a hint of green
green and earth friendly weddings are big these days. in planning our wedding, we didn't set out to make any kind of social statement-- we just want to create a day that reflects our values and our love (aw!).
a nice result of this approach is that we've done a pretty good job of creating a wedding that is both 'local' and 'green'. i can't say that it is totally and completely either of these things, but for the most part, our choices have reflected these values.
green how?
*by purchasing antique jewels rather than new
*by finding reusable and reused centerpieces
*by using recycled paper in our invitation design.
*by choosing bridesmaids' dresses that are made of natural materials, made in the u.s.a., and are made without sweatshop labor (i guess that's not so much a green point as a social one, but still an important point). more on aria here, on thryn's blog about her truly green wedding-- their efforts to be earth friendly are admirable.
*by incorporating as much 'old' as possible-- family pieces, borrowed items, thrifted items. the more history, the better!
local how?
nearly all of our vendors are small businesspeople based in albany or northampton. most work out of their homes and/or run their own business. this is true of our florist, our photographers, our dj, our invitation designer (disclosure: she's also family! and she's great), our cake baker, the store where i bought my dress, and the store where we are renting the boys' tuxes.
to be honest, most wedding-related businesses are on the small side, and probably most are local-- but not all. when given a choice between a larger company and a smaller one, we almost always felt that the service and connection was better with the small business. we can email any one of our vendors at any time and get an immediate response, directly from them.
in addition to the green and local themes that have emerged, we've also been pulling a lot of handmade aspects into the wedding (and i don't mean handmade by me, not yet anyway!). i've bought a number of wedding items on etsy and from local artists. the items i've found on etsy have been one-of-a-kind beauties, and again- the connection with the artist far outweighs any connection i've ever felt with a big box store! (side note: etsy is among the best places to find gifts for anyone. you will find everything you can dream up and lots of things you can't imagine anyone dreaming up.)
unfortunately, it's not possible for us to have a through and through green, local, and handmade wedding, but we can make each decision with those values that are important to us in mind. so far, these guidelines have steered us in the right direction. now we just have to get everyone to carpool from the church to the reception... or maybe we can get a monorail installed along central avenue for the day.
a nice result of this approach is that we've done a pretty good job of creating a wedding that is both 'local' and 'green'. i can't say that it is totally and completely either of these things, but for the most part, our choices have reflected these values.
green how? *by purchasing antique jewels rather than new
*by finding reusable and reused centerpieces
*by using recycled paper in our invitation design.
*by choosing bridesmaids' dresses that are made of natural materials, made in the u.s.a., and are made without sweatshop labor (i guess that's not so much a green point as a social one, but still an important point). more on aria here, on thryn's blog about her truly green wedding-- their efforts to be earth friendly are admirable.
*by incorporating as much 'old' as possible-- family pieces, borrowed items, thrifted items. the more history, the better!
local how?
nearly all of our vendors are small businesspeople based in albany or northampton. most work out of their homes and/or run their own business. this is true of our florist, our photographers, our dj, our invitation designer (disclosure: she's also family! and she's great), our cake baker, the store where i bought my dress, and the store where we are renting the boys' tuxes.
to be honest, most wedding-related businesses are on the small side, and probably most are local-- but not all. when given a choice between a larger company and a smaller one, we almost always felt that the service and connection was better with the small business. we can email any one of our vendors at any time and get an immediate response, directly from them.
in addition to the green and local themes that have emerged, we've also been pulling a lot of handmade aspects into the wedding (and i don't mean handmade by me, not yet anyway!). i've bought a number of wedding items on etsy and from local artists. the items i've found on etsy have been one-of-a-kind beauties, and again- the connection with the artist far outweighs any connection i've ever felt with a big box store! (side note: etsy is among the best places to find gifts for anyone. you will find everything you can dream up and lots of things you can't imagine anyone dreaming up.)
unfortunately, it's not possible for us to have a through and through green, local, and handmade wedding, but we can make each decision with those values that are important to us in mind. so far, these guidelines have steered us in the right direction. now we just have to get everyone to carpool from the church to the reception... or maybe we can get a monorail installed along central avenue for the day.
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