Submitted by: jemps (Bride)
Wedding date: 01/10/2010
Wedding location: Asia

When Jason and I first started going out, he once told me, "I must have done something really good to have you in my life." As incredibly sweet as his declaration of newfound love was, I couldn't help but thoughtfully counter, "I think it's because we are blessed to have each other in our lives that's why we have to do good." And so began our plans for a green wedding. As challenging as it was to orchestrate, we are mighty pleased with the outcome :) We began by posting a welcome page on our wedding website, courtesy of The Knot (theknot.com). The site enabled us to reduce the amount of paper needed to share important information with each of our guests. We wanted to make our wedding sustainable, so we introduced our eco-chic theme. We're not hardcore environmental activists; we just want to make a difference by making the right choices. After all, marriage is about confirming our commitment to a long-term future together. Green Choices We've Made • Rings & Symbols - Our green wedding started with the engagement ring: a beautiful family heirloom from Jason's grandfather. Reusing what you already have is not only kinder to the earth but also makes for more meaningful and personal symbols. We also reused the ringbearer and coinbearer pillows, cord, veil and arrhae from Jason's sister's previous wedding.

Tags: Other Green
Photo: Red Sheep Photography

Views: 2602
Send to a Friend

Embed code

• Location - We chose an historical landmark like Paco Park, Manila over a formal, energy-sucking reception hall. The rental fee we paid will help maintain the building and grounds and boost exposure to this national treasure. The reception was also held right outside the church to minimize the amount of driving our guests will need to do and to enjoy the beautiful garden with its natural outdoor decor. Earth-friendly, DEET-free and biodegradable insect repellent by Messy Bessy (messybessy.com) was on standby at the registration tables for guests who may be prone to getting bitten :) Even with the setting up of tents in case of rain (thank God it didn't!), it was a more cost-effective choice overall.

Tags: Green Ceremony
Photo: Stock photo

Send to a Friend

Embed code

• Catering - We feasted on delicious organic/local food by Bizu (http://bizupatisserie.com), who gave the most thoughtful menus in consideration of our organic dining needs. Of all caterers and hotels we spoke to, Bizu understood our concept the most, perhaps because of their already green practices in their own farm. Their added edge is their inherent good taste in decor and attentive service, completing a truly eco-chic dining experience. We considered vegetarian selections and cruelty-free (free range) poultry; wild instead of farmed fish, and organic local coffee, tea and chocolate. This meant not only a potentially healthier menu, but also less fuel consumption and less air pollution. While organic menus tend to be more expensive, we are committed to the cause and cut back in other less crucial areas. We hope that upon tasting the green menu our guests will be convinced to eat healthier: Cocktail nibbles: Pugon-baked Banana Chips from Baby Juan Monkey Garlic Breadsticks Dinner Buffet: Freshly Baked Multigrain Ciabatta Whole Wheat Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Garlic Parsleyed Butter Spinach and Feta Cheese Dip Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Ricotta Cheese Organic Waldorf Salad with Fresh Mangoes, Orange, Chico, Cashew, Celery and Grilled Free Range Chicken in Honey Orange Kefir Dressing with Alfalfa Three Cheese Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli Brown Rice Pilaf with Chickpeas, Sweetpeas and Asparagus Rosemary Garlic Baby Potatoes, Zucchinni, Aubergines, Capsicums Tossed in Pesto Free Range Chicken with Bleu Cheese and Organic Tarragon Cream Seared Mahi-Mahi with Capsicum Cream Crème Brulee in Egg Shell (using free range eggs) Mango Chiboust Chocolate Samba Cake Seasonal Fresh Fruits in Skewers Dalandan Juice Barako coffee Fresh Mint Tea

Tags: Green Reception
Photo: Red Sheep Photography

Send to a Friend

Embed code

• Printed material - We used opportunities to reduce paper use, like doing away with multi-enveloped/inserted invites, sending save-the-date invitations via email and using a wedding blog to keep people updated. For those un-wired, we sent tree-free, recycled paper invites locally made by Airees Rondain (http://handcraftedexpressions.com/). She was wonderful to coordinate with online; responsive, helpful and a true advocate of the environment. Her creations are proof that choosing to go green can be both affordable and beautiful. She even gifted us with thank-you cards to match our invites and the misalettes which she also made, using Ecofont (ecofont.eu), a typeface that uses 20% less ink. Download it for free! We also did away with a physical guestbook and had our guests send us their love online via our wedding website on The Knot. For our registration notebook, we used a beautiful vintage notebook made of recycled paper that I got as a gift in highschool. I've always found it too pretty to use and kept it all this time. I finally found a great reason to use it, yellowing pages and all :) • Music - We opted to have a friend sing our wedding march live, with the rest of our music piped in instead of hiring a band to save on added carbon emissions that go with band setups. The result was a deeply personal selection of songs close to our hearts (we chose not to give away CDs so as not to contribute to e-waste).

Tags: Stationery Green
Photo: Handcrafted Expressions

Send to a Friend

Embed code

• Flowers - We used as many potted plants/organic/local growers as possible. Except for what the church insisted to provide, there were no cut flowers since they are mostly imported and are heavy pesticide users (fake flowers are not an option; the process to create them is more environmentally-damaging). Besides, the flowers already bloom in our garden setting :) Practical hand-made clutches made of old newspapers and twine by UpCycled (http://www.upcycled.multiply.com) replaced bouquets for the maid of honor, bridesmaids and female secondary sponsors. Instead of flower girls, cute n' sweet girls handed out candy from their upcycled mini totes to all the guests instead of littering petals on the floor.

Tags: Flowers Green
Photo: Red Sheep Photography

Send to a Friend

Embed code

• Lighting, Gifts & Decor - We chose to give gifts of soy-based candles by Alice Blue Candles (http://www.alicebluecandle.com/) over those made with paraffin, a petroleum byproduct. They may be a lot pricier than regular petroleum-made candles, but their soy candles do not pollute, are not made from harmful materials, and last longer. Vencer of Alice Blue was also v. kind in our email exchanges. We also gave away organic lip balms by Human Heart Nature for our Christmas gifts and prizes for the games. Our lighting supplier also used LED lights which emit less heat and use even less power than the already eco-friendly CFL bulbs. Bizu's stylist Vanni cleverly created unique centerpieces made of fruits and potted plants which the guests happily brought home. The wedding cake and the cookie giveaways that Jason and I lovingly hand-made using pro-organic eggs were all edible to reduce landfill waste. To make each table more personal, we used photos of ourselves at the respective ages for table numbers (e.g. Table 1 = photos of our one year old selves).

Tags: Green Favors
Photo: Red Sheep Photography

Send to a Friend

Embed code

I rode in a hybrid Civic courtesy of Honda (no frou frou flowers, too!). :) I originally wanted to do away with a car entirely and just walk from a nearby friend's apartment, but my pop insisted on treating me and my sis to a stress-free night at a hotel before the big day. • Honeymoon - We chose to go local (we'd spend a lot of time in that hotel room anyway)! On our way to and from Boracay, we chose to offset our carbon emissions caused by our plane travel . Cebu Pacific has partnered with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) through the "Bright Skies" program (http://www.cebupacificair.com/wwfbrightskies/) to fight global warming and climate change. In our bid to do our share in environmental conservation, we have donated a minimal amount during our online booking process, which will be used to support WWF-Philippines' community-based climate adaptation project in Sablayan, Mindoro, Philippines. Taking little green steps is better than turning a blind eye because each thoughtful act helps. We wanted to celebrate our wedding ethically because it's a satisfying way to begin our new life of commitment together and a good way to guide the industry to do even more ecologically-correct practices. Doing something about climate change is our generation's mission, just like securing our country's freedom or fighting for equal rights was the goal of previous generations. Making the right choices will not always be economical, but we consider it as a tax we voluntarily pay for using the Earth. We want you to experience that we can have a great wedding even while being more aware. Every green choice makes a difference - no matter how small!

Tags: Other Green
Photo: Red Sheep Photography

Send to a Friend

Embed code