Celebrity Green Weddings

If you’re looking for ways to “green” your wedding, you are not alone. Many celebrities are recognizing the importance of protecting the environment and incorporating eco-friendly elements into their weddings. Here are just a few examples:

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.

Planning a Green Wedding

June is traditionally the most popular month for weddings, but if your wedding date is yet to come, you’ll want to read these suggestions from Wedding Coordinator and Event Planner Melissa Miville.

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.

The Everything Green Wedding Book

More and more of you brides and grooms are looking for ways to lower your wedding’s carbon footprint. There are lots of resources available online (including this blog!), but if you’re looking for a good book on the subject, check out The Everything Green Wedding Book by Wenona Napolitano. It begins with The Top Ten Reasons to Choose a Green Wedding and provides tons of information on every aspect of planning an environmentally friendly wedding.

Some of the recommendations you’ll find in the book include:

Centerpieces:

• Potted flowers which guests can take home and plant

Place Cards:

• Seed packets with the guests’ names written elegantly on the package
• Plantable place cards made with handcrafted seed paper

Favors:

• Tree seedlings in tubes customized with your personal message
• Flower bulbs with directions for planting
• Custom printed seed packets with your wedding information on them

Accessories:

• “Eco-fabulous” guest books

For more great ideas, look for The Everything Green Wedding Book at your favorite bookstore or online retailer.

At Tree Beginnings we offer a wide range of products to help you make your big day eco-friendly, so be sure to check out our website!

Go Green Trends & Wedding Reception Centerpiece Ideas

Green is the word for amazing wedding table decorations this spring! Have you thought about using potted plants for your guest tables?

Potted flowers or herbs are less expensive than cut flowers, and you can save even more by ordering seeds now and planting them so they are blooming in time for your wedding.  Smaller plants can be grouped together for more impact. Unlike cut flowers, which will wither up and be thrown away, your guests can take the potted plants home and continue enjoying them in their own gardens all summer long.

If herbs aren’t showy enough for your taste, you can dress them up with colored ribbon, raffia, or decorative stones. Gerbera daisies are especially colorful and make excellent centerpieces.

Visit Tree Beginnings to see how green wedding centerpieces can help make your day a memory to last a lifetime.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something Green!

Green Wedding Tips

Today, I’d like to share a helpful article by Merryl Brown.

Here are tips for couples to consider who want to create a more sustainable wedding day:

• Have a daytime wedding and have at least part of it outdoors in the sunshine or early evening using natural light. When it gets darker, use soy-based or beeswax candles to gently illuminate your tables and LED lighting which is more energy efficient.
• Choose 100% recycled content, processed chlorine free paper for invitations, place cards, save-the-date cards, programs and menus. You might consider just printing one menu card per table and placing it on a small stand. Similarly, print one program per couple, if you wish to have some type of program. There are many lovely green invitation options to choose from and you can also design great custom invitations with a favorite graphic designer. Find one who can also do beautiful hand letterpress work. Paperless invitations or save the date cards are another eco-friendly option, though they are not right for everyone.
• Work with caterers who prepare food using local and organic produce, humanely raised beef and poultry, and sustainable seafood. Ask caterers not to use polystyrene, ask that they recycle and that they work hard to generate as little waste as possible as well as use eco-friendly cleaning supplies. Always choose rental items over disposable ones. Make your event lower waste by making this decision. Excess food can be donated to a local shelter or food bank. They will be delighted and so will you!
• Gorgeous centerpieces are the key to a lovely table! It is possible to do them sustainably and here is how we like to do it. Our floral designers use organic, locally grown flowers, fruits or veggies to create masterful centerpieces. We also incorporate many vintage and antique pieces to create elegant vignettes that are unlike any others that your guests will have seen. Choosing living plants rather than cut flowers is another option that can be done with great style. We donate centerpieces to local nursing homes after our events so that they may be enjoyed again. You can also donate them to shelters or churches in lower income areas where they can be reused and enjoyed for another wedding. Be sure to coordinate this in advance!
• If you wish to wear vintage clothing and jewelry, or “green fibers” such as hemp, silk, or organic cotton, it is easy to find chic eco-friendly bridal wear. There are many designers working with eco-friendly fibers these days.
• Consider acoustic music, at least for the wedding and cocktails. It is not difficult to find wonderful local guitarists, harpists, and string ensembles to play and the cost is usually a lot less than hiring a band.
• Use photographers that use digital photography, which is much more eco-friendly than film.

Deciding to have a green wedding provides you with a wonderful opportunity to educate your guests, should you choose to do so. There are many ways to model sustainability to your guests without offending people who may have different views or priorities. Some people prefer to shout their green philosophies from the rooftops while others prefer the more subtle approach. Much of what you may decide to do to make your event sustainable can be “back of the house”, so the choice to share the sustainability factor is yours.

Merryl Brown is the President of Merryl Brown Events, a Santa Barbara based wedding and event planning company specializing in elegant, classic events created within a framework of environmental and social responsibility. Elegance with intelligence™ is their motto!

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