside venue.

Get rocks from your yard or pick them up at the dollar store, $1.00/bag, an inexpensive way to stunning guest gifts, indoors or out.

Have a wonderful wedding, and feel free to post pictures of your reception tables on our Facebook page!

Sheila

If you’ve got a question about green wedding favors, or about any of our products, why don’t you just Ask Sheila?

Alicia Silverstone and Christopher Jarecki’s wedding invitations were made from paper embedded with seeds, for guests to plant in their own gardens. They also opted for vegan menus, a choice also made by Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.

Producer Deborah Marinoff allowed her bridesmaids, Ali Larter and Amy Smart, to wear whatever they wanted to, rather than having them buy dresses they would never wear again.

Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney’s wedding included a tree planting ceremony, and as favors, guests had trees planted in their honor.

Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds chose an eco-friendly venue for their wedding, as did Kristi Yamaguchi and Bret Hedican.

Nikki Cascone and Brad Grossman planned an entirely green event for their recent wedding. Their choices included herb plants on the tables and seeded paper placecards.

In lieu of wedding gifts, Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman requested that guests make a donation to charity, and so did Beverley Mitchell and Michael Cameron.

Chris Kattan and Sunshine Tutt provided their guests with heart-shaped biodegradable rice to toss instead of regular rice, which can harm birds and the environment, as well as eco-friendly favors.

After their wedding, Lisa Loeb and Roey Herskovitz gave their flowers to an organization that provides flowers to hospice and rehabilitation centers.

When Soleil Moon Frye and Jason Goldberg renewed their wedding vows on their 10-year anniversary, their two daughters planted a tree during the ceremony, and guests were given trees to take home.

(Thanks to Celebrity Bride Guide for most of the above information!)

What’s really great news is that you don’t have to be a celebrity to have your own green wedding! Check out our website for lots of affordable green wedding ideas.

They show a few other ideas, but I think ours is the best, don’t you?

Tips on Planning a Green Wedding

We’ve all heard about “going green”. Everyone is starting to use recyclable bags for shopping, people are taking the bus or riding bikes to work to save on gas, there are now environmentally friendly cleaners, and more. And now people are starting to have green weddings.

You may wonder how you can have a green wedding. Here are some ideas!

Invitations

You can skip paper altogether and go electronic. There are several sites out there where you can do this. You can also create a PDF and send that electronically or even do a video to send to your guests. With these last two just be aware that some guests may not have the appropriate software to open the invitations.

Worried guests won’t take your electronic invitation seriously? Don’t worry, you still have options! Almost all invitation designers have some sort of recycled paper. And if you are doing the invitations yourself, your local stationery store is sure to have recycled paper also. You can even find tree free paper. And check this out…seed embedded paper. This can be planted!

Bridal Registry

Register for your gifts online. And be sure to register for eco-friendly items. Better yet, don’t register for gifts. Ask guests to donate to a charity in your name. For example you could ask them to donate to Make A Wish.

Favors

One way of staying eco-friendly is to buy your favors locally rather than having some cheap “trinkets” shipped halfway around the world. You can also use small trees or seeds that the guests can then plant. Bonus – this will help fight global warming! Or why not give a donation to your favorite charity in the guest’s names? Not only is this eco-friendly, but it will help someone in need.

Centerpieces

You could use a twig basket and fill it with fruit in your wedding colors. The guests can then take the fruit home and eat it. Or how about a plant like a mum for a Fall wedding? You can then give it away to a guest to take home and plant. If you’re looking for something with glass you can find a vase or bowl made out of recycled glass.

Flowers

There are many options to stay green with your flowers. First, you could use silk or dried flowers. If you don’t like this idea, look for a florist that uses locally grown flowers. You can also go to your local farmer’s market to buy local flowers and then make your own bouquets. Reuse the ceremony flowers at the reception. And then after the reception, donate flowers to a local hospital. This will be sure to cheer up the patients!

Wedding Rings

Check out EBay or your local antique stores for vintage wedding rings instead of buying brand new. Or you can look for rings made from fair trade or recycled gold.

Wedding Dresses

The easiest way to go green with the wedding dress is to purchase a previously worn dress. There are many auction sites online and often you can find listings in your local newspaper. Or you can rent a dress (just like the groom can rent his tux). If you’d prefer a new dress, look for earth friendly fabrics like cotton, hemp, or linen.

Photographer

Skip the disposable cameras at all of the tables. This may seem like a fun idea but many of the pictures do not come out and they go to waste. Instead stick to a professional photographer that does only digital photography. Look for a photographer that will provide all the proofs digitally rather than paper proofs. And ask for the images on a disk. And if you’d like an album, find a photographer that offers one printed on recycled paper.

Reception Food

If possible, select organic and locally grown food. Ask your caterer to shop at the local farmer’s market. And do not over cater. So much food tends to get wasted at wedding receptions. Calculate the food needs carefully. If there are any leftovers ask the caterer to package and freeze the leftovers. If the caterer cannot do this due to safety and hygiene issues, ask them to compost as much of the food as possible.

As you can see, there are many ways to have a green wedding. Some other quick ideas are to hold the ceremony and reception at the same place to save on gas and ask guests to carpool. For more ideas, do a search on the internet for green or eco-friendly weddings. The internet has a wealth of information!

Melissa Miville is owner and event planner of Stylish Occasions by Melissa Miville. Melissa specializes in wedding day coordination as well as full and partial wedding planning. Check out her website at http://www.yourstylishoccasions.com and her blog at http://stylishoccasions.wordpress.com to get more info.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_Miville

Accented with a terra cotta pot, recycled paper box and original card, and finished with your choice of daffodil yellow or oatmeal raffia ribbon, our Shasta Daisy Flower Seed Eco-Gift Box Favors make stunning reception table decorations.

The exclusive personalized card, made from handmade paper, has a daisy motif and the bride and groom’s names and wedding date on the front. On the back is a message which reads “Thank you for sharing our “growing Memories”.

Tucked inside is a packet of Shasta daisy seeds which your guests can plant indoors or out to produce an abundance of flowers and create “growing memories” of your wedding day. The inside of the card is imprinted with planting instructions and a poem, as shown below

Your guests will truly enjoy this unique keepsake to commemorate your love and celebrate your new beginning!

For a complete floral fantasy, why not add a potted or cut daisies to your reception tables?