Over the Summer I had the pleasure of working with Meredith and Ben for their Wedding in Kensington, CA. Many of the elements were green and the decor was not only sustainable, but also very unique. Meredith chose vegetable and fruit centerpieces in lieu of floral designs; which played double duty as party favors for guests.
I asked Meredith to share some of the ways in which her and Ben acted green so that others could learn from their choices and plan sustainably in future weddings.
Why was being green important to you for your wedding?
My husband and I try to be conscientious of how our choices might impact the world in which we live. From the food we buy and eat, the clothing and products we purchase, to what we choose to throw away. We make every attempt to be conscientious in our parenting, eating, living, and consuming. We wanted our wedding to be a reflection of our lifestyle.
What green and sustainable items and decisions did you include?
The attire.
My wedding gown is a Nicole Miller and she only uses natural fibers in her dresses; I also chose a style that is (hopefully) not dated and can be passed on to a younger family member for her future wedding. My husband chose to wear a tan suit, which he will be able to wear time and again. And the wedding party was asked to choose any dress within the color scheme that they felt they would wear again (one bridesmaid has already worn her dress again!). Everyone was beautiful and unique in his/her chosen attire.
The décor.
The amount of flowers that can be thrown away after a wedding saddens me, so I had the idea to use locally grown fruit and vegetables as centerpieces, which could also double as the take-home gift. A friend of mine works at a restaurant and gave me a stack of the little, green fruit baskets, one of which was at each place setting so guests could fill the basket with produce from the centerpieces.
A main component of the décor were the paper lanterns, which can be used again.
My husband is an artist and he installed a piece of his art as the backdrop, along with the lanterns, during our ceremony. The flowers in the bouquets and boutonnieres were all local and in season.
I specifically found flower girl baskets that were made of paper mache and that will biodegrade. Pilar did an amazing job, and the décor was festive and colorful.
The food.
The food was delicious! We chose a caterer who uses only high-quality, ethically and sustainable raised and grown food.
The cake.
The gal who created the cake for our wedding used only high-quality, organic ingredients and purchased as many of these ingredients at a farmer’s market as she could. The icing did not have the chemical fondant in it.
The Invitations.
My husband researched a local artist whom we asked to create a caricature of our family, so we used a local artist. She provided envelopes made of recycled paper.
The Guestbook and Favors.
I found a used photograph book of special places in the region and asked people to sign a photograph of their choosing. My mom poured some colorful soaps and placed them in clear compostable bags for guests to take home.
The Programs.
In lieu of individual programs for the ceremony, we created a single poster that sat right by the entrance stairs.
The Save-the-Dates.
We used email instead of mailing out ‘save the dates’ and set up a website for additional information that is often sent on separate pieces of paper with the invitation.
What would be your advice to a green bride or groom planning their own wedding?
Question every little component of your wedding: think how you can make every detail unique in your own style and question how those details can create the least amount of waste.
What was the most enjoyably part of your wedding?
We both agree that our favorite part of the wedding was the ceremony. Our friend wrote the wording of the ceremony and my husband wrote the vows. We also really enjoyed the gathering of our family and friends. And finally, the décor and the food were amazing. We had a lot of fun on our wedding day!
Thanks so much Meredith and Ben for sharing your wedding and the steps that you made towards a greener wedding. All photos courtesy of Sean Donnelly Photography: seandonnellyphotography.com
G&G
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