At EcoStiletto, we always cry at weddings. After all, the typical U.S. wedding is not just an occasion for opulence and elegance--it's also an occasion for excessive resource use, unchecked wastefulness and extreme environmental impact. "
The typical American wedding typically includes things like conflict-sourced diamonds set in gold mined with cyanide--the furthest thing from a representation of true love," said eco-wedding planner Paige Anderson Appel of Los Angeles, CA based
Bash Eco Events.
Paige recommends checking in with carbon-offsetter TerraPass'
wedding carbon-footprint calculator when planning your nuptials, making
Organic Bouquet your go-to, and avoiding traditional wedding staples like pesticide-laden gowns, asthma-inducing paraffin candles, tree-gobbling invitations and non-recyclable gifts and favors.
No wonder we weep.
Wish your big day could have a smaller footprint, ecoista? Read on.
RESOURCES
Think Craigslist with everything you want, and nothing you don't:
Recycled Bride is a free marketplace for brides who want to maximize their budget dollars while minimizing their carbon footprint. Just one surf through Recycled Bride led us to all kinds of prize finds: Gently used gowns (
like the gorgeous frock pictured above) from in-demand designers Romona Keveza and Pronovias, Stuart Weitzman bridal sandals, silver cake knife sets, glass candle holders and much, much more. Buy, sell or just browse, and be sure to check out founder (
and recent bride) Tracy DiNunzio's super-cute Recycled Bride blog for inspired design ideas and practical recycling and repurposing tips.
**During the week of 5/17, one EcoStiletto member will win a $100 Shopping Spree at RecycledBride.com.**
And if you're going to buy one green-wedding-planning book, make it Kate L. Harrison's
The Green Bride Guide (
Sourcebooks, 2008). Thoughtful, well-organized, perfect for to-be-wed couples in any shade of green, Harrison's book is our favorite go-to guide for help with selecting invitations, reception locations, flowers--all the wedding essentials that typically add up to a big, fat carbon stomp. Want to save a few trees? Visit Harrison's
GreenBrideBuide.com for more of her smart, style-minded green wedding wisdom.
**During the week of 5/24, five EcoStiletto members will win a $14.99 copy of The Green Bride Guide.**
From its beautiful new store in Culver City, CA (
where brides can enjoy one-on-one consultations in a lovely Wedding Nook area created just for them, and enlist the talents of wedding photographer Kara Frans), eco-luxe letterpress and paper studio
Copper Willow takes green seriously--not easy for a purveyor of paper products. Using materials like tree-free, recycled-cotton paper and 100% soy inks, and letterpress machinery that's greased up with Earth-friendly solvents, female-owned Copper Willow turns out some of the most beautiful wedding invitations and paper gifts (
hello, one-year anniversary!) we've ever seen.
**During the week of 5/31, four EcoStiletto members will win a $24 Copper Willow Tagged Convertible Greeting Card Kit.**
Finally, do you really need another toaster?
DepositAGift.com is a cash gift registry service that makes sure you get exactly what you need--and want. Much friendlier than requesting--or receiving--a check, the registry looks and feels exactly like a traditional registry. And it should: It's modeled after the original gift registry that was started by Marshall Fields in 1924, with a database of images available to personalize the gift-giving process--including eco-friendly options like solar panels, an organic veggie garden, a composter, etc. Spending money wisely and with well-thought-out intention--that's green.
ESSENTIALS
Eco-fashion forerunner Crystal Miller has been working with
hemp fabrics for 15 years, and
Conscious Clothing, her fair-wage wedding line, is a testament to her experience with hemp/silk blends (
and, for the vegan vow-sayer, hemp/Tencel). We pledge our love for the classic Strapless Gown, all ruffled cascades accented by a ruby-red ribbon, and for the wedding night, a noir hemp/peace silk-satin nightie trimmed in cream organic cotton lace with matching boy shorts. Yes, indeed.
**During the week of 5/24, one EcoStiletto member will win a $190 Conscious Couture Hemp/Peace Silk-Satin Nightie and Boy Short Set.**
Demi donned their vintage wear for her wedding to Ashton. Nicole Kidman picked up some of their vintage under things for her wedding trousseau. If you love the idea of saying your vows in a wedding dress that has virtually
no environmental impact--you're giving it a new cradle, after all--you'll want to pay a visit to celeb-favorite
The Way We Wore, for one-of-a-kind wedding gowns. Not only will you turn heads while you turn back time, but you'll give a labor-intensive wedding dress a much-deserved second turn as well.
If you're as concerned as we are about the extreme harm inflicted by conflict diamonds (
which have historically been mined under brutal conditions and sold to fund wars and insurgencies in Africa), and by the devastating environmental impact of diamond strip-mining and underground-mining, then look no further than
Brilliant Earth engagement and wedding rings. These are classic pieces, crafted in recycled metals with fair-wage diamonds sourced in Canada, where there's no risk of inadvertently bankrolling terrorists. Bonus!
**During the week of 6/28, one EcoStiletto member will win a $100 Brilliant Earth Shopping Spree.**
Green Diva's eco-friendly bridal jewelry collection is a blushing ecoista's dream. These seriously beautiful pendants, chokers, earrings and bracelets eschew
brutally mined gems, toxic chemicals or exploited labor in favor of
100% recycled metals with fair trade gems at oh-so-reasonable prices. Each piece arrives packaged in a pouch made from recycled wedding gowns--plus, Green Diva plants a tree for each sale.
This spring, Green Diva launches a jewelry rental service, where brides can bring high-end bling to their wedding ensemble without blowing their entire budget--and, perhaps, the down payment on their newlywed nest--in one go. Whoa.
**During the week of 6/7, one EcoStiletto member will win a pair of these $105 Green Diva Nutmeg Hickory Earrings.**
GIFTS FOR GUESTS
When it comes to your party, whether you place them in visiting guests' hotel rooms, gift them to bridesmaids or use them to add subtle fragrance to reception-site powder rooms and suites, an
Organic Salvage candle is a must-have. Presented in salvaged glass bottles and packaged with recycled materials, these candles are made from certified-organic plant wax--no petroleum or GMO soy here--for a clean and even burn. But all eco-friendliness aside, these candles look--and smell--absolutely gorgeous.
**During the week of 6/14, four EcoStiletto members will win a $35 Large Organic Salvage Candle.**
Looking for a wedding favor your guests will actually use? You can't do much better than soap. And for pure, chemical-free, lovingly handmade goat milk soap, you can't do better than
Beekman 1802. The Sharon Springs, N.Y.-based mercantile handcrafts soaps in signature scents for every month of the year. Choose your wedding-month's scent--April's is reminiscent of wildflowers, August's is lush with lavender, November's captures the warmth of baking spices, and so on--custom-tag the soap with your wedding monogram or date, and you've got the perfect favor for special guests.
P.S. Look for founders Brent and Josh, urban transplants also known as "The Beekman Boys," on the new Planet Green this spring, and check their site for "Mary's Blog," the personal diary of the four-year-old ghost who haunts their Beekman Mansion. Really.
**During the week of 6/21, one EcoStiletto member will win a $75 set of Beekman 1802 soaps.**
HONEYMOONING
On your wedding night, slip into something slinky--and sustainable, too!
Tashi Lingerie, founded by holistic nutrition and Ayurvedic medicine expert Natalie Steiner, carries
natural-fabric naughty bits from some of our favorite designers. We particularly love Eberjey's yummy Eco Dream Cami Set, made of 100% organic bamboo jersey and featuring lace-trimmed boy shorts. Hubby won't know what hit him.
**From 3/15-4/15 get 15% off everything at Tashi Lingerie with code "PNU69589" at checkout.**
And speaking of slipping…
Yes certified organic personal lubricant, available exclusively from online organic beauty products emporium Future Natural, has got you covered on your wedding night (
and every night thereafter). Completely free of
parabens, glycerin, hormones, silicone and petroleum products, Yes is hypoallergenic, condom-compatible and never tested on animals. A little "yes" got you here, Mrs. Bride. Now a little Yes will help you enjoy newlywed bliss just that much more.
**Week of 6/21 one EcoStiletto member will say YES to a $100 Shopping Spree at FutureNatural.com**
A candle and massage oil in one-what could be better? How about a paraffin-free, petrochem-free, essential-oil-infused candle and massage oil in one?
Carabella Organics' shea- and soy-butter candles are soot-free, provide hours of ambiance, and burn at just two degrees above body temperature, yielding a sensually-smooth, hydrating massage oil. Plus, they're packaged in recycled glass accented with handmade, biodegradable paper. Light up one of these in your suite, and let the honeymoon begin!
**Week of 5/10 ten EcoStiletto members will each win a $10 Carabella Organics Mini 20-hour Massage Candle**
AND, FINALLY…
In the hopeful event that "'til death do us part" means just that, you'd do well to put your final farewells in the hands of Elizabeth Fournier, aka the "Green Reaper." She's the mortician behind
Cornerstone Funeral Services, which arranges green burials for those of us who wish our remains to return to the earth, naturally. Cornerstone's burials utilize eco-friendly caskets made from naturally decomposing materials like bamboo, wood and banana leaves, and leave out stains, varnishes and formaldehyde embalming solutions. If this sounds like the way you and your beloved want to go, but you don't happen to live in Boring, Ore. (
we couldn't make that one up if we tried), the Cornerstone site has good advice for finding earth-friendly funeral homes wherever your happily-ever-after may happen to be.
Um, no. We won't be offering a giveaway.
Savings.com Green Guru Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff is a writer, producer
and marketing consultant who focuses on sustainable fashion, beauty,
lifestyle and parenting--and the creator of EcoStiletto.com, an online magazine which explains, in real-girl terms, how eco-friendly choices can help turn
your carbon footprint from a ginormous Ugg into an oh-so-slender Manolo.
By RachelSarnoffGuest Blogger(view all posts by RachelSarnoff)
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