Green Wedding Tips and Trends Guide

In our commitment to support ECO-friendly weddings, the BWG would like to share several of our eco-conscious wedding services. ONE small green choice can make a BIG difference in saving our planet.

Here is a list of our vendors and the Eco-friendly services they can provide. Please click on their websites for further information.

Wedding Planner

Beverly Ann Bonner - The Wedding Beautiful, Inc.

With the assistance of The Wedding Beautiful, Inc., couples can choose many eco-friendly options in all areas of their ceremony and reception. Here are just a few:

Select a reception site with hook-ups for electric cars and is a member of greenhotels.com.

Choose caterers who use locally grown organic foods; who provide pitchers of water as an alternative to bottles; and provide sugar cubes instead of packets on tables and coffee bars.

Select florists who offer potted plants rather than cut flowers. Long after your event is over, potted plants can be enjoyed by others such as nursing home residents.

Invitations

Arlene Cronk - Invitations & Company

Invitations & Company provides invitations and party favors that will complement your ECO-friendly wedding. With a wide selection of recycled paper invitations as well as 100% cotton invitations from several fine manufacturers, , you can show your earth friendly attitudes from the time your guests receive their invitations.

An often overlooked feature of 100% cotton paper is that it contains no wood or wood pulp products. Without these additives, 100% cotton papers are archival in quality and will never fade or turn yellow.

Arlene and her team are able to provide many other green options for your wedding including hand made paper favors and line of fresh flower and wildflower seed favors that can be planted to produce a perennial living, blooming memory of your event.

Venues

Nikki Wescott - Seaport Hotel

The Seaport Hotel is committed to reducing the overall carbon footprint of their operation. "Seaport Saves" is a ground-breaking environmental program dedicated to increasing sustainability and conservation throughout the organization. Here are a few examples of their program:

• Offering an extensive fresh and locally grown organic menu and wine list to their guests (check out their sample menus on the website)
• Providing soy candles and silk trees to enhance the ballroom
• Utilizing dimmable, energy efficient lighting
• Recycling all left over food through their bioX system

Jennifer Sepulveda - The Harvard Club

The Harvard Club practices extensive sustainable recycling with the assistance of "Save Our Stuff" and keeps their facility clean and green through the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Stephanie Blass - Boston Marriott - Quincy

Stephanie Blass suggests that food is where you can make the biggest impact. Stephanie says, "take into account these three small things when planning your event and you can make a difference." 1) be sure that your coffee and chocolate come from sustainable producers and countries that practice fair trade, 2) check that the sugar used is organic 3) avoid using disposable decorations or use decor that you can use again like ribbon, paper lanterns or fabrics.

Beverages

David Salzman - Espresso Dave's Specialty Coffee Catering

Espresso Dave?s now offers green options to its clients. Espresso Dave's baristas can serve up delicious espresso-based, specialty coffee beverages in fully biodegradable and compostable cups.

Hot beverages: Choose from chlorine-free, sugar cane based cups or those made of paper that is free of chlorine, petrochemicals and animal ingredients coated with a polylactic acid which is made from corn and potatoes.

Iced and frozen beverages: Order clear cups which are made of resin derived from corn starch.

Another great green option is to special-order reusable ceramic or travel mugs featuring the event logo or corporate message. These serve a dual purpose: as favors. Or, let us discuss glassware and china rental options with your caterer.

Caterers

Joni Aldrich - Tiger Lily Caterers

In an effort to help save our oceans one plate at a time, we now serve only fish harvested by sustainable fishing techniques.

Cakes

Jennifer Williamson - Jenny's Wedding Cakes

Jenny uses only cage free eggs produced by chickens fed only with natural feed & supplements. She also uses hormone free milk from a local dairy. This not only provides the freshest and most natural cakes, but also uses less energy in the delivery of the ingredients. Everything she offers is made fresh to your specific order, so there is limited waste that is fully recycled in an environmentally sound way.

Flowers

Jeri Solomon - Jeri Solomon Floral Design

Jeri will work with growers who are actively promoting better environmental practices such as using earth friendly fertilizers and chemicals. A few tips from Jeri:

• Use seasonal and local flowers. Locally grown flowers require less transportation
• Use recycled containers such as glassware from antique shops
• For a rustic style, use painted coffee cans or glass jars for centerpiece containers

Makeup

Jackie Norrie - Wedding Tresses

Jackie offers event site salon services which reduces the carbon imprint of your event by reducing the fuel used to transport an entire wedding party to and from the salon.

Her makeup products are all natural, mineral-based, amd contain no fillers, talc or harsh chemicals. Good for your skin and good for the environment.

She also employs tools that can be cleansed and reused. For example, cotton and hemp are renewable resources that are an alternative to manufactured sponges.

Nancy Antoine - Antoine Cosmetics

Antoine cosmetics often uses organic and natural products. They use mineral makeup and their skin care line contains only botanical ingredients and chemical free fragrance. At their studio organic cleaning supplies are used exclusively. Soon, we will be using fabric bags for salon purchases instead of paper.

Video

Kathryn Horemiotis - SH Videography

Frequently couples will request a a demo DVD of their work prior to scheduling a meeting. At the time of the meeting they exchange the DVD for a special surprise. In the end they re-use the DVD and save a small amount space in the landfill. After producing your event, they recycle the DVCAM tapes used in the taping process. And, in an effort to reduce the amount of paper they use, they conduct business over the phone, internet or in person as much as possible.

Limo

Eleanor Slye - Christopher Limousine

Using a limo service can dramatically help reduce emission on your special day. Transporting up to 10 people in one vehicle as opposed to five, reduces the emissions by at least 400%. When waiting for passengers our drivers are instructed to shut off the vehicles and their maintenance staff keeps all cars up to date with emissions laws. Green cleaning products are used on their fleet to protect the water supply. They use champagne glasses instead of plastic and recycle all bottles after use.

Minister

Reverend Maddie Sifantus

Maddie will speak to her couples about eco friendly choices-especially from the philosophical level.

Finally, here are a few simple things to think about that could make difference:

LOCATION - Stay local and reduce the carbon emissions. Have your ceremony and reception at the same location and near public transportation. Have out of town guests rent hybrid cars.

APPAREL - Go vintage or slightly worn. Pick materials made of hemp or organic fabrics like cotton, silk or bamboo.

CANDLES - choose candles with a soy or beeswax base

CAMERAS - Don’t allow disposables

FAVORS - Opt for organic chocolate and use small plants as centerpieces so guest can plant them after the wedding. Be a trendsetter and offer natural soaps in the rest rooms. Guests might catch on and purchase them for themselves down the road

DONATIONS - Donate food to a homeless shelter - instead of providing guests favors give a donation to your favorite charity in their name.

RENT - real glasses, dishware and linens.

DON’T use anything Styrofoam or plastic!