I LOVE outdoor weddings! After all, my husband and I said “I Do” outside on a beautiful November afternoon in Florida under the hanging moss of gorgeous oak trees in a charming little garden. I wouldn’t have changed anything about that day!
Did you know that outdoor weddings are more eco-friendly? The natural light source saves energy, and gentle breezes provide the “air” conditioning. Plus, there are wonderfully creative ways to add “green” details to any outdoor wedding. . . like these!
Eco-friendly tree branch placecards or table number holders are made with fallen, reclaimed tree branches.
Green Hint: use soy or beeswax candles in your centerpieces!
Birdseed wedding favor is made from organic all-natural birdseed that your guests can hang in their backyard and watch the birds enjoy a special treat.
These beautiful all-natural moss decorations are covered in real moss. Eco-perfect for outdoor affairs!
In full eco-bloom! Organic EarthBloom favors are embedded with seeds (your choice of wildflowers or herbs). A guest favorite-easy to plant and grow flowers or herbs.
One look at these elegant moss decorations and I couldn’t resist adding them to our collection of eco-friendly wedding decorations. They are hand-made in Georgia using real moss and other natural materials. Talk about adding a beautiful touch of green elegance to any organic, garden or outdoor wedding!
The inspiring photo above shows a creative application of the single table number hanging from the tree branch centerpiece. Wow! Special thanks to Mulberry Photo for the beautiful photo above!
Let the creative ideas begin . . . cake toppers, table numbers, placecard holders, letter initial door wreaths, candle holders, centerpieces, wedding card box. Create your own dream green wedding with these eco-lovely wedding decorations!
Imagine a picturesque 1830s antebellum farm estate with a historic home, vintage barn, rolling meadows, flower gardens—all surrounded by the picture-perfect beauty of nature. When I discovered Cedarwood, an eco-friendly wedding venue in Nashville, Tennessee, I wanted to rush off with my husband of almost 13 years and renew our vows here. So country-chic, eco-chic, nature-chic, vintage-chic . . . shall I go on?
Not only am I amazed by the natural elegance of this special place, but I was impressed to learn of Cedarwood’s green wedding options as part of their all-inclusive designer wedding packages which include design, planning, floral and décor.
- Farm fresh flower bouquets, picked from the estate gardens or neighboring farms
- Cedarwood’s optional “Love Grows” planting ceremonies can replace traditional unity candle or sand ceremonies
- Naturally organic setting for both the ceremony and reception reduces carbon emissions from guest travel
- Cedarwood incorporates its limited plastics policy and recycling in all wedding celebrations
- Locally-grown food options using organic produce, community supported agriculture and local vineyards
Come with me on a virtual photo tour Kate & Matt’s organic farm wedding at Cedarwood! Special thanks to the amazingly talented photographic artists at Mint and Sage, who captured the natural elegance and glory of this eco wedding with the photos below.
Kate and Matt is a special couple who wanted to create a wedding that would have a minimal impact on the environment. Love to hear that! Choosing a green venue like Cedarwood and using mostly recycled and eco-friendly products, they can feel good about their choices.
Essential to an eco-friendly wedding, Kate and Matt requested seasonal locally grown flowers be used. Cedarwood’s master designer created a stunning array of flowers and arrangements in shades of green and ivory with fruits, vegetables, plant materials, herbs and succulents.
A four-course meal of high-style organic foods from local Tennessee farms was a guest favorite! Cedarwood works with local caterers to cook up the prefect sustainable and organic menu!
This is one of my favorite touches! Cedarwood’s designers created a natural tablescape for the cake using a natural wood cake plateau cut from a tree that fell on the property. Eco-lovely!
Scene 1: The Eco-Couple
Today, we continue our celebration of Earth Day (and Greener Weddings Awareness Month) with a very special earth-friendly wedding I’m so excited to share with you! Rebecca Harrell Tickell is the amazingly talented author of Hot, Rich & Green and producer of the Academy Award Shortlisted and Sundance Audience Award Winning, environmentally-themed movie, FUEL. And recently . . . she played the role of a green bride when she married award-winning director and best-selling author, Josh Tickell (who happens to be, in her words, “one of the biggest eco-advocates on the planet!”). What a dynamic eco-duo!!
Scene 2: The Eco-Book
I had the pleasure of “meeting” Rebecca over the phone when she interviewed me for her new book, Hot, Rich and Green. This inspiring book helps women to realize their power, follow their passion and start the eco-friendly business of their dreams. I was fortunate enough to be one of the amazing women featured in this book and share my experience.
Scene 3: The Eco-Wedding
I asked Rebecca to share how she created her very own dream green wedding. In her own words . . .
- Even though I wanted to get married in Hawaii – we picked a location (Santa Barbara) that was most central to everyone to save on jet fuel emissions and to save on our overall carbon footprint.
- We transported our guests to and from the wedding in our Veggie Van powered by used vegetable oil as well as in our algae powered car that gets 150mpg.
- I purchased reused recyclable cameras for guests to snap photos.
- I insisted on having a pescatarian reception (no meat!) with a non-endangered fish.
- I handmade all of our invitations, name cards, table cards, thank you letters and used only recycled paper (literally, the name cards were made from my left over wedding invites).
- Patron generously donated their tequila which is completely eco-friendly (recycled bottles and all).
- The lanterns hanging above our ceremony site had recycled LED lights inside them.
- We used local wines from the area for our reception and local organic food.
All photos are courtesy of Austin & Dara Photography. Thank you for sharing these gorgeous photos with us!
As we approach Earth Day 2010, I’m excited to share news of positive events related to celebrating our planet, greener weddings and giving back. Sean & Debi, the winning couple of the Clay Hill Green Wedding Giveaway, are bringing a group of inner-city NY students to Maine for Earth Day.
One of the important aspects of living a more sustainable lifestyle is educating others and inspiring them to make a difference, too. Many of these high-school age kids have never left the city, but they will now have a chance to participate in a beach clean-up and explore Maine’s natural beauty. They will top off the day at Clay Hill Unplugged where they can meet local green experts.
Clay Hill Farm—A Beautiful Green Wedding Venue!
In 1991, Clay Hill Farm in Maine became the first restaurant in the country to be certified as a natural wildlife habitat and bird sanctuary. The beautiful grounds, the nurtured habitats, the 150 birdhouses around the property…. all tell a twenty-year old story of environmental concern and care. It’s the perfect venue for a gorgeous green wedding! Read more about their green commitment . . .
I will be the first to admit that I absolutely love purple. In fact, it was my wedding color several years ago for my small, outdoor garden wedding. So I was thrilled when I discovered green wedding and eco-event planner Karine Brighten wore a purple wedding dress in her lovely little eco-wedding.
Why wear purple instead of white? Well, besides the fact it is a gorgeous color on her . . . Karine plans to wear the dress again. Eco-fabulous!
Karine made other eco-friendly choices too. Her invitations were done online and the ceremony was small in a beautiful redwood grove. She served all vegan food and the wedding favors were truffles (yummy!) packaged in recycled paper Chinese boxes (What color? Purple!).
Karine Brighten Events is a Certified Bay Area Green Business, and a Green Bride Guide Approved Vendor. If you live in the Bay area, you can meet Karine at the Berkeley Earth Day Festival on Saturday April 24th. And, if you sign up for her green wedding newsletter, you’ll receive a coupon code for 10% off your purchase at DreamGreenWeddings.com.
Okay. You’ve got the dress. You’ve finally decided on locally grown in-season flowers. You’ve selected an organic caterer. You’ve ordered the invitations on recycled paper. Now, what are you going to wear on your feet?? Let’s just say earth-friendly has never been so eco-cute!
Have you heard about these adorable Mohop sandals that are environmentally friendly? So eco-unique. With one pair of wooden sandals, you can lace any ribbon to create your very own unique, custom-fit pair. Plus, your bridesmaids can wear sandals and mix and match laces in their own style with colors that coordinate with their dresses. Fabulous!
Featured recently at the Elegantly Green Wedding Showcase in Boston, Mohop sandals are individually hand-made by Annie Mohaupt in Chicago. How are they green:
- Woods are sustainably-sourced domestic hardwoods (essentially, woods from family owned American farms and lumberyards, that plant more trees than they harvest)
- The soling is composed of natural rubber and rice husks (that are normally disposed of)
- A high-end 100% fabric is used instead of real leather (which is typically tanned in an extremely toxic process)
So get creative! These beauties are re-wearable in many colors and lace options!
We are so proud of our newest collection of eco-friendly wedding favors. As a bird lover (did you see our logo?), I am in love with these all-natural, hand-made birdseed wedding favors. Available in hearts, peace dove or circle of love, these charming favors are made from natural organic ingredients.
There’s no shortage of ideas for outdoor weddings, farm weddings and any eco-event!
-Hang them as a decoration around your outdoor wedding.
-Make a wonderful table centerpiece with flower pots used to hold tree branches and then hang these bird seed hearts on them for decorations.
-Place a note at each centerpiece to tell your guests to take one home to feed the birds.
-Decorate individual place settings, put them in handmade baskets to hand out as favors, or even use as napkin holders.
Adding to the “eco-cuteness” is the personalized tag, which is printed on recycled paper and attached with hemp twine. Wish I had these for my outdoor garden wedding (many years ago!).
