Eco-Vintage. Where Old is the New "In"

I never realized how much I liked vintage until I started planning my wedding...
or maybe it's the new season of Mad Men. 


Either way, I'm happy with it.

Recently, with the help of my dear friend Kenna (who took some time to help me with the bridesmaid dress search in spite of her endless grad school papers-- thank you!!), I found the perfect match.  :-)  Pictures to come...

In addition to having fabulous pockets and a beautiful flower-accented waistband, the dress certainly has a bit of vintage flair.  And since vintage is eco-friendly as well (the very definition of reuse, reduce, recycle!), I'd like to explore the theme when it's time to accessorize.

As I go onward with my vintage hunting, I discovered a few great sites for many of the wedding details. One, a fellow blog!

CB Vintage logo

For The Vintage Look:

CB Vintage

Jewelry, cake toppers, books, tennis rackets, and more... this blog offers an assortment of vintage items to shop from whether it be for weddings or your own personal collection.



Posh Girl Vintage

Posh Girl Vintage logo

A great site for dresses, accessories, and anything "Audrey style" (how adorable is that??).  In particular, it showcases some beautiful vintage lace hair pieces as well as some jazzy jewelry, categorized by decade.  I'm fairly certain I've found my rehearsal dinner dress on this site already.



For The Vintage Gifts:

For tea-lover brides, consider giving vintage tea tin boxes as part of the bridesmaid gifts:

Wedding Tea, 20 Sachets in Vintage Tins by Harney & Sons

Harney & Sons "Wedding Tea"

These sachets feature a gourmet blend of lemon-vanilla, pink rosebuds and petals.  Plus, the vintage tin makes a fond memento.  Engrave them for an added personalized touch!





For The Vintage Taste:

Some pretty unbelievable vintage-style wedding cakes...
I definitely will take a break from my Mad Men marathon for this!

"The Ultimate Cake Off, Season 2: Vintage Hollywood Wedding"

"Ultimate Cake Off" series

A Website for Green Hotels and Carbon Friendly Flights!

The wedding planning is certainly starting to speed up a bit.

We are currently at the 7-month marker which (according to the wedding planning timeline) means a hotel needs to be selected for guests.

On a side note, does anyone ever feel like their wedding has become a child that you're always referring to in terms of "how many months" it is?

Anyway, we're looking for some "green" hotels in the grand, beautiful city of Chicago.

Here is a fantastic site I've found to be helpful that allows you to do a global search of eco-friendly hotels:

Green Hotel Finder.com
by Sustainability Intelligence

Green Globe, Inc.

With the help of Green Globe, Inc. as a third-party certifier of environmentally friendly practices, Sustainability Intelligence has created this green tourism website--- allowing us enjoy the luxury of travel without compromising the Earth.

All of the hotels found on this website have received green sustainability certification.  And since it allows you to search by continent or country, it's a great resource when looking for your green honeymoon hotel as well!

Plus, you can even do a "Carbon Friendly Flight Search" to compare airlines that are the most eco!

Happy Green Travels!

The Beginnings of an Eco-Registry...

As we begin the registry search, I wanted to share a few alternative, eco-friendly options to the standard "go-to" wedding registry sites.

Don't get me wrong... I'm a sucker for Crate and Barrel and Williams-Sonoma too and will most likely include one of them in the registry list.  But I also want to search out some lesser-known, "smaller fish" companies that are committed to sustainable, recycled, and fair-trade products.

The following is the start of my non-narrowed-down registry list... most likely with more to come.

Ten Thousand Villages:
A website that encourages fair-trade with artisans across the globe.  Not only can you find eco-friendly products, you can also furnish your home with a bamboo vase from Vietnam or a recycled water glass pitcher from Bolivia.

Viva Terra:
Translation: "Living Earth."
This company is the essence of eco practices and eco products.  They have a sizeable selection of bed, bath, dining, and decor furnishings.  Even if you don't use it as a registry, you at least have to check out their doormat made out of discarded tape-measurers:

Tape Measure Mat by Viva Terra

Or recycled flip-flops:

Flip Flop Door Mat by Viva Terra

Also, an easy go-to-resource for all things wedding and green:

The Registry on the Green Bride Guide

I highly recommend the book too: The Green Bride Guide   
Add it to your registry for an early shower gift!

And finally, there's Gaiam.

I remembered Gaiam moreso for yoga products and just now discovered their eco-home department.  Just click on their "Eco Home + Outdoor" tab and register-away!  Plus, they're currently having an 80% off annual sale.  :-)