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The Favor’s on Us

July 7, 2011 By Karine Brighten

Attention all wedding planners and anyone involved in the organization process of a wedding! You’re probably overwhelmed by everything involved in putting together a wedding. There are invitations to send, a location to choose, wedding favors to select, decorations for the venue space, etc. It’s enough to make anyone go crazy and making it green on top of that adds to the challenges.

Luckily for you, there’s Dream Green Weddings, an online supplier of eco-friendly wedding favors and general supplies. The company was started by Heather Teague, who herself made green choices for her wedding. It is her mission to help promote a more environmentally-conscious lifestyle while still offering couples the chance to make their dream weddings a reality.

Dream Green Weddings offers a wide variety of wedding invitations printed on tree-free cotton paper or recycled paper with vegetable-based inks. Some options are even seeds you can plant that allow your guests to create memories to share in the future. They also have a variety of wedding favors, which include commemorative soaps, organic lollipops, bird seed favors, reusable shopping bags, and more. They even have a section of items that are under $2 each, which is great for a wedding on a low budget.

On many products you’ll find an “Eco Commitment” statement tab next to the description which lets you know the special green features about that specific item. There is also a general page which details the company’s general environmental commitments, which include: donating to non-profit organizations, such as the National Wildlife Federation, telecommuting from home to reduce fuel usage, drop-shipping when possible, using ground shipping, and more.

Oh, and there’s even a chocolate soap bar – you just can’t go wrong! If you need ideas for your wedding, check out their current highlighted Garden Vintage theme, which offers a collection of items that will cut out work on your end.

For more information, please visit: Dream Green Weddings

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Companies, Eco-Wedding tips, General Tagged With: bird seed favors, dream green wedding, dream wedding, eco weddings, eco-friendly weddings, green events, green weddings, organic lollipops, placecards, recycled invitations, recycled paper, reusable bags, sustainable products, veg, vegan, votive candles, wedding candles, wedding favors, wedding planner, wedding planning, wedding theme

Bringing the Spa Home

July 6, 2011 By Karine Brighten

Planning a wedding is a very stressful time, even if you have someone doing the bulk of the work for you. Often unexpected details require your attention and compromises can be made in your diet, sleep schedule, and other details. It’s important to take time to slow down and relax before the big day to return to a centered, balanced space. The maid of honor and bridesmaids in general have the opportunity to assist in this process.

Dropwise Essentials, a San Francisco-based company, is also here to help. Owner Donya Fahmy personally created each product in the personal care line and has a deep understanding for how important it is to use natural, plant-based ingredients that are going to come in contact with the skin. She recognizes the benefits of using organic essential oils and plant-based materials, both for consumers and the environment.

If you’re a maid of honor in search of gift baskets for an at-home spa experience, look no further. Dropwise Essentials offers essential oils and diffusers, bath salts, body oils, lip balms, lotions, candles, and more! You’ll have no problem selecting the perfect products that everyone will enjoy. Pampering the bride-to-be with tantalizing products is such to put her at ease and help bring her focus back to the true importance of a wedding – a celebration and honoring of love between two people.

With Dropwise Essentials, you get the real deal. They use organic ingredients whenever possible, reusable and recyclable packaging, electronic record-keeping where possible, energy efficient equipment, and they even donate materials to non-profit organizations. Their products contain no synthetic ingredients or petroleum-based ingredients and are hand-crafted in North California. The company is also backed by its numerous partners and affiliates, such as The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Green America.

There’s even an entire section on their site devoted to wedding and bridal gifts so that the work is already fully cut out for you. I’m quite impressed – I think you will be too.

For more information, check out their website. For free tips and valuable health and beauty information, subscribe to the Dropwise Health & Beauty News Ezine or visit the Aroma Zone blog.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Companies, Eco-Wedding tips, General Tagged With: aromatherapy, body sprays, bridal gifts, bridal showers, bridesmaids gifts, eco friendly tips, eco wedding, eco-friendly weddings, essential oils, green alliance, green personal care, green wedding, locally crafted, organic herbs, pampering essentials, personal care products, skincare, spa, spa at home, spa essentials, veg, vegan

Mothers Know Best

June 29, 2011 By Karine Brighten

The first time I had kombucha was at a New Year’s Eve celebration. It was during the wee hours of the morning and somehow I still felt fully alive and alert as I danced to no apparent end. I had been drinking water throughout the night to stay hydrated and then I was introduced to the earthy, bubbly drink known as kombucha. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it initially, but after hearing about all its wondrous health-promoting benefits, I decided I would drink more, and that I have. It’s been an acquired taste, but I’ve grown to appreciate its unique flavor.

Making kombucha is fun and easy and could be incorporated into a bachelorette/bachelor party or a more general wedding shower. You start with a mother (which is a fungus of sorts, but not quite a mushroom) and add tea of choice (green, herbal, etc), sugar, and apple cider vinegar/some of a previous batch of kombucha. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to sample the treats you make right away (you’ll need to wait a period of days to allow the fermentation process to complete), but it’s a great way to bond with your guests and create something together. You could even have a second party when the process is complete and sample what you’ve made.

Try making batches of different flavors. You can flavor kombucha with anything imaginable – coconut, mango, ginger, strawberry, cinnamon, etc. It can be sweet, tangy, or somewhere in between. Once it’s done, you can have a potluck to celebrate both your upcoming wedding and perhaps just life in general. The time leading up to a wedding can become very stressful, so it’s great to make time for relaxation and simple fun activities with special individuals in your life.

If you’re not interested in actually making kombucha, you could still choose it as a beverage option for any event leading up to the wedding, and for the wedding itself. Often larger cities even have locally made kombucha, so you can both support local business and reduce fuel/transportation usage.

Just like your own mother, kombucha knows what is good for you. It’s full of antioxidants and supports the immune system, digestion, energy levels, etc. It’s the supermom you always dreamed of. Well, enough of this silliness – it’s time to brew!

Image can be found at: http://www.ifood.tv/network/gt_dave_kombucha

Filed Under: Eco-Wedding tips, General Tagged With: bachelor party, bachelorette party, brewing, bride, eco friendly tips, eco weddings, green events, green weddings, groom, kombucha, kombucha brewing, kombucha making, kombucha starter kit, meet the parents, veg, vegan, vegetarian, wedding shower, wedding tips

The Breath of Life

June 28, 2011 By Karine Brighten

I remember as a kid seeing the commercial for National Arbor Day and hearing the simple, yet meaningful lyrics sung by John Denver: “plant a tree for your tomorrow . . . plant a tree for your today.” This song is part of what drove me to plant a tree at my home in Florida as a child. It’s great to do this on Arbor Day, but why not make every day Arbor Day? You can even make this a part of your wedding celebration.

Of course there’s music, dancing, great food, and mingling with loved ones, but why not add in planting a tree? Of course, you probably don’t want to be doing that in a wedding gown or tuxedo, but you could also have a change of clothes on hand for playing in the dirt. This could be a great interactive way to involve everyone in your ceremony. It’s also very symbolic of the union created by marriage – planting a tree honors the love you share and will help the planet at the same time.

If you’re not interested in doing this as part of the wedding day festivities, you could also offer it as an option for a wedding gift – instead of buying gifts, guests could have the option of planting a tree or making a donation to an environmental organization that would plant a tree in your honor.

Planting trees is great, but to be more environmentally conscious, try planting species that are native to the region in which you live. This will cut down on transportation involved (and thus the carbon footprint) for either the seedling or mature tree. It’s also great to avoid bringing in pests from other areas.

Starting your family tree can be very literal with this ritual. Future generations get to see its growth and benefit from the symbiotic relationship we share with trees. You could even decorate the tree over the years and add ornaments with your names and names of children and other family members.

Go ahead and get your thumb green as you change out of your white dress – the music will keep playing.

*Image taken from http://www.freefoto.com

Filed Under: Eco-Wedding tips, General Tagged With: Arbor Day, creating a family tree, Earth Day, eco-friendly weddings, environmentally friendly weddings, family tree, planting trees, reducing carbon footprint, sentimental traditions, tree, trees

The Sail’s in Motion

June 23, 2011 By Karine Brighten

Creating a romantic atmosphere for a wedding and events leading up to the big day is usually pretty important to the bride and groom. Hollywood films and stories from past generations have much to say about love and the ideal setting for an enchanting evening.

What better way to celebrate than to spend an hour, an evening, or even a whole day on a sailboat? Captain Dan of Berkeley is here to provide this service for you. He has 35 years of sailing experience and offers sailing tours on the bay. Just imagine arriving at your wedding locale on a boat – talk about making an entrance! You could also choose to sail off as you start your honeymoon, into the setting sun or a bright, cloudless day. It’s really up to you. Captain Dan wants your day to be just that – as you wish.

Sailing would also provide a great alternative for a meeting of the parents. A nice glass of champagne or coconut water, good conversation, and the gentle breeze of the fresh air coming off of the water would create the perfect setting for what could otherwise ends in embarrassment and unforgettable awkward moments.

If you’re still not convinced, think of the fun you could have with friends at a bachelorette or bachelor party. The thrill of sailing would beautifully complement the celebration of the night in a fun, light-hearted way that you’d be sure to remember for decades to come. You’d get the perfect background for taking pictures and videos to share with friends and family.

In addition to the aforementioned points, sailing is also an environmentally-friendly alternative to most motorized forms of transportation. You would use less fuel and thus reduce your carbon imprint.

So if you’re hankering for a swing back into an era of classic elegance, give Captain Dan a ring. No matter the occasion, a little ride on the bay will do just the trick.

You can find more information here: www.captdan.net

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Companies, General Tagged With: bachelor party, bachelorette party, Berkeley, bride, California, eco-friendly weddings, environmentally conscious, green weddings, groom, ocean, sailing, San Francisco Bay

Not Your Average Pot of Gold

June 22, 2011 By Karine Brighten

As once sung by Marilyn Monroe, “diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Unfortunately diamonds, along with other fine jewelry, can be one’s worst enemy as well. Lives have been taken, wars have been fought, and countries have been left in both political and environmental disarray as a result of greed for a sparkling accessory.

Thankfully much light has been shed on the reality of the sourcing of diamonds and gold. Progress has been made to provide more ethical alternatives so that we can still enjoy tokens of love and affection. One still has to be careful though in a world of green washing corporations that only wish to make profit.

greenKarat is an online retailer of jewelry that specializes in recycled and reused gold pieces. They provide education for their consumers so that they are able to make well-informed decisions before purchasing jewelry. I myself found their articles to be well-written and eye-opening. Did you know that mercury and cyanide are used in small-scale mines? These two chemicals alone damage our eco-system and can have negative repercussions for generations to come.

greenKarat’s myKarat program allows you to send in your old jewelry to be recycled or reused for new pieces. You have two options: you can recycle your jewelry and it will be combined with a larger pool of recycled gold, or you can reuse your gold (and that of your family and friends) to create a new piece from only your gold (if additional gold is needed, it will be taken from the larger pool of recycled material still).

A registry is also provided, but it’s not just your typical registry. Instead of purchasing gifts from a list of designated items, greenKarat offers your wedding guests the opportunity to send in their old gold jewelry as well to help the couple create the desired end product. This provides a great interactive way for the couple to create a unique piece donated by their loved ones.

When it comes to selecting stones for jewelry, greenKarat offers a range of lab-created stones. Lab-created stones are a great way to get the same sparkle and mesmerizing qualities of natural stones without contributing to the inevitable environmental and likely political aftermath of mined stones.

The end result is beauty without compromise of ethical standards. greenKarat has you covered whether you want a traditional, contemporary, or custom design. They offer free quotes and can help you at any step along in the process of your ring selection. They even have the option of donating jewelry to charity instead of receiving store credit (or you can do both).

If you’d like more information, check out their site: http://greenkarat.com/

Filed Under: General Tagged With: contemporary jewelry, cruelty free jewelry, custom jewelry, eco gold, engagement rings, fine jewelry, gold, jewelry, lab created diamonds, low impact jewelry, reused gold, traditional jewelry, upcycled gold, wedding bands, wedding rings

A Guest List with No Limits

June 8, 2011 By Karine Brighten

Before actual planning for a wedding starts, we probably all have dreams of what it should be like – whether it’s the fairytale wedding with a gown suited for a princess, elaborate floral elements, and a location filled to maximum capacity or a simplistic, small ceremony in front of a few loved ones. Once actions are taken to sort out all the details, plans inevitably change for various reasons.

One common item that ends up changing, perhaps on multiple occasions, is a guest list. What starts out as a seemingly never-ending list is often whittled down to a fraction of the original figure. It can be very difficult to decide who to eliminate. I have a proposition to make that would eliminate the need to do that.

With modern technology, it has become easier to bring people closer together, even if only in a virtual sense. Web-based telecommunication programs, such as Skype, allow you to send live feed to people anywhere in the world, so why not set up a live broadcast for additional guests? It could either be a one-way feed that would be sent to viewers from afar, or you could make it interactive with a projection screen.

Often guests travel from states or perhaps even countries away to attend a wedding ceremony and this would minimize the carbon footprint of long-distance traveling. One could argue that you would still be using electricity to create this type of set-up, but it would certainly be less than the impact created from an extended flight, car ride, etc (and there are of course sustainable energy sources for using electronic devices).

Even if you don’t have a wedding coming up, you could use this idea for sharing a party or special celebration with loved ones. So the next time you find yourself desperately trying to figure out how to reduce your list, find relief in knowing that you don’t have to – simply work around it with advanced audio-visual technology. Oh, and one last thing – make sure you turn off all equipment when you have finished using it – you wouldn’t want the Green Police to issue a citation on your special day, now would you?

Filed Under: General Tagged With: eco weddings, green weddings, guest list, sustainable energy, telecommunications, v*gan, veg, vegan, webcast, wedding invitations

The Train Hasn’t Left Yet

May 25, 2011 By Karine Brighten

We’ve all got items in our closets that never get worn – that shirt we purchased because it was such a great deal but still has a tag on it a year later, or a favorite pair of pants you wore every other day for a few months, but that then got shoved in the back of your closet, never to be seen again. Eventually, you probably dig them out and either sell them or donate them. What about wedding dresses though? You probably spent a lot of money on a gown (and looked fabulous), but what about after the wedding? It probably just stays in your closet, nicely packed away, and is never again worn. Well, I’ve got a few ideas for how you can change that.

Thrift stores abound in a modern world where fashion trends change constantly. There are even places that offer free clothing. Well, what about a community wedding gown exchange? There could either be a central location where items would be donated or an online forum where individuals could post either what they own or would like to acquire. A brick-and-mortar storefront could be run by volunteers and in place of purchases, patrons would have the option of donating to a charitable organization of choice, which creates a win-win situation for all involved.

Another idea that comes to mind is reinventing your wedding dress into something more practical that actually could be worn regularly. In addition to a forum that provides the exchange of wedding gowns, local designers who would be able to create cocktail dresses, pant suits, robes, etc. out of your former matrimonial attire could be involved. What better way is there to commemorate your special day than to continue the life cycle of a garment in a creative new way?

If you’re feeling a little crazy, you could take part in a trend of “trashing the dress.” I know for many this may seem horrifying, but there seems to be a growing number of photographers who wish to do photo shoots of individuals modeling a wedding dress that is covered in dirt or in some way distressed. Once you’ve got it dirty, you could have fun with it and use natural dyes (berries come to mind) and start the process of transforming the garment into something new and wearable for future occasions.

I’ll go ahead and stop now before things get too wild, but the next time you open your closet, maybe you can do a few more twirls in the dress you never thought you’d wear again.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: environmentalism, green weddings, trash the dress, upcycling, veg, vegan, wedding dress, wedding gown

A Spicy Alternative to Traditional Wedding Cakes

May 11, 2011 By Karine Brighten

Do you remember craving cinnamon rolls as a kid? Chances are they probably were from less than desirable chains or food manufacturers that are difficult to trust. Thankfully we currently live in an era that provides fantastic alternatives, such as Cinnaholic – they make fresh cinnamon rolls daily and are a locally-owned and operated company.

For your wedding, you would have the option of purchasing individual cinnamon rolls, mini cinnamon rolls, or Cinnacakes. “What’s a Cinnacake?” you ask. Well, it’s a mega cinnamon roll conglomeration – six, eight, or a whopping 12 cinnamon rolls all compressed and topped with deliciousness of choice (berries, frosting, etc.). They are there to work with you in creating your ideal flavor or flavor combination so that your taste buds will be dancing along with your feet as you celebrate your big day.

These tasty delights aren’t just an appetizing treat – Cinnaholic also helps you stay true to your green wedding standards. They use organic and local ingredients whenever possible. They also provide compostable packaging and cut down on wasted receipt paper with an Ipad cash register that sends your receipt via e-mail.

The company itself is run by a husband and wife team who met on Couchsurfing.com. Together they opened Cinnaholic, and this July marks the first year anniversary of the business. When making your catering decisions, add a little spice and give Cinnaholic a roll – you’ll be glad you did.

I’m getting pretty hungry now just writing about this! If you’d like more information, check out their website, Cinnaholic Catering, and contact their helpful staff.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Companies, Eco-Wedding tips, General Tagged With: alternative baked goods, bakeries, bride, cinnamon, cinnamon buns, cinnamon rolls, decadent treats, environmentally friendly weddings, green weddings, groom, San Francisco bakeries, spiced cakes, sticky buns, wedding cakes

Stay tuned for some new posts!

April 30, 2011 By Karine Brighten

I have been incredibly busy these last couple of months and my blog was put on the back burner, I apologize! I was working on a really exciting project called Berkeley Vegan Earth Day and it consumed all my time. Now that the event is done, I can now focus on my upcoming weddings and blog. So stay tuned for some new posts coming in the next week or so. In the meantime, I invite you to check out my friend’s blog: Rose Pedals Vegan Weddings.

Thanks!

Karine Brighten

Filed Under: General