Eco-Vintage Weddings

Green Friday: Eco-Friendly Shoes!

While searching Etsy for shoes to wear for our wedding, I came across Hydra Heart, which offers handmade vegan eco-friendly shoes for brides and consumers alike! These shoes are intended for both indoor and outdoor use, and are 100% vegan and organic.

Hydra Heart uses exclusive original designs taken from hand-drafted patterns. From redefined Mary Janes to custom bridal flats, Hydra Heart has something for everyone!

Check out Hydra Heart on Etsy here.

Our Wedding: Bouquet Inspiration!

I’ve started to focus a little more on wedding flowers within the past week, and I’ve decided that I would like to use real flowers for my bouquet. After making this inspiration board (below), I’m even more excited about my bouquet!

Aren’t these flowers beautiful?! But with no flower market in sight here in Sioux Falls (apart from the farmer’s market, where we might try to get flowers for my bridesmaids), I think it might be best if I bring this inspiration board to a local florist to explain what I’m looking for in my bouquet. Maybe it will be possible for us to pick up loose flowers a day or so before our wedding, and for me and my mother to try to arrange them ourselves?

I am looking forward to starting this process!

[Inspiration board made via Style Me Pretty's Style Circle]

Green Friday: The Importance of Etsy & eBay

In the past few weeks, I’ve purchased the following items from Etsy: gifts for my bridesmaids, a fascinator which I plan to wear in my hair at our wedding, mini-valentines that are plantable (!!), and a lovely vintage hat for our photobooth. I’m also in talks with another artist on Etsy about having her craft dresses for our flower girls (more on this soon!).

But, given all of these purchases from Etsy, I got to thinking about how supporting the work of artists is another way to ”greenify” your wedding.

I read on blog after blog about the importance of supporting local artists/vendors when selecting who you’d like to help you on your wedding day. But isn’t the importance of supporting artists IN GENERAL, local or not, also important, given the alternative (investing in the lackluster mission of chain stores by purchasing pre-packaged, assembly-line-produced merchandise)?

I also thought more about eBay. eBay is literally an online thrift store full of items begging to be refurbished and reused. Instead of purchasing a brand new wedding dress, some brides select vintage or preowned gowns from eBay or other sites. Furthermore, by investing in collectible items, such as vintage typewriters, vintage hankies and much more, brides have the opportunity to perpetuate and honor the history of these items. What can be more “green” than that?

There needs to be more discussion of alternatives to greenifying America’s weddings. It’s not simply about recycled paper, soy-based ink and organic food; it’s more about making conscious, easy choices with the environment in mind.

What do you think? How are you “greenifying” your wedding?

Green Monday: Green Printing Facts

Have you ever considered the environmental impact of the inks you use in your printer? If you haven’t, you certainly will after hearing statistics like this:

- Conservatree suggests that one ton of office and printing paper may require up to 24 trees.

- According to the Forest Stewardship Council, the U.S. is the largest market for paper products in the world, producing 90 million tons of paper and consuming about 100 million tons each year; about 25% of timber cut annually in the U.S. is used to make paper.

To combat the displacement of trees to make paper, many printing companies today are using as much recycled content as possible, or are utilizing paper made from sustainably harvested forests.

Here’s how the recycling process works, according to GreenerPrinter:

In the recycling process, paper is washed and deinked before being made into pulp. This pulp goes through a bleaching process (ideally processed chlorine free) and is formed into paper by removing the water, drying the paper, and cutting it into rolls or sheets for use. An important measure to look for in recycled paper is the post-consumer waste content. The difference between recycled and post-consumer waste (PCW) is that PCW refers to paper that has already been used by consumers – basically, it’s the paper that we toss into our recycle bins – whereas recycled paper might include materials that never reached the consumer, such as magazines that were printed but never sold.

Printing companies are also utilizing soy-based inks (ink that is derived from soybeans) instead of petroleum-based inks, which are made using a non-renewable resource (petroleum) and also release volatile chemicals into the environment called VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).

For more information on green printing, or to purchase products that have been printed utilizing soy-based ink or recycled papers, click here.

NOTE: This post is not sponsored by the above company, individual, service or product line.

Green Friday: Bravo Bride!

Good morning, readers! Today I’m showcasing yet another resource available to you budget-savvy, eco-conscious brides: BravoBride!

BravoBride exists as an online marketplace of gently used wedding-related items, spanning from wedding gowns to party & shower items to bridal jewelry. In addition to providing a user-friendly marketplace of wedding lovelies, BravoBride supports the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign by donating a portion of their proceeds to the charity.

Furthermore, when you shop on BravoBride, you’re not just getting the wedding items you need at a great price. You’re also making an eco-friendly choice to re-use and pass along.

Click here to visit BravoBride online!

NOTE: This post is not sponsored by the above company, individual, service or product line.

[Photo: Bravo Bride]

Green Monday: Recycled Bride!

Hello readers, and happy Monday! I hope that you all are ready for one jam-packed week of posts, because I have a lot in store for you!

Today I want to introduce you to yet another wonderful resource for brides out there who are looking to save some “green” – that being money AND the earth! Recycled Bride is another eco-friendly toolbox full of loveliness available to you.

Existing as an online marketplace of wedding goods, Recycled Bride believes that everybody’s wedding stuff deserves a second chance to make a first impression. From wedding gowns to reception centerpieces and wedding gifts, Recycled Bride helps you to maximize your budget while minimizing your carbon footprint.

Head on over to Recycled Bride to peruse what’s up for sale now, or to put your own items up for sale! Also, check out the Recycled Bride blog for some lovely posts from the creator of Recycled Bride, Tracy!

Green Monday: Mason Jar Love

Happy Monday, readers! I was gifted the entire weekend off from my part-time job at Gymboree, and I got a few wedding-related crafts done! I can’t wait to share them with you soon.

A few weeks ago on Twitter, I stumbled upon a post from Intimate Weddings that literally made me stop in my tracks. Besides boasting a comprehensive venue search for intimate weddings on her site, Christina of Intimate Weddings has also collected tutorials and inspiration for some of the best DIY projects out there, making Intimate Weddings a literal hub of DIY goodness.

Because J and I plan to incorporate mason jars into our wedding decor, Christina’s post on these multi-purpose lovelies caught my eye recently. Before seeing this post, J and I figured that we would utilize mason jars as vases to hold flowers on on our reception tables. But after seeing this picture (at left), I now am on the hunt for more mason jars to achieve this affect!

I’ve always wanted to be married by candlelight, and this picture literally is just oozing with romance. Can you imagine collections of these mason jars lining the aisle?! How amazing.

The best part about mason jars is that they can be reused post-wedding for canning, storing foods like salsa, or utilized for gifts, such as hot chocolate mix, hard ingredients for cookie dough and more. Plus,mason jars are an easy, always available vase for your favorite garden flowers! Therefore, making an investment in mason jars is an eco-friendly, budget-friendly decor idea.

[Photo credit: Intimate Weddings]

Green Friday: Clay Hill Farm Giveaway!

Happy Friday, readers!

Today, I wanted to give you an update on the finalists in the Clay Hill Farm Wedding Giveaway.

Their stories are so inspirational, and their intentions honorable: each couple wants to bring their belief in eco-responsibility into their wedding day!

Click here to vote for the couple whose story touches you.

Happy weekend!

Green Monday: Green Favor Ideas!

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to introduce you all again to Dream Green Weddings, an online marketplace FULL of inspiration on eco-chic weddings.

Not a fan of wastefulness, but still want to offer your guests favors? Look no further than Dream Green Weddings‘ marketplace of eco-friendly wedding favors.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Organic Shea Butter Soap Wedding Favors

These favors, in the shape of X’s and O’s (how cute!) are made with pure, natural ingredients. Plus, the little soaps come with a tiny little gift box, adorned with a ribbon and a personalized label. And at just $3.25 a box, they’re affordable, too!

Birdseed Heart Organic Wedding Favors in Organza Bag

Inspired by the beauty of nature, give your guests little hearts adorned with birdseed made with natural ingredients. These little beauties will be handmade just for your wedding, and allow you to get creative: hang them from trees at your venue!

Live Bamboo Eco-Wedding Favor in a Bubble Vase

Nothing is more eco-friendly than giving your guests a living plant! These bamboo shoots are shipped directly from a California nursery. Symbolizing love, luck and happiness, bamboo is also a sustainable natural resource that takes little energy to harvest.

Have a great Monday!

Green Friday: Our Green Wedding Pledge

Happy Friday, readers! I am SO anxious for the weekend, even if I still have two shifts of work left. I may not have told you all that in December, I began working at Gymboree, the kids’ clothing store, here in our local mall. It’s a fun job, and is especially a nice break from the day-to-day office setting of my full-time job!

As I mentioned last week, today I’m ready to share with you all what Jordan and I are committed to doing to ensure that our wedding is “greener” than the average wedding affair. While I realize that we could be making more sacrifices that we are, Jordan and I feel comfortable with the choices we’re making thus far in our planning.

So, here’s our green wedding pledge:

1. We will inquire about and utilize recycled paper materials as much as we are able. I have already contacted a graphic designer at my father’s company (where our stationery will be printed) to investigate what our options are for recycled paper.

2. We will inquire about and utilize locally grown or organic food as much as our budget allows. I have already contacted our event coordinator at the Washington Pavilion, where our wedding reception will be held, about our caterers using locally grown or organic food. While we are on a very strict budget for our entire wedding planning, I am hopeful that our caterers will come back with a competitive quote.

3. We will incorporate plantable paper in at least one way throughout our wedding stationery. I love the symbolism behind the paper (just like our love is blooming, so will our guests’ flowers!), and it reinforces the purpose of renewable goods.

4. We will incorporate locally grown flowers as much as possible. My Mom and I have discussed the possibility of planting a wildflower garden in our backyard this summer from which we would take flowers for our reception decor. We also have beautiful peonies that bloom in our yard that we’re going to attempt to keep alive through the heat of summer. Last, as one of my dear friends mentioned to me in the past few weeks, sunflowers grow wild EVERYWHERE in South Dakota, and it wouldn’t be difficult at all to pick some, dress them up with ribbon and give them to my bridesmaids to carry.

5. While at this point I don’t believe we’ll be incorporating wedding favors, if we do decide to give our guests favors, they will be locally grown or locally handmade. I firmly believe in investing in the local economy!

6. We are utilizing my mother’s birdhouse collection as our reception decor, and are therefore eliminating extraneous waste or costs associated with renting/purchasing and then inevitably disposing of centerpieces.

7. We are supporting handmade goods by purchasing wedding accessories from Etsy. In the coming months, my veil and fascinator will be purchased via Tessa Kim’s shop on Etsy. In addition to those accessories, I also hope to purchase our guest book (remember this stump-inspired beauty?), jewelry for my bridesmaids, our cake topper, tutus for our flower girls, and monogrammed cuff links for our groomsmen from Etsy.

8. My Mom and I plan to make handmade napkins and handmade bout’s for our wedding day. By sewing our own napkins we A) cut down on rental costs at our reception venue, and B) eliminate waste that would be created by using paper napkins. By making bout’s for our guys out of fabric and/or non-floral material, we will again cut down on waste and will utilize renewable goods to accomplish the same effect as floral bout’s.

9. Jordan and I plan to build a photobooth to provide our guests with endless merriment at our wedding reception. I originally hoped to build our photobooth using found materials, and while that might still be possible, I am thinking of other ways to make our photobooth project green. As a start, we will be reusing our engagement session props for our photobooth (2 hearts on sticks, 2 mustaches on sticks, chalkboard + chalk). We also will be using a digital camera and tripod that Jordan’s family already owns, therefore cutting down on the waste that would be created if we utilized disposable cameras!

10. Last, I have a dream of being married by candlelight. I’m dreaming of an evening wedding (maybe 6:00 or 7:00), and being surrounded by candles. However, the candles we will utilize will be either soy or beeswax (lead-free, long-burning, made from renewable resources, not petroleum/paraffin).

How are YOU making your wedding green?

I’d love to hear from you!

[Photo via Dream Green Weddings by Caroline Ghetes]