Earth Friendly Weddings

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-04T10:55:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to America! And Happy Birthday to my blog! It's one year old today! Hope everyone has a fun, safe, and yummy holiday weekend!

Cupboards full of nature

2008-07-02T19:49:00.003-04:00

I think there is a part in us all that yearns for the type of beauty that gives us something different, something refreshing, something real. Whether it be a persons face or a piece of artwork, we enjoy studying the subtleties which make an object unique. I found myself exploring those same emotions when I was looking at the handcrafted work of ceramic designer and maker, Linda Johnson. The actual piece looks flawless, but I love how the designs evoke a child like quality-perfect in its own way. Her online shop, Little Flower Designs, gives us the chance to have a taste of nature right in our very own cupboards.

And guess what? She has a wedding registry available!

found via modish

Tiny Bubbles

2008-07-01T19:47:00.005-04:00

Ah, bubbles! The popular alternative to rice throwing! Safe for the environment and they can provide for a magical picture too, don't you think? (Unless you have like 5oo guests all blowing bubbles. Then you'd practically be bathing in the stuff) That's me and my hubby. We had only been married a few hours when that picture was taken. Well, now it's been a little over a year and I've realized I'M MARRIED TO A CRAZY MAN! Okay, I'm kidding, I love my husband dearly and he's not crazy...most of the time. Seriously though, what I actually realized is that I still have a whole bunch of those bubble wands, with the bubble stuff still in it, sitting in my closet. See, my day of coordinator had some left over from another one of her client's weddings, so we used those in addition to mine.

I have about 71 of these little wands (they look like this) so if anyone wants them, give me a holler and I'll mail them to you. Free of charge, as long as you live w/in the continental U.S. No point in having something useful sit in my closet! And then when you're done with them, you can pass on the re-using fun to one of your friends! UPDATE: The bubbles have been nabbed, but thank you for all those who were interested! If you have anything wedding related you would like to offer or sell to other brides out there, e-mail me (jns721 at gmail dot com) and I'll create a post to help spread the word for you.

And if you ever want to make your own bubble solution, it's pretty easy! Check it out here!

photography by David Christensen (the most awesome photographer in Atlanta)

My Baby Trees

2008-06-30T22:21:00.002-04:00

If you remember my Earth Day post, I bought three baby trees at mybabytree.org. A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from them letting me know my trees had been planted in the Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan, along with a link through Google Earth so I could see the digital representation (I'm tree 138)! Although it may seem cheesy, this was very exciting for me! Yaay for trees!

Big Beautiful Barn

2008-06-30T09:17:00.005-04:00

To have a wedding in a barn, for some folks, would be a downright tacky affair suitable only for those who indulge in grits and coca-cola for breakfast (which is yum! don't knock it till you try it!). But here we have an amazing example of just how wrong that assumption can be! The old world charm of a big white barn paired with simple details, such as hanging lanterns, clothespin place cards, and leafy table numbers, proves barn weddings can be beautiful, romantic, and full of sophistication!

Wedding from Alison Events

A Sale!!

2008-06-26T17:17:00.003-04:00

Ornamental Things is celebrating four years in the biz! In addition to bringing out new designs and an awesome new studio, they're treating us to a great big sale! Natalie, the talented designer behind OT, creates one of a kind necklaces, bracelets, and earrings by combining recycled vintage jewelry with new parts. I LOVE the gold circle paired with the smaller wooden circle (pictured bottom right)! Someone else go snatch that one up so I'm not tempted to spend the moolah.

Enter coupon code FOURYEARS at checkout to take 30% off your entire purchase.

Happy Four Years Natalie!

Thank you!!

2008-06-25T13:48:00.003-04:00

I have exciting news! I was recently added to the Wedding category of Alltop! (Alltop is like a "digital magazine rack of the internet".) Thank you to the awesome Christine Tremoulet for suggesting my blog to Alltop! And big thank you to Guy Kawasaki for accepting! Thank you both!

And the Winner is...

2008-06-25T13:21:00.002-04:00

Thank you to everyone who entered and for all your fun comments! And the winner is...(drum roll please)....Jen of 01/03/09! Congratulations Jen! I'll be getting in touch with you shortly to get all your info!

Enter to win...no purchase necessary

2008-06-20T23:00:00.006-04:00

As a blog writer, I get a lot of e-mails from "green" related PR people, which is great, but it's usually not pertaining to weddings - sometimes not even close - and rather than trying to figure out how to correlate Community Wind Developments to earth friendly weddings, I typically file those types of e-mails away into my "future blog posts" file and save them for a rainy day when I feel like thinking, which honestly, just isn't often. (Yesss!!! I managed to tie in Wind Energy!)

So, as you can imagine, I was delighted to receive an e-mail that not only told me about a great re-usable product, but also offered one to me...for free! Yipeee!!! Now let's pretend were on The Price is Right. I will proceed to give you the lovely product specifications and you can pretend I am some ultra skinny model with a big fake smile.

Here we have the lovely erasable ceramic bottle stopper! If you're a bottle saver, this nifty little device will let you label your bottles again and again, while still keeping the contents fresh!
And here we have the very sleek erasable ceramic placetile hangtag! Great as a gift for the wine lover in your life, or be creative and use it for other things, like a label for the herbs in your window sill!

All joking aside, these little doodads are pretty neat and very fun! The bottles would make great favors and the hangtags would work well as an accompaniment to a bottle of wine given as a gift.

I'm not going to make you play Plinko (although that would be TOTALLY cool b/c Plinko ROCKS!) but I am going to offer the previously mentioned goodies to one lucky reader. I figure it's only fair to pass around the blog lovin'. So leave a comment. Say anything. Anything you want, but it has to be nice! Yes, I have feelings too! Make sure to include a link back to your blog or give me some way to get in touch with you should you win.

I'll announce a winner on Wednesday, June 25th.

Ditch the plastic!

2008-06-17T20:30:00.005-04:00

Remember when it was cool to wear t-shirts that really screamed what you were thinking. (Hmm...maybe that's still cool?) Fortunately for us, nothing is as cool as an accessory that lets you pronounce your fondness for all things green! Corn starch based resin bracelets (pictured above) let you say good bye to plastic without putting a hurting on your wallet. Get a set of 3 for $15.00, plus FREE S&H!

Found at Everybodygreen.com

Marvel-ous Collection!

2008-06-16T19:03:00.003-04:00

Let's all marvel at Jane Marvel's collection of vegan friendly bags! Each one is leather free and is made with an environmentally friendly safe coating! Not to mention each one is pretty...oh so pretty...

organic jammies

2008-06-12T14:17:00.003-04:00

Okay, okay, I know. The quintessential "bride" and "groom" apparel is a bit overdone these days. They seem to pop everywhere - on bags, shirts, hats, and even underwear. But if you're the kind of gal that really appreciates these types of semi-personalized branded clothing (you know who you are!) then I'm happy to report you can go green too! These organic linen jammies, from UncommonGoods.com, are currently on sale, but you better hurry because supplies are limited.

Fun with names

2008-06-10T17:59:00.002-04:00

Super cute, super modern, and made of post consumer waste paper! Found via Mix, Mingle, Glow, these placemats with built in placecards would look adorable at a rehearsal dinner. Perhaps for a wedding too... If you had smaller rectangular or square tables, I think they would work well paired with compact subtle centerpieces. Check out Popmats!

The cowbomb!

2008-06-06T18:10:00.003-04:00

I know a few of my posts have taken a food-based turn lately, but please, let me just sneak this last one in. Found this video on Stumble and it's all about the overproduction and overconsumption of meat. It really opened my eyes up to how we eat and the sad realities of a western based diet. If you have some down time this weekend, check it out and let me know what you think! Have a good weekend everyone!!!

Beautifully Green

2008-06-03T17:55:00.004-04:00

Anna, a recent client of EarthlyAffair.com, sent me some photos of her beautiful wedding and I just had to share them here! Anna and Michael chose the Shade invitation and after seeing the pictures, I can see why. I love how they incorporated so much greenery! From the outdoor setting to the dress to the bouquet - it just works and it looks lovely! Thank you Anna for sharing your pictures with us!
(names, places, and contact info have been changed on the invitation)

Please don't eat me!

2008-06-02T14:53:00.003-04:00

Did you see the movie Shark Tale? If you haven't, it's a cute movie and I recommend it. But if you have, then you'll probably remember the scene where Lenny's pop is urging him him to eat the helpless little shrimp (who happens to be pleading for it's life) in an effort to prove that his son really is a tough guy...er..shark. Of course, Lenny, being the sweet, sensitive vegetarian shark that he is opens the restaurant window and frees the little shrimps, while we, the audience, all breath a sigh of relief.

Now, if seafood could talk to us in ways we could understand...well...I don't think we'd be eating it, because that would just be weird. But my point is that if fish could talk, they would probably be telling us some very important things. According to the latest issue of Body and Soul mag, all species of edible fish may be extinct by the year 2048 if we don't change the way we fish. So if you want to offer seafood on your wedding menu, it would be wise to choose a fish that reproduces in large numbers and/or comes from a responsibly maintained fishery. To help you do this, The Environmental Defense Fund and Smithsonian Magazine both have an easy to use web guide to the best, worst, and somewhere in the middle eco-friendly fish out there. EDF even has a downloadable pocket guide perfect for on the go!

Top picture: copyright by Dreamworks Animation (http://www.sharktale.com/)
Bottom pictures: Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, Environmental Defense Fund

You can't be blue when you eat blueberries!

2008-05-29T20:01:00.003-04:00

I'm on a diet...scratch that...it's not a diet, it's a "lifestyle change."

Yes, I'm on a lifestyle change which has me eating healthier and exercising regularly. This means no more sweets. Wait..scratch that too. Who am I kidding! I love sweets so I'm not taking them out of my diet completely, but I have promised myself to eat less of them. (I promise there is a point to this post - just bear with me.) So what have I been doing to curb that sweet craving? Eating berries, blueberries to be exact! Of course I throw in some strawberries, but I LOVE them blueberries! (we're getting closer now) And they're in season now so they're delish!

So this all got me thinking, why not incorporate blueberries, or any of your favorite fruit, into your wedding? You can buy them in bulk from your local farmers market or you could even grow your own if you planned early enough! I did some research and came across this great article of a gal that helped her friend, the bride, bake 18 blueberry pies right before the big day! Apparently it was hard work, but well worth the effort!

credits: top picture found at StacyKane, Bottom left found at Flickr, and bottom right found at Baked Blog.

eco-responsible + stylish

2008-05-28T22:34:00.003-04:00

Sustainable materials and responsible craftsmanship make these too fun to pass up. Named "eco-tility" for a reason, they incorporate items like cork, organic cotton, and soy ink into each of their bags. I really like the hobo style, pictured bottom left, however the satchel is also pretty darn cool! Found at GreenFeet.com

Fun with registry

2008-05-27T17:13:00.003-04:00

Have fun with your registry by utilizing some of the more smaller online shops out there, such as greener grass design. I love the fern and frond glasses they have!

Quick Update

2008-05-22T22:34:00.002-04:00

Well, I've had an exciting past couple of days. I made a brief trip up to to NYC to visit the National Stationery Show in NYC and had the pleasure of meeting up with Josey and Anne from Ivillage, my eco-wedding expert home. My brain is kind of fried for the time being folks so I'm keepin' it kind of simple. Below you'll find a few pictures of vendors at the National Stationery Show, found via Design Sponge (visit the site for an array of beautiful eye candy from the show.) In the coming months I shall be unveiling a few things I found there which I think will make great additions to the site, but first I must sort through the 5 inch pile of information, notes, and brochures I managed to accrue while I was there! I'll be back on Tuesday!

Enjoy Your Long Weekend!!!!

Safer than plastic - and prettier too!

2008-05-13T10:35:00.005-04:00

Earthtones, the earth friendly etsy guide, had a great article on shopping green (see it here) not too long ago. In the buying used section, they feature the fabulous vintage pyrex of Etsy shop, Thats Swell. (pictured top) I was awed by the array of colors - so much like a grandma's kitchen - and I found myself googling the words "vintage pyrex." To my surprise, there is a whole world out there of pyrex, which many people collect and proudly display. In my opinion, these would be a great thing to collect, in moderation of course, because you can actually use them too. Unlike salt and pepper shakers (which I went through a period of collecting once) they don't sit on a shelf and collect dust until that one time a year you decide to put them on the table.

I think with some creativity you could use these as very colorful decorations set around your wedding. Fill with water and flowers to match the color of the bowl itself. Or use third party registry sites, such as wishpot.com, to register for vintage stuff on Etsy and ebay.

Check out the Pyrex Love Pool at Flickr. (bottom pictures)

Button up!

2008-05-11T20:31:00.003-04:00

And it's...Monday. I know this isn't an exciting day for most, but as my husband once told me, "The good thing about Monday is that it's the farthest day away from the next Monday!"

For me, this Monday marks the beginning of a busy, busy week. Lots of stuff to do with EarthlyAffair.com and on Saturday I'm heading out to the National Stationery Show in NYC!! I'm so excited, I can't wait!! Yipeee!!!

For a little Monday morning creativity, check out the eco-friendly button bouquets of Lil Fish Studio on Flickr! This is where vintage buttons go to experience a new life!

Park it!

2008-05-07T23:07:00.003-04:00

This is a two tiered lunch box thingy. Okay, I know it's not all that gorgeous, but with warmer weather creeping our way, we all need to relax, breath some fresh air, and if you're planning a wedding, don't forget about giving yourself a little "me" time. What better way to do that than to have a picnic! Invite your best girlfriends/bridesmaids/fiance and just have a fun day in the park! Pack up a few sandwiches and fruits and veggies too! If you're the kind of gal that likes to tote her food to work and go on picnics, consider this stainless steel food carrier. A great alternative to plastic and super cool too!

Eco? Not so much.

2008-05-06T18:35:00.004-04:00

First, the good news: this awesome Banana Republic shirt is made from 100% organic cotton. Now, the bad news: apparently, only 5% of that shirt is 100% organic cotton. Confused? Me too.

I love the design of this shirt, but according to ecorazzi, a source revealed "they are made from 87% cotton, 8% spandex, and 5% organic cotton."

Are we being duped? On the bright side, Banana Republic has been purchasing more eco friendly materials, such as organic cotton, soy, and bamboo to incorporate into their line.

precious little details

2008-05-04T20:46:00.004-04:00

Thought I'd share this great wedding found at Jonathan Canlas Photography. Although lanterns, cupcakes, and wheat grass aren't anything new, I thought this couple did a wonderful job of merging them all together. Nothing is overcomplicated, it's all done so tastefully, and I really love the bottles used as vases.