Our Dream Green Wedding

May 14, 2011

On a “blustery” Spring Saturday in Chicago (yes, that’s how the weatherman described it), my husband and I celebrated our dream green wedding.

18 months of research, planning, preparation, emails, calls, blog posts, to-do lists... the day had finally arrived.

I want to thank everyone who helped us along during those months... family, friends, and all those who contributed green suggestions.  We are so grateful!

Though the wedding planning is now done, I hope this blog will continue helping brides find greener ways to celebrate their days too, and I will continue to contribute ideas I come across.  As a “been there, done that” bride, I will certainly have some advice in hindsight to add.

But for now, here is a little peek inside the completion of “My Dream Green Wedding”:

The Attire

My dress and the bridesmaid dresses were made with gorgeous all natural silk by Chicago designer, Victoria Sdoukos, and I was even able to incorporate pieces of my mom’s dress as well.  I was thrilled to be able to work with a local designer in order to eliminate the factory-production process and support a local small business-owner as well.  The groomsmen either rented suits or wore ones they already owned.

The Flowers

The flowers, done by BoKay, were organic, in-season, and local.  My florist, Becky Dees, used peonies, sweetpea, lavender, and hydrangeas.  We wrapped the bouquets in leftover fabric from the dresses.  The centerpieces were potted duranta plants, given to guests to plant in their yards or gardens.

The Transportation

We had a trolley from Windy City Trolley transport the bridal party and guests en masse from the church to the reception.

The Food

All food was local, in-season, and sustainable from Limelight Catering.  Leftover food was donated and whatever could be recycled was recycled.  Also, the cupcakes from Swirlz were made with all local, all natural ingredients.  Quite a few were vegan too (and no one could tell!).

The Extras

The place cards were made of wildflower seed paper from Beaucoup and displayed on beds of wheatgrass (the wheatgrass was saved to be juiced by my family).  The majority of our lighting (and air purifying) consisted of Big Dipper Works’ beeswax candles.  We also placed organic mints and organic personal care products in the bathrooms.  Soap dispensers were replaced with Shaklee’s biodegradable Basic H foaming hand wash (all of Shaklee's organic, biodegradable products are part of our new green home as well). Also, in lieu of a favor, a donation to the Chicago Gateway Green was made (helping them plant 15,000 trees by 2015).

And due to the blustery weather, we had to get some last-minute umbrellas.... made from bamboo and recycled materials, of course. J

A greener way to keepsake the memories... instantly.

At any wedding or special event there's that standard group picture that must get taken.

And taken again and taken again and taken ten more times because every person needs a copy on every camera.  And then it gets emailed another twenty times.  Before you know it, your email inbox has lost 10% of space because of these pictures.  Or each person sends a link to his favorite "photo sharing" album so the pictures are scattered all over the internet.

Well, how about creating one digital photo album for all of your event's pictures that guests can instantly email pictures to?  Sound good?

Knotpic.com is where it's at.  This website is an online photo-sharing tool that allows guests to upload pictures from their phones or computers to your event's knotpic email address.  Once the pictures are emailed, they are instantly transferred to your event's customized photo-website-- a truly efficient way for every guest to see and share the day's memorable moments from start to finish.

photo credit: www.knotpic.com

It's a time solution, clutter solution, and  (you guessed it!)  eco-solution by saving photo paper and keeping your guests from purchasing *insert cringe here* disposable cameras.

A big thanks to my friend Amanda for sharing this with me!   I can't wait to try it out!  :-)

My Green "Dream Come Shoe"

You know the wedding is getting close when the blogs get further and further apart...

But the important thing is that I've learned (and accomplished) quite a bit in the last month that I am happy to pass along.... starting with my perfect pair of vegan heels.

As some of you know, my shoe search was a bit of a process.  I honestly didn't know which direction I wanted to take.  One of my bridesmaids warned me about the many shades of ivory shoes out there... and, oh boy, that may be an understatement. Trying to find a matching pair of shoes for the dress (that have eco-friendly elements) induces an urge to kick the computer.

So, I decided to forgo the ivory... and incorporate my "something blue" with a little sparkle too.  I splurged a little, saved myself a boat-load of time/stress/sanity, and designed my own vegan wedding shoes with Milk and Honey.

Ginnifer Goodwin in
Milk and Honey vegan heels

(photo compliments of
www.milkandhoneyshoes.com)

What began as designing a pair of vegan shoes for friend and actress, Ginnifer Goodwin, has now grown into a full-time business for other vegan "sole-seekers." Dori and Ilissa (the founders of Milk and Honey) are sisters with incredible talent.

I was fortunate enough to meet with Dori, who maintains her end of the business here in Los Angeles.  She helped me find the shoe design I had envisioned and also determined my ideal heel-height.  She even shared some of her eco-friendly shoe creations: transforming a 1960's wedding dress and even a bridesmaid dress into fabulous shoes.

"Sparkle" Bridal Shoe
by Milk and Honey
(photo compliments of Milk and Honey)

To see their creations, you can visit the website.  And if you don't see a style that suits your tastes or needs, you can design your own "Dream Come Shoe" as well.

Vegan & Eco Wedding Shoe Shopping!

I can safely say I may have spent more time looking for shoes than I've spent looking for my dress.

If there's one area where the eco scene is lacking, it's in the dressy heels department.  Sure, there are plenty of options for sneakers and sandals, but when it comes to wedding shoes, it's been a bit of a mission-impossible.

One idea for eco wedding shoes: borrow from a fellow bride friend.  It covers the "borrowed" part of the equation and chances are, the shoes are like-new.

Here's another:  buy a pair of shoes from a company that will then give a pair to a child in need.  It's called the "One for one" program by TOMS Shoes.

TOMS Shoes is a company I heard about when I originally moved out to LA.  I went to a small launch party for them, and I'm so excited to see how much their vision has grown.  They now have a line of shoes that are for the wedding party; better yet, they're extremely comfortable, durable, and you'll definitely be wearing them in the future.  Who says you have to wear heels?

Image from www.toms.com

For those of you who answered "ME!" to that question, here are some eco-friendly and vegan options.

And you thought you could never be vegan...
Just look at you now.

Vegan Chic Glamour Shoes

Image compliments of www.veganchic.com

I personally love these shoes...
I wish I could wear 5 inch heels, but having all eyes on me as I walk down the aisle is enough of a challenge for one day.  Anyway, these shoes are vegan and very glamorous (if not for your wedding, for a fun night out).

Eco-Friendly Heels from Payless

Image compliments of www.payless.com

See what happens when more people go green?  It makes eco-friendly products more affordable!  Payless Shoe Stores are now carrying heels made of eco-friendly faux leather, recycled rubber, and lined with organic cotton for $15.99.  Especially if you're planning a fall or winter wedding, these Juniper blue shoes would be the perfect fit.

Green garters... who knew?

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Don't Just Go Green... Look It!

It goes without saying that you want to look and feel your absolute best on the big day, which will undoubtedly involve some beauty products.

Now, what may you not have known before is that a big part of living green lies in these beauty "lotions and potions" we use on a daily basis.  From our perfumes to our moisturizers, we can choose to invest our money and health into chemicals that could increase our cancer rates and damage our planet... or we could go the greener, nontoxic route.  Safe for you, safe for the planet.

www.greengoeswitheverything.com

Let's first shed a little light on the traditional beauty products you may have used or currently use.  I learned all of this from Sloan Barnett's Green Goes with Everything: Simple Steps to a Healthier Life and a Healthier Planet, which I highly recommend for living (as I like to say) "Eco-ily ever-after."  They make great Christmas gifts and all profits from the book go to charity, too.  

1. Of the 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products, only 11% have been reviewed for safety.  To see if your products are safe, go to: www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

2.  Nearly 400 products in the U.S. contain chemicals banned in other countries (Source: Environmental Working Group (EWG)).

3.  98% of products contain at least one or more ingredients not tested for safety (Source: EWG)

As Sloan Barnett puts it, "Many of us are almost wedded to the smell of our favorite products as we are to our mates."  It's a little something marketers like to call "brand loyalty."

Do yourself a big favor, ok?

As you wed green, divorce the chemical products.

So, let's get you looking green!  But not the sea-sick look--  the healthy glow all brides deserve on their big day and every day after.


For eco perfumes, check out Aveda Pure Fumes.  They even have one called "Love" that is perfect for your wedding day.

For eco personal care products, I personally love Shaklee's and have used them since I was a teenager.  Their Enfuselle Nutrition Therapy product line is paraben-free, nontoxic, and never tested on animals.

For eco makeup, mineral makeup is a great route to explore.  It will give you a natural glow, blend beautifully with your skin, and feel light and airy.  Some suggestions from Green Goes With Everything include: 

• Mode Cosmetics- they have a webpage showing the naturally sourced ingredients they use.  Plus, they have nontoxic nail polish!

• Ecco Bella Vegan Cosmetics

• Aubrey Organics

Save the E-Date!

For a modern and very eco twist on save-the-dates, why not spread the word in true 21st century wedding fashion...

Through the good 'ole internet, of course.

No! Email is so impersonal, you may say.
And, yes, you have a point.

The internet does have its cons.  Which is why I can understand not wanting to send your wedding invitations via email.

But a save-the-date?  It kinda makes sense.  When you think of the save-the-date process, it goes something like this:

Guests receive the card.  They will jot down the date in their planners.  Maybe they'll hang it on the refrigerator if you're special enough.  And then away it will go to the (I don't even want to say it) -- trash-- or recycle bin.

Even if they do recycle it, the amount of fuel and resources necessary to create and transport those little cards seems a bit... well... unnecessary.

Granted, you may still have to send out hardcopies to guests who do not have email access or are not as internet savvy, but overall you'll be able to get the word out instantly and paper-free.

Plus, it may get guests to check out your wedding website immediately and start rsvp-ing to pre-wedding events asap.

Now, for the still skeptical internet-wary bride, I have discovered a wonderful resource: a free program that will allow you to utilize your creativity and give your save-the-dates all the pizzaz you had envisioned... without having to seal an extra 200 envelopes afterward.

logo of www.smilebox.com

Smilebox
An easily downloadable program for both PC and Mac-- it allows you to create save-the-dates and other greetings with pictures, music, or even a full slideshow.  You can then burn it to a dvd, send it as an email, or share it on Facebook if you so desire.

Smilebox.com also provides a "design catalogue" for other occasions too: holidays, birthdays, thank you notes, and more.

They certainly help you create an email to remember while getting your "dream green wedding" off to a strong eco start!