Green Options

Unbridaled is the new thing in bridal expos. The focus is on going green and shopping local for all your wedding needs.

On January 10, 2009 the second Unbridaled event will take place at the Crane Arts Building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 10 am to 4 pm.

Oblation Papers and Press is a unique old-world style letterpress print shop, urban paper mill and fine paper boutique. I found them while researching my green wedding book. They create custom wedding invitations on recycled cotton fiber paper. They also create many other types of beautiful papers, cards, and note cards. I just discovered they have a beautiful selection of holiday cards, stylish, elegant and perfect for a green holiday season’s greeting.

It’s about time someone offered a service that allows you to create your own photo greeting cards that are printed on eco-friendly paper. My Good Greetings does just that.

For the first time, beautiful custom photo greeting cards, announcements and invitations, with matching envelopes and address labels, are completely earth-conscious – from printing to packaging – every step of the way.

Smock is a brand new stationery and invitation line designed by Amy Graham Stigler (founder of Snow & Graham) and sustainably letter-pressed on bamboo paper.

Smock is the first print shop in the U.S. to offer printing on a luxurious and sustainable bamboo paper, which is made just for them at a historic European paper mill.

Blue Sky Bridal is Seattle’s eco-friendly wedding gown shop. They carry a large selection of used wedding gowns for budget and green brides. Plus 5% of their proceeds are donated to environmental protection, so very green.

If you live in or near Seattle and are in the market for a used gown this is the place for you. In addition to the used and vintage gowns they have always offered they now carry organic hemp/silk gowns by Conscious Clothing one of the premier creators of eco-friendly wedding gowns.

Clay Hill Farm is giving away a green wedding package to one lucky couple worth over $40,000.

“The Clay Hill Farm’s Green Wedding Giveaway contest challenges couples on the verge of a major life commitment to explore the parallel of a commitment to each other and a commitment to the earth. This is not a contest measuring green. Not at all. This is a creative challenge of exploration and awakening.”

Marriage is about commitment and compromise, so is being green. Clay Hill Farm wants to know if these two concepts can be explored in conjunction? Is there a place for green at your table?

There’s a new photo sharing site on the web, The Wedding Lens.

The Wedding Lens is a photo sharing site specifically designed for weddings. They are relatively new and are trying to help couples make their weddings a bit greener while collecting their photo memories.

The Wedding Lens is meant to be used as a replacement for the plastic disposable wedding cameras that so many people have been using at weddings over the years.

Buying vintage is trendy and very eco-hip. If you are planning a green wedding, vintage wedding gowns are very popular. Many cost a fortune at specialty vintage stores and vintage wedding gown sites but I just found a couple on Etsy.com that are super reasonably priced. They are simple and elegant and might be perfect for the bride planning a simple and sustainable wedding.

How to Get Married in Green: Have an Eco-Friendly Wedding Without Compromising on Style by Suzan St. Maur is a fabulous, comprehensive guide for any bride (and groom) who are interested in planning a green wedding, especially if they are in the UK.

One of the hardest things about planning my upcoming wedding is figuring out what to serve - we want to offer a full bar and local fare, but how far do we have to go to ensure that it’s organic, free range, local and so on…as if we didn’t have enough details to handle in the first place?

From the minute you get engaged, you are bombarded by questions about your wedding - what are your colors, where will you have it, when will it be? Fortunately, there are experts to help guide you in answering all of these questions. And, for eco-savvy brides-to-be, there are several options when it comes to serving up a green wedding.

For all of the green girls who will be wearing white soon, here are some books to help you take small, sustainable steps down the aisle.