It's a Nice Day for a Green Wedding! Guest Blog Feature by As You Wish Weddings and Events

Guest Blog Feature! Wahoo! Please welcome Nicole Montenat, Owner and Consultant at

As You wish Wedding and Events

I’m sure we’ve all heard “Go Green!” an umpteenth amount of times in the last couple years. From hybrid cars to chemical-free cleaning supplies, recycled paper towels to organic fruit, going green is the hottest trend. But do we really know what that means? Going green or being Eco-conscious is more than simply recycling your toilet paper rolls although that is a good start. It has to do with creating an environmentally friendly lifestyle in order to reduce our (as in human) carbon footprint on the earth.

Many brides have jumped on the Eco-chic wedding wagon in recent years. So if you want to jump on that wagon too, but are unsure of what to do and overwhelmed by it all, fear not. A green wedding doesn’t mean you have to wear a hemp gown and go barefoot. Any attempt to decrease your impact on the environment is considered green. You can incorporate Eco-conscious choices into as little or as much of your event as you want. Here are some easy ways to go green without sacrificing the YOU that makes your wedding special!

LOL Letterpress

Stationary: Have you sat down and thought about just how much stationary is used for a wedding? From save-the-dates to thank you cards and everything in between (invitations, programs, menu cards, escort cards, table #s, etc.) buying from a company which uses recycled and post-consumer waste paper and soy inks will help save some trees and cut down on petroleum usage. There is no need for that tissue paper insert either! Decrease the amount of items in your wedding invitation package by using digital communication options, such as wedding websites for directions, RSVPs and more. Thinking this may be tacky? Wedding websites are quite socially acceptable and there are beautiful, creative and tasteful designs you can use to make it unique to you and your special day.

Lake Mohawk Country Club

Venue: One of the easiest ways to green your wedding day is to keep it central to where everyone resides. My October bride and her fiancé were both from NJ but live in Colorado. Instead of creating tons of emissions with car and plane travel for their guests, they came to NJ where the majority of their friends and family are located. For those out of town guests, get a unique carpooling vehicle like a trolley, so they can travel together from the hotel to the event. It also helps to have both the ceremony and reception in one location as well to avoid further travel.

Flowers: Everyone knows flowers are a huge focal point of a wedding. But did you know that the amount of fuel, packaging materials and chemicals used to transport exotic or off season florals creates pollution and waste and is more expensive to you? Some simple ways to green your wedding are to use flowers that are in season: think wax flowers and Dahlias in October or Gerberas and Cherry blossoms in May. Locally grown, organic flowers are pesticide-free and reduce fuel consumption and also help support the local economy. You can also easily reuse the ceremony décor at the reception to reduce the need to purchase as much and then donate the arrangements to a local senior home or hospital.

Melick's Town Farm, NJ

The Green Bride Guide

Food: Perhaps THE most important part of the day, right? Many venues offer boundless amounts of food for the cocktail hour, moving on to a huge 3-5 course dinner, followed by a roomful of decadent desserts. Is quantity really better? Where do all the leftovers go? Your guests will remember the quality of the meal they had versus how many different kinds of desserts were present. Not to mention you will be helping their waistline! Here are just two things you can do: 1) choose a venue with a simpler menu or ask to scale down the package and 2) work with your planner to recycle scraps and donate leftovers. Sometimes having a buffet is better and easier to reuse leftovers but having a sit-down is less costly because it is easier to regulate the amount of consumption. Whatever you decide, try to have locally and organically grown items on your menu. This will help create more green business and again, reduce resource consumption.

Favors: You know that knick-knack you got at the last wedding you attended? Where is it now? (hint: rhymes with crash) Instead of giving your guests a useless and wasteful trinket, edible favors are always received with smiles (and are usually gone before the reception is over). Items like seedlings are great because you are actually giving back to the environment! To eliminate any tangible waste all together, have a donation made in your guests’ name to a cause that is close to your heart.

Seedling Favors

We all need to do our part to create a sustainable earth. Weddings are a $70 billion per year industry so doing any little thing you can to green your wedding can make a difference. A wedding is a time to show the world your style but why not also show them your values and respect the environment?


A special thanks to Nicole from As You Wish Weddings and Events
For assistance planning your green wedding or event, please contact her at 973.970.3380 or info@asyouwishweddingandevents.net

Baby Shower Floral and Event Decor Sneak Peek by Karma Flowers

Just wanted to share a little sneak peek of some of the floral and event details of the baby shower we did in January. The pictures just came in from Ash Mari Photography and we are over the moon with the way they turned out!

Can't wait to share the rest.

Off to a wedding consultation tomorrow and to spend much needed time with my husband and adorable son!

Have a great weekend.

Doing it Differently. Non-Traditional Wedding and Event Planning in New Jersey by Karma Flowers Part 3

So, I am a couple days late. It happens. {forgive me, I was making sure to get the appropriate permissions before publishing others' work.}

But here is the final piece to our three-part-blog-trilogy on designing an innovative, fun and fresh wedding. As promised (I am better at keeping promises than self-imposed deadlines), I will offer some tidbits on photography, videography, and FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGN (but, of course). Here we go...

Photography

What does one do with the picture of the bridesmaids and groomsmen all in a row? You know the pic I am talking about. I have actually never seen one displayed in a person's home. Do they just make it into the wedding album? In any case, you are more fun than that picture. . .the staged bridal party shot. . . and so are your friends. Incorporate your style, your interests, and your passions into your engagement and wedding pics. You will thank me later.

There are two photographer's work that I love and adore, and who have mastered the ART of most visibly delicious wedding photographs. One is my NJ gal, the other based out of NY (although I believe both will travel). I will let their work speak for itself, but you must promise to check out their websites and blogs. . .and hire them so we put an end to stuffy wedding photography forever!

Dana McDonald of DHM Photography, Glen Gardener, NJ

Jessica Lavoie of Jessica Lavoie Photography, New York City, NY

And both ladies have graciously shot some of our own work and we are forever grateful for the beauty they have captured in these photographs...

Jessica Lavoie Photography

DHM Photography

Videography

I think I am pretty good about admitting when I am wrong {my husband may think differently} but in any case, I can openly admit that I was WRONG about wedding videos. I never had one. To me it was about a videographer with a big light shoving a camera in a drunk guest's face and asking them to say something nice about the newlyweds. Ugh. But. . .then I found the work of some AMAZING videographers who truly take a photojournalistic {i just made that word up} approach to filming the big day... and I became a fan.

That being said, you must come to know this guy...

Damon Dietz of Absolute Media Productions. He will turn your wedding day into a the movie of your dreams. And, he has some pretty quirky ideas for many of the different aspects of a wedding. Looking for a nifty way to ask your bridal party to be in your wedding? Check out this Sex and the City themed video he created to do just that. . .I promise if I was more tech savvy I would have downloaded one of his videos to this post, but instead you will have to mosey on over to his beautiful website to watch not one -but all- of his romantically divine {cheese-free}wedding videos.

Floral and Event Design

That's us! Well I could spend hours telling you about the innovative floral and event design ideas we have stored up for all of our potential clients. I have mentioned before how the decor creates ambiance and the ambiance defines the wedding, so there is no question in my mind how important the small details are. Therefore, I thought it may be helpful to offer some floral and event design tips.

#1 Wedding details must be purposeful to REALLY make your big day stand out. Just because something is all over Style Me Pretty or Pinterest, doesn't mean it is right for you and your wedding aesthetic. The last thing you want is a vintage-style wedding that feels like a themed-wedding because nothing is directly personal or sentimental to you or your groom. Here is how to rectify this. . .If you like the vintage style wedding look for ways to incorporate heirlooms and trinkets into the decor. Have your grandmother's china? Let's finally dust it off and use it. Now matter what style you are going for, there will elements you can include to make the wedding very you.

Belle  The Magazine

#2 Bring the inside outside. There is just something about staging a celebration that is taking place amongst the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors but with all of the comforts of the favorite room in your home.

But how do I get a couch and mantle outside you ask? Call us. Karma Flowers is on the verge of announcing our newest, latest, greatest endeavor in event decor {so stay tuned.} We will make it happen for you.

Style Me Pretty

#3 Think beyond the trends. As I was about to type about not wanting to see another bird cage card holder, I realized there is one in the picture I posted above. Great. {My intention was to showcase the dresser.} In any case, there are many that are happening over and over again that they are becoming the puffy-wedding- dress-sleeves and garter toss of this decade. And while ingenuity is often mimicked until it becomes tradition, you still want to be the one that goes out on the limb. The wedding below is full of innovative, creative ideas matched by personal touches, but what I took away was this amazing "Snip and Sip" table where guests could add their own herbs/drink garnishes to their favorite cocktail. Yes please.

Southern Living Weddings

#4 Think outside of traditional FLOWERS. Peonies are gorgeous. So are dahlias and garden roses when in full bloom. Heck, most flowers are. But there are plenty of other fun options out there people. Wildflowers, for one, are stunning when in bloom and if they are in season -can be budget friendly as well. Raw cotton is a lovely option for a more rustic feel and so is baby's breath {shown below} when done by itself.

Karma Flowers

Well folks. That concludes my three part blog-fest. I realized though that I have something to say about wedding planners, invitations, and desserts as well so maybe this isn't the last of me on this topic.

Lucky you. ;)