Local Sweet Favors

Why not go local for your wedding favors? Locally made and sold products cuts down on pollution and you'll know that your giving your guests a little bit of love that will benefit your local economic community as well. If you can, try sourcing organic or recycled products if possible, and add to the positive effect of your purchase.

Here in the Bay Area, we have a plethora of local craftspeople, artists, farmers and food artisans. But I'm sure every local community is known for local goods or art, you just have to do your homework.

I have become well acquainted with two Bay Area businesses who create sweet treats that can be used as wedding favors: Marshall's Farm and Coracao Confections. Both produce wonderful products.



Coracao Confections make lovely organic, vegan and raw chocolate confections. They use superfoods like acai, goji and maca and other tasty treats like almonds and coconut.




They have a two piece box that would act as wonderful treats for wedding guests:

Each box contains a superberry cup (antioxidants) and a caramel. Both look and taste delicious.






Marshall's Farm produces (with the help of local bees) natural and raw honey from various areas around the Bay. Not only is it delicious, but it has some natural allergy relief built in for those who live here. Check out their small 2 oz pots of honey that would look great on each guest's place setting:



They have several types of honey collected from local sites around the Bay, so depending on where you live or are having your event, you can get specific honey.

Supporting local businesses and craftspeople is not only sustainable for the environment, but for your community. The more we learn to depend and thrive on what is in our neighborhood, the healthy our communities will become.

G&G

Chocolate for your Green Wedding

I love chocolate. And if you love it too, there are plenty of ways to include it in your wedding. However, you may want to make your purchases wisely as cocoa, like coffee, is a large import and if not grown and processed in the most sustainable way, can have an adverse affect on the land and people who grow and process it.

I was able to sample some varieties of chocolate bars at the SF Green Festival, all of which were organic, meaning they were made from organically grown ingredients. Most were also fair trade, meaning the people who grew the cocoa were paid a fair price for their product so that they can afford to live and send their kids to school. Some were even made from raw chocolate, and others were vegan. The options abound.

Righteously Raw chocolate is raw, organic, vegan, kosher and contains no refined sugars.

This raw chocolate included some foods like goji, maca and acai, which are commonly used for their antioxidants and supposed health benefits.

Theo Chocolate is organic and fair trade and comes in some great flavors including: Coconut Curry, Chai Milk Chocolate and Bread and Chocolate.

They also offer Origin bars with cocoa sourced from different parts of the world that are vegan, and the Jane Goodall bars which donate part of the proceeds to help support cocoa farming that saves indigenous wildlife.

Chocolate Conspiracy offers raw, organic and fair trade chocolate that is dairy and soy free.

Their flavors included mint, goji, maca and wild spice.

I hope all this talk of chocolate didn't get your mouth watering too much!

G&G

All Photography made possibly by: Corduroy Media

A G&G arrangement that was donated to the Green Festival