Alison & Geoff's Green Wedding

Alison & Geoff were one of my few couples planning to incorporate eco-friendly vendors and details as much as possible. Beyond that, they were just a really fun couple to share the day with. I am so excited to share their photos with them. AND, just to torture me, they went to France for their honeymoon which everyone knows is where I want go SOOOO bad, but I can just live through them for the time being :)

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Salon: Michael Anthony which uses Aveda products (very eco-friendly)
Hotel: Palmer House
Dress: Nicole Miller
Invitations: Star Shaped Press (eco-friendly, recycled paper)
Flowers: Fleur (one we recommend for her efforts to use organic and local flowers)
Wedding Rings: Leber Jewelry (conflict free diamonds)
Venue: Columbus Park refectory (outdoor ceremony and ceremony and reception at the same site, supports City parks too!)
Catering: Berghoff
Cupcakes: Sweet Mandy B's
Mass Transport: Eved
DJ: Beep Media

I love this face of Geoff when he sees Alison! This is impressive, full pike position, all points off the ground!

Colleen and Tom's green wedding in Tahoe

As many of you remember, last year in celebration of my new brand, I held a contest for the most green wedding. After several entries and thousands of votes, Colleen and Tom were chosen by popular vote. A huge thanks to Carmen Salazar who came out to help in my still-recovering state and of course Aaron for pushing himself to help cover what I could not.

Last weekend, their wedding was finally here. Here is a link to Colleen and Tom's site where they list their green ways: http://tomco.nearlyweds.com/blogs/index

For a quick review:
* Vintage postcard invites instead of the traditional multiple-cards-within-envelopes-within cards-plus-tissue-paper scenario
* Guests received DIY carbon offsets, and we are going to plant trees on our friends' property while we're there.
* Some favors are organic, ethically-traded, and a portion of their cost goes to protect species, habitat and humanity.
* The bride's engagement ring originally belonged to Tom's grandmother Edna "Teddie" Shoaf.
* The bride wore a vintage dress, vintage shoes, and a veil worn by her mother and aunt.
* Bridesmaids are choosing dresses they will wear again.
* Rehearsal dinner will be held at Mamasake, a Cal-Asian sushi restaurant, which uses an eco-friendly fish supplier, uses organic ingredients when available, and offers numerous vegetarian and vegan choices.
* Reception food: quality veg options and organic wine
* Flowers were organically grown
* They chose sustainable items for the registry.
* Bridesmaid's gifts included handmade grocery totes, seeds, and old books upcycled into journals
* Ceremony and reception were at the same venue and the ceremony was held outdoors.
And some more pics of the day, I love this shot of Colleen while she is waiting for Tom to get out of her bridal suite :)

Stephenie and Mark's Green Wedding!

If you follow this blog, then you remember my green wedding give-a-way last year. Stephenie and Mark came in a VERY close second and I just couldn't let them walk away empty handed. We worked out a nice runner up discount and the relationship started there. They have been so fun and inspiring to work with and I am so impressed with how thoughtful they were in preparing for their wedding and sharing their love of sustainability with their friends and family.

The full list of their wedding and details can be found on their wedding website here but I will give you a run down here too.

They started out using the website to give people information and forgoing any save-the-dates. Their invitations were designed by friend Kendra Leigh Creative and were printed on recycled paper, with a tear off rsvp postcard. No envelopes required! Here are the programs as well which are made from recycled paper. The dress was made of natural earth-friendly materials and will be recycled to make baptismal gowns for their children the way her mom did with her wedding dress for Stephenie and Jenny. After the wedding they tossed lavender buds as a sustainable and fragrant option from beau-coup.com Then off to the reception at the Garfield Park Conservatory which was chosen for its historic landmark in Chicago as a place to go and learn about the community and how to incorporate sustainability and plants in your life. Pictured below are some other details.
Green shoes!!! maybe not eco-friendly but a very cute touch :)
They used Limelight Catering who have organic food options.
Reclaimed barn wood used as table settings and the cake holder (the cake even looked like wood!)
Used house numbers for the table settings
Expired coffee beans that will be ground and used for fertilizer
Soy candles with rented or borrowed holders
In lui of favors, donations were made to NAMI and American Cancer Society
And gift bags using recycled grocery bags for the guests! Last but not least, ME! Our green initiatives and giving back program are part of their plans to make their wedding eco-friendly and here are some more pictures, which are my main contribution to the day. Shannon showing Mark how its done :)