Wedding Blog
As I had said in my introduction, we are trying to throw a “green” wedding, or an “as green as possible” wedding. This aspect of our wedding is VERY important to me because I work in the environmental field, and it is another forum for us to try to express (really, impose) our eco-friendly values on our guests.
I think it is about time that I elaborate on what being green really means to me.
source
To me personally, it means that with each decision we make, I ask myself- is it eco-friendly enough? I say enough because there are so many different ways to consider being green. The three buzzwords that I try to focus on (other than eco and green) are: local, seasonal and organic.
Three very loaded words, but which word is best to focus on when trying to be green?
I offer one example: flowers.
Should I try to find a florist that shops my local flower market for seasonal flowers grown locally? Or should I order organic flowers grown far away?
If I buy local flowers, they could not be organic. Meaning they could have pesticides, additional hormones, preservatives, etc. Yet, that could mean that my favorite flowers might not be available on the day of our wedding.
Yet, if we buy organic flowers online, they could actually be grown in South America and flown to our destination with a huge carbon footprint, and most likely will not be seasonal to our local area.
Obviously, local, seasonal, and organic is the VERY BEST, but that is not always possible. So in making our decision for a florist, we asked the question: Is it eco-friendly enough?
For us, we decided on a florist that shops the local flower market, which means: (1) we are taking a gamble on whether or not we will have my favorite flowers on our big day, and (2) there is a chance that the flowers for our wedding won’t be organic.
But I am okay with that. We know that our flowers will be eco-enough because they will be local and seasonal.
I write this post so you can better understand that being green is not always easy or straightforward. And by no means has every decision we have made passed the “eco-enough” question.
BUT I hope it gets the conversation started that even the smallest decision at your wedding can have an impact. I also hope that throughout the rest of my posts you notice little choices here and there that in the end will help us feel like we have thrown a “green-enough” wedding.
What aspects of your wedding are green? Or green-enough? Have your values guided your wedding day decisions?
|
Share this post: It’s Easy to be Green… or is It??
Our florist has her own wildflower farm, where most of our flowers came from!
And our caterer was mostly organic, mostly local, and vegetarian.
Those were our two biggest efforts, and I can’t wait to see what else you guys are going to do!
We are using the eco white paper & envelopes from paper source for our invites, we are probably going to do a donation instead of favors, and we are having the ceremony & reception in the same location to cut on travel! I am excited to see what you are doing, Mr. Taffy and I are up more more green advice! 
thought i would share this post from a photography blog that i regularly check out. it outlines how some in the industry are doing their part on the “green” side.
http://anneruthmann.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-totally-green-wedding-photography.html
Great post! I just finished an Ecology class in school (final was Monday and I rocked it!) and I think the most important thing I took from that class was to be as “Green” as you can be, b/c like you said it is a gray area. I’ve just started planning so I don’t have anything to add about how we’re Green so far. Oh wait, the Pastor officiating our ceremony is from a green church She is friend of mine for years ago and had a chance to go to her new church on Sunday - all there programs are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and they try to get everything on one page and project the rest on the wall… also most the congregation lives close and either walks or rides their bike.
We’re picking caterers who source organic food locally; using recycled paper for invites; providing mass transportation to the ceremony/reception site so people don’t drive individually; and also trying to use as much reusable stuff as possible (decor centers more around candles, glassware than flowers).
FI is an architect who focuses on green design, and our ultimate dream is to build a house off the grid. So, we’re trying to be as green as possible in our planning.
I’m in SF/Sonoma too, and am really looking forward to hearing all about your green vendors!
We’re trying to be as green as possible. Some of our green items:
- All papers (STD’s/Invites/Programs/Thank yous) for the wedding will be on 100% recycled paper
- Donation in lieu of favor for our guests
- For flower vases (centerpieces), we’re saving our old wine botttles, cutting the necks off and making them into vases
- We’re attempting to make flowers and food come from as many locals sources as possible.
Awesome post Miss Peep Toe!! Florals is a GREAT example of an area where many weddings are adding more waste to our environment. Some of the most beautiful “exotic” florals are harvested from far off islands which require miles of air travel before arriving at the floral shop. Add to that- all of the energy required to keep the flowers cool and fresh because of their travel and you could be adding more waste to the environment than you’d like.
Brides may also want to consider how many natural ingredients are going into their cake, and where those ingredients are coming from. Businesses will only start making changes once they see a demand from their clients. Even if brides don’t end up with an entirely eco-friendly wedding, they should at least start asking their vendors where the ingredients and elements come from in order to help encourage businesses to think more locally and sustainably about what they’re doing.
I’m so glad there is a “green bee” on weddingbee at the moment. Planning a green wedding seems to make things more stressful, because with every decision you have to ask yourself if it is in fact “green enough”.
We’re also looking into green vendors, our DJ offsets and speaking of carbon offsets we’re hoping to do some for our guests because so many are coming from England our wedding CO2 footprint is 42 pounds!!!!!
here is the calculator/group we choose to offset with http://www.carbonfund.org/site/pages/individuals/category/Weddings/
and here is the link to the list of what we’re doing
Miss PT, I commend you on your efforts! I mostly think this whole “going green” movement is a chance for retailers and companies to get consumers to spend more for something that isn’t always as eco-friendly as you would think. For instance, bottled water is now being bottled with 30% less plastic. Its still harmful in landfills but is coined “eco-friendly” because it uses less plastic. I think its important to protect the environment that we live in, but it shouldn’t mean we have to pay more for lightbulbs or fruits and veggies. I like your outlook - I think more people should say “is it eco-friendly enough?”
For our wedding, we’re having the ceremony and reception in one location. We will be offering donations to our favorite local charities in lieu of favors. And, although we haven’t booked a florist, we will be using as many seasonal flowers as possible.
@ Mrs Bluebell- love your flowers from your wedding!!
@ Miss Taffy- I will have to check those out. Love paper source.
@ john- great article on green photography!
@ Ali- love that about your pastor. v. cool.
@RTW- Wow, going off the grid. V. v. cool.
@Anne-
Check this out
@MsUSUK- right there with you on the footprint calculator!
I know what you mean about green “enough” sometimes been totally green means compromising other important elements, or spending too much money, etc. Being mindful is most important, and I love your advice about seasonal, local items.
I am so happy to read about you green wedding plans! We are also trying to keep the wedding green as possible but it definately is an added challenge!
I want to use all recycled paper for our save-the-dates, invites and programs but have found that the options are pretty expensive so I am faced with a massive DIY task unless anyone has a suggestion of an inexpensive recycled paper souce??
Hi Miss Peep Toe! Great post. We’re getting married at a green venue (www.marvimon.com), using recycled cardstock for our postcard STDs, and encouraging our guests to use our wedding website (to avoid using too much paper) and to carpool to the wedding! I know what you mean, it’s tough to be “green enough”… but it sounds like you’re doing a great job so far and I’m excited to see more of your eco-friendly ideas!
oops.. i meant tons…not pounds…i *wish * it were 42 pounds….
also check out LCI paper if you’re looking for colored recycled cardstock. It isn’t 100%, but I swear I searched the internet and back to find brown recycled cardstock and it was the best I could do.
Plus, you could consider using postcard rsvp’s and limited postcards for save the dates (less paper used, less mailing transport = less CO2)
I feel like many of the green things in wedding planning may seem little, but they do add up to a lessened impact
Thanks for the link!!
Joanna may want to try contacting a local printing company and asking them if they keep a scrap collection and if it would be possible to have access to their scraps. Sometimes they leave a lot behind!
Thanks Anne! That’s a good idea!
To go the exta step in being green, there are companies like this one: http://www.greenfieldpaper.com/
where there are seeds in the paper that your guests can plant after the wedding!
The centerpieces for our reception were planned for affordability, but just happen to be pretty green, too! My mom is actually growing the main plant (Bridal Veil which is an ivy plant with small white flowers and rather fitting, no?) at home. Bridal Veil is one of those plants that creates “babies” which can be clipped and planted separately very easily. She already has several at home and will be using the same plants to grow our “new” ones! Does this fit the seasonal, local, and organic theme?
come to think of it… I totally forgot about the clients I had a couple of years ago who planted ALL of their own flowers for their wedding!!! It was definitely a risk, since the flowers may not have bloomed in time, but they were by far the “greenest” florals I’ve seen! Here’s the link to that one… http://anneruthmann.blogspot.com/2007/01/wedding-chantel-paul.html
[...] I first started blogging, I talked about throwing a green wedding, and how with each decision we’ve asked ourselves: Is it green [...]
| Visit our sister sites | Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Fertile Thoughts Infertility Support |
Mrs. Peep Toe, San Francisco
Age and Occupation: 29, Policy Analyst
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 36, Olive Oil Production Manager
Engagement Date: December 16, 2007
Wedding Date: May, 2009
Blogging Since: November 26, 2008
Venue: Hotel Vitale
About Me: I am a west coast lady who loves the San Francisco Bay Area. I love living with Mr. Peep and our animals: Huck the Dog and Ferris the Cat. I work to save the environment in San Francisco, while Mr. Peep makes ridiculously delicious Olive Oil. On any day you can find me reading the latest book I have gotten my hands on, eating Swedish Fish, and perusing wedding blogs! We are both champagne drinking foodies on a Bud Light budget. We are planning an eco-chic, intimate, and interfaith San Francisco City wedding.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
Latest Gallery Pics