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!

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]

Today I wanted to share with you an important resource available when planning a green wedding: Eco-Beautiful Weddings – The E-zine!

Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine is a mag full of green goodness that was launched this December. Promising bi-monthly issues, this e-zine is literally green because of its format. Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine is only available online, which means, as editor-in-chief Katie Martin notes:

• No printing.
• No paper.
• No post-consumer waste.
• Carbon-free.
• Wind-powered.
• Socially responsible.

Can you get any greener than that?!

More about what’s inside:  look for Real Wedding features, along with DIY and design projects, upcycled projects, recycling redos, organic cuisine, green wellness and beauty, and eco-product spotlights! What more could you ask for in a green wedding magazine?

Editor-in-chief Katie is also making available to wedding professionals Eco-Beautiful Weddings Seminars! Are you utilizing a green space, caterer, photographer or the like? Make your green vendor aware of these seminars!

To view the premier issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine, click here!

To view the Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine blog, click here!

Check back for some Our Wedding goodness tomorrow!

[Logo found via Google; property of Eco-Beautiful Weddings]