Say “I Do” to a Green Wedding

It’s official: You’re engaged! Now it's time to plan in earnest. Weddings and receptions are some of the most rewarding events to create because you can showcase your personality and values while manifesting the dreams you may have had since childhood. The Bay Area is home to so many ecologically and socially responsible vendors that it is easy to make choices that are gentler on our environment. What a thoughtful way to step forward into your new married life.

Lisa Francesca

Organic flowers are one way to express your eco-friendly values. Below: Gowns made from hemp and silk blends are readily available.

Photograph courtesy LucieXYZ Photography. Below: Photograph courtesy Joey Cobbs

Event planner Stacy McCain has noticed eco-consciousness pervading all elements of wedding planning. These days her clients are asking how to manage carbon offsets based on the number of guests flying in from out of town. Visiting guests are likely to find a welcome basket from the bride and groom, packaged in a reusable tote and filled with local fruits, savories, and a water bottle monogrammed with the couple’s initials and wedding date.

“There’s a growing respect for resources,” says McCain. “As we plan the reception, brides are likely to say, ‘I’d like wines from the Santa Cruz region; what do you have with organic grapes?’ or, ‘I love that kind of flower, but if it is not in season or local, I’ll choose something else.’” She also observes more caterers volunteering for green certification. Live Green, Live Smart is one organization that creates and freely shares standards for the emerging green wedding industry.

Emeryville-based caterer Paula LeDuc became certified through the Bay Area Green Business program. Her website details the guidelines she has vigorously adopted in order to execute “events with lasting memories that do not have a lasting impact on our planet.” For example, she recently created wedding favors that were small pots of fig preserves made with figs from her own garden.

ZahZoom Weddings offers a useful blog by executive coordinator Nelle Donaldson, who keeps an eye on the latest green ideas. Donaldson says her green weddings “incorporate the practices of reducing waste, reusing products, and using recycled products. We consciously contribute to a more sustainable economy by buying fair trade/local goods and services, and we are mindful toward human rights and the environment.”

Planning on your own? The Knot, a favorite wedding site for many, has more than 50 tips for green weddings, including choosing soy candles and Prius limos. Holding your wedding outside, if it makes seasonal sense, could save on air conditioning. Having the wedding and reception in one place eliminates the bulk of fuel emissions.

Opinions are divided on the eco-friendly practice of sending electronic invitations and maps to the wedding or reception site. Going the electronic route means you can update information as needed, and your guests can carry the driving directions on their cell phones. However, some members of your family may not be as plugged in as others, and traditionalists often feel strongly that an e-vite is just too informal for a wedding.

Most everyone agrees that thank-you cards are always better handwritten on paper. Stationery is readily available made from recycled paper or bamboo or hemp fibers. Paper Source in Palo Alto and San Jose’s Santana Row offers a swatch book of several proprietary papers, most of which are recycled and chlorine-free. Birch Fine Paper in Los Altos offers a couple of eco-friendly wedding lines created by Petaluma press, Dauphine. These papers are from 100 percent recovered cotton, a byproduct of the textile process.

For some brides, the wedding dress is a great symbol for displaying eco-friendly values (see our wedding gown guide). One bride wore a hemp silk dress; another happened on a beautiful cream evening gown given away through her local chapter of Freecycle. She made sure there were plenty of wedding photos showing her gown, then she donated the free dress to another worthy cause. Grooms and groomsmen can easily rent tuxes, and bridesmaids will be eternally grateful if they are allowed black or navy cocktail dresses in the style of their choice, which they can always wear again.

If your local florist doesn’t already have vendors that provide sustainable or organically grown blooms, check out California Organic Flowers. This company grows most of their certified organic goods on their Terra Bella Farm in Chico. Other creative options for the bouquet include using silk flowers, which will last forever, or tiny potted plants, such as moss and blossoms carried in an eggshell lined with just enough earth to survive the event. The bride who chooses to go completely flowerless could carry a delicate bouquet of paper cranes or vintage lace handkerchiefs.

After the ceremony, the party begins. Your eco-consciousness can be reflected in your reception’s table cards and centerpieces. One couple used recycled glass tiles for table escorts, while another bride formed rivers of blue and green recycled glass pebbles, which “flowed” down each table as a graceful, informal centerpiece. Guests were able to play with the pretty stones over dinner and take a handful home with them.

Wedding favors are another area where your green values can be expressed. Local chocolates and packets of wildflower seeds make a sweet, hopeful packet. A socially responsible option is to select three or four nonprofit organizations, then represent each charity with a basket and a written description. Each guest receives a token with their name on it, and tosses their token into the basket of their choice. The wedding couple makes donations to each charity based on how many names are in each basket.

When it comes time to cut the wedding cake, Campbell’s Satura Cakes specializes in yummy concoctions made with high-quality, organic ingredients from local vendors.