Eco-Friendly Wedding Inspiration
Nothing beats a sophisticated color palette mixed with texture with a nod to Mother Nature. When Esther of Esther Sun Photography told us she and a group of California pros gathered for an inspiration shoot to celebrate Earth Day, we knew it was going to be something beautiful. As an added bonus, Sara Holland of At Your Door Events, is here to share with us 5 Eco-Chic wedding planning tips:
1. Location: Reduce your carbon footprint by selecting a venue with an on-sight ceremony space. Not only isn’t good for the Earth, but it saves you on the cost of hiring transportation for you and the wedding party!
2. Invitations: Select an Earth friendly recycled paper or plantable paper. Plantable papers have tiny little flower seeds embedded in the paper fibers, guests can plant the paper in the ground and flowers will grow!
3. Rings: Select environmentally conscious metals. Ask your jeweler about rings made of recycled metals. OR — collect jewelry from family and have it melted down and crafted into your own personal ring design.
4. Bridal Gown: Consider using vintage or taking your mothers wedding dress and having a tailor transform it into something unique for you!
5. Floral: Cut flowers are not green. Considering centerpieces such as terrariums! These are living, breathing eco-system contained in a glass jar. As a grouping on a table they make a glamorously green center piece AND a wonderful keepsake for guests. For your bridal bouquet, add succulents. The stems of succulents are actually root systems. After your wedding, you can take the succulents and plant them. The succulent will thrive and you will be able to keep a living memento of your wedding day!
View all images from this shoot in the gallery
Wedding Vendors (Long Beach, CA):
Venue Location and Paper Goods: Paper Crew / Wedding Photographer: Esther Sun / Wedding Planner: Sara Holland of At Your Door Events / Wardrobe Styling: La Femme Vintage / Makeup: Rose Park / Furniture: Urban Cottage / Wedding Caterer: Seafood World Restaurant / Desserts: Sweets by Annie / Videographer: Lovebirds Film / Models: Minta Allred, Lorraine Caguin, and Lauren Jensen
View how it all went down:
https://vimeo.com/40106297
Love succulents.
What are the lace placemats made out of and where are they from please?
I love these eco-friendly tips mixed in with the gorgeous images. Truly shows you can have a green wedding without sacrificing style.
The color scheme is beautiful! Everthing about these photos are lovely.
@Michelle The white lace “placemats” are actually vintage chargers. A wonderful find from a local thrift store in Long Beach, CA. We tried to incorporate a lot if used, vintage, green items in the shoot.
Wonderful color and design!
Not sure if you have heard of them but my engagement ring is from Bario-Neal in Philadelphia. They are two women who use recycled metals, source ethical and raw main stones (including diamonds, raw = no cutting, cutting is mostly done by children in disadvantaged countries), and sources primarily from Canadian, Russian and Zimbabwe (I think) collective mines (owned by the workers).
The ring I have is beautiful and cherished, unique and quality.
I’d recommend them!
Hi there,
I just wanted to enquire what type of succulents you used for the shoot?
Were they Aeonium Kiwi’s by chance?
Thanks,
Emma
Where di you find the terrarium balls? All so beautiful!
@nancy the Terrarium balls are actually artificial and we purchased them from Moskatel’s in the LA flower district.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/moskatels-los-angeles-2
Just a small correction, cut flowers absolutely can be green. There are many small flower farmers growing sustainable cut flowers all around the country. It might take a little research, but this is a great way to get beautiful flowers while supporting small farmers in your local community.
I’m doing research for a blog post on eco-friendly weddings and this was perfect–to the point and effective. Plus the photos are gorgeous, as always! Love your blog. 🙂
(PS – of course I will cite this post as a source!)
Woo Hoo! Thanks @DesignedByBH We had a blast researching and working on this shoot. Glad you were able to use it as a resource!
I ended up doing a whole series…once a week during the month of April. You should check it out if you get a chance!
Eco Friendly Weddings: Introduction
love the idea of living terrariums as centerpieces! beautiful, and a great conversation piece for guests…