Dan and Daniela's 250 guest wedding in April in Malibu was gorgeous and eco-friendly to the max in a relaxed, fun and creative way. It's their life style after all: to be sensitive to all there is. We were in tune about "green" not just being an exchange of "bad" products with "good" products , but a philosophy of life. Integrating local vendors and talent of the closer community is one part of it. Daniela, Dan, Susan (Daniela's mom) and I had gone on a vendor trip through LA in December, which started checking out Invitesite in Pasadena. As much as they liked the variety of their eco cool papers, colors and shapes, they got inspired to ask their friends Dave Wilson and Hannah Barr-DiChiara to produce a keep sake, which their guests might even want to frame.
Dave had taken photographs from the beach at Daniela's grand parents home, the prospective wedding venue and then created a water color painting - not knowing that he had just produced the inspiration and art work for a wedding.
The wedding colors, blue and orange and the abstract sunset were composed for an arty design, repeated in the wedding CD, a recording of Daniela and Dan, who are musicians. They tour a lot in Canada and compose songs for (a couple of famous) commercials. Their designers Dave and Hannah made sure that the San Francisco printer was as eco-friendly as the recycled paper. Detail: behind the sunset in the water color is the actual invite, which can be pulled out.
Using recycled paper like Daniela and Dan or paper made from rags and 500 sustainable fibers, offered for over a decade by Helen and Scott from Invitesite, is much less harmful than the "regular" paper making process. The chain saw loving paper industry often doesn't stop cutting down ancient growth and clear cutting rain forests and even the caring paper manufacturer can't avoid requiring huge amounts of water and fossil fuels. Statistics say that the pulp and paper industry is the second largest consumer of energy, ad the printing industry, with tons of ink, toner, solvents, coatings, and adhesives and you are looking at a rather scary picture. New businesses to the rescue: as long as eco friendly products, like soy inks are used, the impact on the environment is bearable. But the traditional wedding invitation - including an outer envelope, inner envelope, the invitation itself, a reply card, and directions to the venue - plus a variety of other stationary is quite a production and requires a lot of energy.
If you can't miss out on the beauty of the printed or written invite, mixing it up is not the greenest but the caring and fun way to go: Send save-the-dates via email, an amazing one piece invitations by mail with the link to your website, where your guests can RSVP, find directions and registries, fun stuff to do and on the latest gossip about your planning adventure. Then take a picture of yourselves in a memorable area of your wedding location holding a "Thank You" sign and email it to all your guests. Even the ones who couldn't make it, can be included.
Sarika and Dave loved their three day celebration in one of the few eco-conscious wedding venues, the Airlie Mansion in Virginia.
I created a website for Jo and Ed's wedding, who, after her favorite designer had bailed out, decided on a complete digital package. Their wedding is coming up on May 23 and their guests have a blast with the process.
Pingg offers nice templates or, if you would like to customize it to the max, have a graphic designer create a personalized online invitation, matching your guest book and escort cards. Jo and Ed will have a huge party setting with lots of surprises and different music groups, from classic over Banjo to 60ties and 70ties rock. Matching the idea of "no down time" is the layout with colorful food stations; guests mingle, dance and browse the different dishes. Tables are an eclectic mix of all sizes, high and low. What's green about that aside of the sustainable fish and organic veges? Casual seating does not require escort cards.
Looking at "green" as a play ground every step of the way is creative and exciting.
(Find links to eco friendly invitations in my side bar)
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