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.  :-)

An eco place to lay your head... and your rings.

The registry search has begun!

One of the first items on our Eco-home-furnishing-hunt:
Comfy pillows that make you feel like you're sleeping on a cloud...

It is not a matter to be dealt with lightly.

Since we are of the Eco mindset, organic cotton sheets and pillows have certainly become a consideration.  But did you know bamboo is used to make pillows too??

As you can tell, I certainly did not and am pleased to have discovered them.

Bamboo is a fantastic material because it is...

1. Biodegradable.  
2. Antibacterial & Antifungal.
3. Well-air-ventilated.
4. Moisture-repellent (4x more than cotton).
5. A heat-trapper or heat-reducer (depending on the season).

Here are a few bamboo pillows for both your and the Earth's comfort:


1. Parker & Morgan Bamboo Pillows
These are currently on sale too!  $58 vs. $98. 
Always a bonus.

Natori Ogee

2. Natori Ogee
For those with Macy's registries, here's your bamboo option.  A blend of bamboo and cotton, they are vibrant and decorative.



3. Bamboo Fibers from Tripact

A combo of bamboo and cotton.

Earth Therapeutics

4. Earth Therapeutics
25% discount for their bamboo pillow set!





Also, in my pillow search, I also spotted a bamboo ring pillow for the ring bearer!

The Wilton Bamboo Ring Pillow can be found on the Knot or Wedding Channel websites, as well as at Jo Ann Fabrics.

Wilton Bamboo Fabric Ring Pillow

Your Wedding Party Will Flip for these Eco Flops

I don't know about you, but shoes can sometimes be the deciding factor whether my memories of an event are amazing... or painful.

If my feet are hurting, that's probably what I'll remember most.

A bridal guide suggestion is to provide the wedding party ladies with flip-flops so they can ditch the heels if they wish.  With the end of summer, I thought it might be a good time to search for flip-flops since there may be a discount or two to take advantage of.

Here are a few biodegradable flip flops that are made from recycled materials, offer a variety of colors, and are really cute too!

The first is a "Groupon" offer.  If you're not familiar with Groupon, it will send "daily deals" in your area, so you can get approximately 50% off products, dining, and entertainment.  Here's the link for this flip-flop Groupon deal: $12 for eco-friendly FeelGoodz sandals (the original price is $30).

Another eco-friendly sandal is called "Flippee."  You can find these on the Simple Store website.  It is biodegradable, made of recycled materials, vegan (meaning no animal products were used in the process), and even comes in a biodegradable bag!

For a flop that's a bit less flashy, there are Recycled Sole Seeker Black Flip Flops from Soul's Calling.  I do like the stars and circles that outline your toes on these shoes.

And let's not forget the guys too!  Especially if you're doing a destination wedding, here is a recycled sandal from Ripcurl as part of their "Project Resurrection." They're only $13 too!  Or Soul's Calling also has the same black flip flop for guys (see above).

Planting a Tree in Your Honor.

Whenever I think of "wedding favors" I think of that chalky pastel colored candy in a white mesh bag tied with plastic bells.

I would always try one, thinking maybe I'd like it at this wedding.

It always got tossed as soon as I got home. 
(In the compost, that is.)

So, it got me thinking about what kind of favor would be better for the planet... and more appreciated by guests. 

Two years ago, I went to a wedding where they made a charitable contribution in lieu of favors.  I thought that was a great idea.  And then with this "tree centerpiece" blog last week, I thought, "Hey,  why not give guests a tree they can plant which would offset their carbon emissions too!"

But with a lot of guests from out of town, do they really want to pack a tree in their bags?  Probably not.  Furthermore, trees are specific to certain regions.  Do we get a different tree for my cousin who lives in Alaska and then another one for my grandparents in Florida?

Now I'm just creating unnecessary stress.  And all brides know that if you can avoid extra stress, do all you can to keep it that way.

Instead, the Arbor Day Foundation is going to help out.

For a dollar each, the Arbor Day Foundation's "Trees in Celebration" program will plant trees in one of our national forests to commemorate any special occasion.  Even better, you can have that tree dedicated "in honor of" each guest.  The Arbor Day Foundation provides certificates which are printed on recycled paper from sustainable sources.

My friend Stefanie had another great idea:  put the certificate at each table setting in lieu of placards.

I think we have a favor-winner!


And P.S., as a dentist's daughter, did you really think I was going to give out candy?  :-)

Trees for your Centerpiece

Oh, to sit in the shade of a tree on a sweltering summer day...

There’s something so tranquil, so comforting.

In the words of that Kaiser-Permanente commercial (the one advocating electronic files to save more trees): “I will never see an 80-page document that’s more beautiful than a tree.”

Or in the words of one of my students:  “Homework kills trees!”

No, I’m not trying to prevent homework from being assigned, but the argument does stand.  We need to take care of our trees and maintain their necessary presence in our communities.

Here are some fun tree facts
(thanks to http://www.treesaregood.org/):

• 
  
  Trees are the longest living organisms on earth.

• 
  
  In one year, an acre of trees can absorb as much carbon as is produced by a car driven up to 8700 miles.

• Trees provide shade and shelter, reducing yearly heating and cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars.

• Trees improve water quality by slowing and filtering rain water as well as protecting aquifers and watersheds.

To show our love for trees, one thing we are considering is using them as our centerpieces.

Duranta trees (or shrubs) are whispy and elegant, with clusters of lavendar colored flowers.

Some other trees that could make great centerpieces include:

Olive trees

The trees of peace.

Olive Tree

Manzanita trees—great for fall weddings since the bark has a reddish hue to it.

Manzanita Tree

Fruit trees- from apple to lemon to cherry to Jaboticaba... pick a fruit that your wedding’s location is known for!

Jaboticaba Fruit Tree Plant

Or even try “ivy trees”.

Ivy Topiaries

And don’t forget to attach a “How to Care for this Tree” instruction card on the base of the plant.  To ensure the tree will grow well in the climate it is being taken to (in case any roadtripping guests want to take one home), find out at: Fast Growing Trees, and click on “Will my tree grow in this area?”