Wedding Wednesday: Getting green, literally

While we often talk about green weddings, it dawned on me that there was an actual green element we might have been missing...plants! So today is dedicated to incorporating natural lush greens such as succulents, grass, herbs, and vines, to truly make your wedding green. 

Succulents:

These delightful green plants have roots, stems, and leaves that store water to survive long droughts. They make great favors since they require limited amounts of watering and survive for long periods of time when placed in windowsills with great light. Not to mention, they can add a great earthy green tone or even a gray-blue hue to any color pallet. 

                    
By:            Beautiful Bridal                               Heavenly Blooms                          Santa Barbara Chic

                     

Fresh Herbs:

From thyme to basil, jasmine and mint, herbs add a burst of fragrance and a rustic natural feeling to a tablescape or bouquet. Place them in a silver pot and send them home with your guests to add to their garden or incorporate into dinner next week.

             
By:                  The Wedding Dish                                                               Aislinn Events 

                                  
                                                                        Kate Miller Events

Grass:

While outdoor events will naturally have a grass element incorporated, there are other fun ways to use earth's natural blanket. 

                   
By:        Wedding and Cakes                        Simple Perfect Weddings                    Wedding Bee

Happy Greening!

      

Eco-Monday: A Green Wedding

As a local to the Annapolis area, I had visited the Phillip Merrill Environmental Center many times on field trips and for several research projects. However, it was not until recently that I discovered they also hosted gorgeous water front weddings and boasted the title of "one of the world's most energy-efficient buildings." 

Opening in 2001, this building hosts the headquarters for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). This foundation is dedicated to protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay as well as educating people of all ages about their role in Bay conservation. The unique location of this building, situated right between Black Walnut Creek and the Bay, really emphasized the need for an eco-friendly establishment. First, the CBF created several unique structures on the premises that have aided in waterlife restoration. Man made wetlands allow storm water to pass through a natural treatment center before running off into the Bay. They have also planted many native plants, such as underwater grasses and trees in order to restore habitats for animals that may have been misplaced by housing developments.  

As far as the building goes, almost all of the materials used are recycled and renewable. Cork is the largest used material throughout the building as it makes up the wall panels and flooring. Bamboo was used for all the stairs as well as the main lobby flooring. Huge cisterns placed on the roof capture rain water and redistribute it throughout the building for everyday water needs. The toilets don't use water and instead boast a composting system that eliminates the amount of sewage being processed which in turn cuts down on nutrient pollution. 

Now, the icing on the cake, they do weddings! With their dedication to saving the Bay, the venue is surrounded by "acres of unspoiled beauty." Seeing as the venue is placed right on the beachfront, the amount of natural lighting and breathtaking bay views are unbeatable. For your guests, the venue is just minutes from historic downtown Annapolis, and yet has a great secluded feel that makes your wedding intimate and unique. With a list of great preferred vendors, such as Main Ingredient for catering, Ego Media for photography, and The Gateway Florist for flowers, your event will have everything it needs to be successful! 

Fun Friday: A new type of flower

 In the spirit of staying green, today we wanted to share with you some great photos and DIY tutorials on how to create felt or fabric flowers. Not only will they stay "fresh" all day long but these pretty flowers can be re-used throughout your house to embellish pillows or clutches. 


    

These great idea boards demonstrate all the different and creative ways fabric flowers could be used during your big day. 

                            

Feel free to get creative and add buttons or attach name cards for seating assignments. 

Embellish a journal and gift them to your bridesmaids, or reuse the flowers from your wedding to embellish a clutch. 

Thanks to Skip to my Lou, you can learn how to make 11 different fabric flowers here.

My Big Fat Green Wedding Series: The Day is Here!

After much anticipation on all ends, the day we've all been waiting for finally arrived. The bride was glowing, the groom was, in his usual way, quiet and full of reserved happiness and the details...AMAZING! Nothing says it better than photos. Enjoy.

The Bride wore a beautiful silk gown, rented from One Night Affair and a birdcage veil, made exclusively for her by...

The flowers? To Die For. Bursts of bright yellow billy buttons, spider mums, calla lilies, mixed with brilliant white daisies and calming dusty miller leaves and succulents. And the best part? They were all arranged on-site by the groom's mother and friends of the bride, with a lot of love and attention.

Two stone place mats represent the bride and groom. Dining together, forever.

The Centerpieces: perfectly placed succulents in circular bowls on some tables and some burst of color with ferns picked the day before (off the side of road) on others. A perfect blend of this and that.

The family of the bride.

Both the Maid of Honor's dress and the Aunt's dress were made from recycled fabrics. And what better way to accessorize than with an Emerson Made Bag, a Green with Envy Favorite!

Girls just want to have fun!

And the best part? My daughter, Siena, getting lots of love from Auntie Janine and mommy.

Perfect way to end the day, with kisses all around.

Hope you all have a fabulous Thursday! xoxo, Laura

My Big Fat Green Wedding: Favors

The wedding day is fast approaching and as we all know by now, we have a pretty resourceful bride on our hands. Most aspects of the wedding incorporate a green or sustainable element (from the venue and locally sourced food/produce to the bride's gown), so of course the favors for the guests were to be no exception.

As a token of their appreciation, the bride and groom have chosen to come full circle with their favor creation. Since the actual ceremony and luncheon will be an intimate affair, in lieu of the traditional flower boutonnieres, the couple chose to present the men attendees with a Beer Buttonaire, made by the bride herself with so much love and care.

The women will also receive special Beerings, crafted with the same design on the watercolor invitations; images of beautiful yellow and green California Poppies that embody the spirit of Big Sur.

Guests will also receive a foot soak to ease the pain after many hours of dancing. Unbleached muslin bags, purchased from Save on Crafts, will be filled with a scented, organic chamomile and Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, a perfect blend to toss into the tub to end the day at this beautiful resort and spa.

As we know from this previous post, the bride creates these Beerings to not only save bottle caps, but also as an additional way to give back and create awareness. If you want to make a difference, other creative Beering designs can be purchased at Beerings for Change.

Have a great week. xoxo, Laura

My Big Fat Green Wedding: Invitations, Redone!

With the wedding less than a month away, invitation have gone out and guests have started RSVP'ing. Since the color scheme was changed a few weeks ago, from bold and bright sunset shades to romantic yellows and grays, the original artwork had to be changed as well.

Amy Tan, owner of The TreeSpace Studio did an amazing job with this new set. The colors sublty remind one of the California poppies and wild succulents that dot the Big Sur Coast. She really embodied the spirit of the location as well as the calm, relaxed moods of the bride and groom.

Thoughts?

xoxo, Laura

My Big Fat Green Wedding: Colors, Flowers and a modern twist...

Your color and flower choices for your wedding say so much about the couple, so it's absolutely crucial to select colors that are a reflection of the two of you . Janine and Ken, from the My Big Fat Green Wedding Series, had done just that (or so they thought). But then they changed their minds! That is okay to do, as long as you clue in your vendors with enough notice to put together your new vision.

In this case, since their centerpieces are being created by the creative bride herself (with collaboration from the Groom's mother), changing the color scheme and flower choices came with ease. Instead of the bright hues of amethysts, oranges and yellows that were to mimic the sunset, the bride realized that she and her groom are well, more mellow and modern. With this in mind, they choose their new scheme of calming hues of greys and yellows.

The greys were inspired by the Dusty Miller Plant, which the groom loves from his backyard. Whether they are potted or placed in orbs, it's full leaves will add plenty of dimension to any arrangement.

As for the touches of yellow, burst of Billy Buttons will not only add plenty of color, but also some great texture.

The other flower that might be found here or there, is called the Silver Brunia, which has a great silver tone to it and is very light and airy to the touch.

The Eco Friendly Sola Moss and Sola Flowers will be incorporated in the shape of Roses and Gardenias and will be the perfect finishing touch (please see Green with Envy's previous post to learn more about these sustainable flowers).

Always remember that with a little imagination, your selections can be something sustainable. Whether or not all of these options are incorporated into the final pieces, thinking and planning ahead will allow this Bride to reuse the arrangements in her home or for her non-profit events, for many years to come!

Have a great week. Xoxo, Laura

My Big Fat Green Wedding: Engagement Party Photos

Hope everyone had a lively 4th of July weekend filled with good spirits, sun, remembrance and fireworks galore! I just wanted to quickly update everyone on our My Big Fat Green Wedding Series. The couple had their engagement party a few weeks back, and I wanted to share some photos from the soiree.

Location: Pourtal Wine Tasting Bar in Santa Monica, California

Date: Saturday, June 21, 2010

Photography: Leo S. Delati Photography

Attire: LA Casual

In Attendance: Family, friends, well wishers and all around lovers of good times

Our happy couple, Janine and Ken!

Love, Love, Love!!

Babies just wanna have fun (and snack on a finger or two)!

That better be an important text!

Old friends and partners for life; Scott and Ken, from The Crystal Method

Janine with a couple of her girls...

Plenty of Smiles and Love to go around

Thanks to everyone in attendance, the couple felt plenty of love that night! And, this is only the beginning... Have a great week! Xoxo, Laura