Go Green!

You can choose an eco-friendly approach to your weddings or events. There are so many fun and unique ideas out there for designing a wonderful wedding or event, while still being organic and beautiful. It can be a little or a lot, because every aspect of your event can be greener. A green event doesn't have to mean compromising your dream or having no style!! Look for the little green leaves on the {Real Wedding} posts to see how each couple was "green".
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I love to reuse, recycle, and repurpose items, so when a client is Eco-friendly too we can come up with beautiful crafty ideas that create less waste. For instance creating guest favors out of recycled  tin cans and wrapping them with extra invitations then filling them  with ivy plants, or maybe used the recycled tin cans for vases to put  flowers in, I also love the look of recycling glass jars filled with water and floating candles, or using old  Scrabble pieces from your childhood game. There are many eco-chic, DIY ideas out there, you just have to figure out which is best for you and your style.
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Does my event need to be 100% green? That is up to you! It can be a little or a lot, because every aspect of your event can be greener. Each one of the 2.5 million weddings this year in the United States will produce an average of 62 tons of carbon dioxide and 400-600 lbs of garbage. That's a lot of waste! If every engaged couple made just one small green choice, which would be 2.5 million greener choices a year and that is an amazing impact. According to the Green Bride Guide's research.

GREEN IDEAS:
☛ Support local companies for your guest favors or welcome baskets

☛ Support Etsy vendors, the world's most vibrant handmade marketplace – ask me about my list of unique wedding artists including: refurbished ties and bow ties, cake toppers, banners, accessories, and more

☛ Donate your flowers

☛ Hire local recycling company

☛ Don’t give guests favors, instead donate the money to your charity of choice:https://www.idofoundation.org
https://www.justgive.org
http://www.globalgiving.org
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG
http://www.redcross.org
Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

☛ Green favors – small plants if they live locally or infused seed favors that can be planted, biodegradable confetti, 100% latex balloons that are biodegradable vs. plastic balloons (bad for the ocean & ocean animals), canvas totes, bamboo, organic chocolate, and I have more!

☛ Have your ceremony and reception at the same location to cut on transportation

☛ Choose a Green Certified Reception or Botanical Garden

☛ Use Eco-friendly invitations, or just have the save-the-dates be a post card to cut on postage and paper

☛ Choose an organic caterer

☛ Choose an Eco-friendly florist

☛ Have Eco-friendly gift registry items: even Target has great Eco-friendly options now or shop these online stores: http://www.plateswithpurpose.com or http://www.dwellsmart.comor http://www.branchhome.com

☛ Use horse drawn carriages or pedi cabs to move your bridal party from one location to the next, if near by.


So what GREEN choices will you make for your wedding? Check out these great green companies to support
(If you know of other great eco-friendly companies let me know!)

http://www.noimpactbride.com/
No Impact Bride is dedicated to promoting ethical and Eco-friendly weddings.

http://eco-beautifulweddings.com/blog/
Eco-Beautiful Weddings is the first and only quarterly online magazine and daily blog dedicated to eco-friendly weddings.

http://www.ecofabulous.com
Being ecofabulous means celebrating high style with low impact. It’s about beautiful items and experiences that don’t compromise. They’re obsessed with well-designed products. Yet their definition of beauty doesn’t leave room for things that make you – or the planet – sick.

http://www.ecoandelsie.com
Eco and Elsie focusing on pretty things, wedding things, healthy things, fashion-y things, etc... that all bring a bit of eco-friendly joy to the earth and those who live here.

http://www.greenamerica.org
Green America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982. (We went by the name “Co-op America” until January 1, 2009.) Their mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

http://practicallygreen.com/
Practically Green provides simple and useful tools for healthy and green living.

http://www.greenbrideguide.com
The Green Bride Guide has everything you need to plan a green wedding! Here you can find pictures from real green weddings, articles and advice on eco-chic decor, and a wide range of including: organic bedding, Recycled Glass Dishes, and eco-friendly appliances.

{Organic Wednesday} Lake Champlain Chocolates

I haven't done an Organic Wednesday blog post in a long time and since it's Valentine's Day coming up I've had chocolate on the brain. I'll be reminding my hubby that I LOVE this place and now that we are very close maybe I'll get some. Last time we visit up north to his family we drove over to Burlington, VT and listened to the history of the company, saw the factory, tried some samples and then bought A LOT of chocolate. I would say that this company is up their with my all time favorite companies for chocolate and I'm very serious about my chocolate!!!

Lake Champlain Chocolates has crafted specialty chocolates in Burlington, Vermont, for over 25 years. We start with high quality Belgian chocolate. The finest all-natural ingredients are added, including local Vermont cream, sweet butter, maple syrup, honey, fruits, nuts, and other natural flavors. Crafted in small batches to ensure exceptional freshness, our chocolates come in gift assortments, gift baskets, and as handcrafted novelties. Unlike some other chocolate companies, Lake Champlain Chocolates does not add preservatives, extenders, or additives. Our products are also Kosher certified. Our chocolates are available online, nationwide at specialty food and gift stores, including Whole Foods Market, Fresh Market, upscale hotels and inns, and at our three company-owned stores in Vermont. 

Five Star Bars

Organic Chocolate Truffles 15pc

Perfect for wedding favors, party favors, shower favors, and table favors.

Organic Chocolate Squares 200pc

White Favor Box (Allow 1-2 Weeks)

Lake Champlain Chocolates
Factory Store & Café
750 Pine Street, 
Burlington, Vermont
1-800-465-5909
http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com
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{Vendor Spotlight} Forest Candle Studio

Today's Vendor Spotlight is also going to be my Organic Wednesday since her work is organic and very Eco-friendly. She is also one of the Etsy vendors who donated to our Victorian styled shoot. I haven't blogged about our elegant styled shoot yet since we are still in the process of submitting it for publication, fingers crossed!!! But here is 1 photo that shows today's vendors work. Above photo by Nicki Bursae Photography. The two gorgeous handmade taper candles are by Marcie Forest of Forest Candle Studio. She graciously mailed us these ornate candles from her studio in Los Angeles, CA. 

Forest Candle Studio makes and handcraft each candle to be an individual work of art. You can light them, display them, whatever brings you joy! A favorite for weddings, gifts, and home decor, her candles are meant to add beauty and natural luxury to your life. Pefecet for decorating your home for Christmas or using them for your wedding Unity Candles. Her daughter, Camille, and son, Cary help her in the studio making these candles. She makes a limited number of candles each year. Please visit her Etsy shop and facebook page to see more photos of her origininal art of candle making. 

This is the set she lent us - Rose Candle Set, Pillar & Tapers $160.00

Perfect for Christmas, Wedding, Home Decor - Pillar & Tapers Set "Black Magic"

This set was custom handmade as a wedding candle set for a wedding in the Philippines! Organic Spice Candle series: pure beeswax, cinnamon, cloves, lavender buds and crushed rose petals 

Yellow roses for a summer wedding

Please Note: Candles are made-to-order unless listed as "ready-to-ship".
EMAIL: forestcandlestudio@gmail.com
CALL: 310.963.7545
http://www.etsy.com/shop/forestcandlestudio
http://www.facebook.com/ForestCandleStudio

{inspiration board} No. 2 lavender

This was supposed to be last weeks inspiration board, but I postponed it. I hope to get back up and running on the blog this weekend again now that Thanksgiving is over. Did you have a good Thanksgiving? Ours was wonderful and delicious! 

So, you'll probably see a lot of lavender, purple, lilac or violet on here since it's another one of my favorite colors. Plus don't you just love the smell of lavender. It's so pretty in a bouquet fresh or dried. Isn't that pattern and color combo amazing for your house too? So elegant and such a nice relaxing color. While I was on etsy.com I saw that lavender ring - gorgeous! Lucky girl who gets that!! I've decided to add in some nail polish images too into the boards. I'm a huge fan of Butter London nail polish since it goes on super smooth, dries fast and is NON-TOXIC! I have a few of their colors and think this color would be great for the winter.

sources: flowers, invitations, jewelry, makeup, cakes, gift, shoes, home and pattern

{Featured} Green Wedding Shoes - Green & Glam

The anticipation for announcing this has been grueling, but I can FINALLY share with you our exciting news!! Simply Savannah Events (my old company) & Izzy Hudgins Photography has been featured on Green Wedding Shoes! Please go check it out & leave some love! Green Wedding Shoe is the #3 wedding blog out there and average about 60K-100K visitors to their website per month! click here to see the post on Green Wedding Shoes

When Nicole and I started talking about designing a styled shoot, Nicole's first criteria was that we do something good enough to be featured on Green Wedding Shoes and sure enough we were able to get on there!!! My focus was the Eco-Friendly part plus all the flowers! I wanted to show that you can have a gorgeous wedding while still being green. Most of the décor was from recycled glass jars that we collected and painted gold + mint, plus we wanted favors that were functional and not going to create more waste so we used mint seed packets and succulents. 

Our color scheme was mint + gold, which was so fun to see all the elements come together that we made/bought to compliment this color palette. The location for the shoot is an up-and-coming event venue in Savannah, Georgia called Southern Pine Company. It’s actually a salvage company that makes reclaimed wood furniture but they have an amazing warehouse and courtyard that can be cleared for events. The venue lent the tables and mantel for the shoot. Hope this helps inspire some couples and shows that being green doesn't have to stop you from being glam! 

More photos from Izzy that weren't showcased on the blog but are some of my favorites too:

Thanks for making your way to the end of this post, but don't forget to watch our video!!

simply savannah wedding video 720hd from Layla Mayville on Vimeo.

To see more about the behind the scenes in making this styled shoot check out my previous post here: {Behind the Scenes} Part 1 Eco Chic Styled Shoot

{Vendor Guide} Photography: Izzy Hudgins // Design & Concept: Layla Mayville of All the Little Details & Nicole Schwalge of Simply Savannah Events  // Models: Megan Rose Phillips (Bride), Tim Arpin (Groom) & Colleen Kelly (Bridesmaid) // Shoot Location: Southern Pine Company // Cakes, Cupcakes & Cake Pops: Delectable Designs // Invitations & Stationary: Nicole Schwalge (owner of Simply Savannah Events) // Wedding Dress: "Bayh" by Legends of Romona Keveza via Bleu Belle Bridal // Makeup: Beyond Beautiful by Heather // Video: Vitor of the Institute of Cinematic Arts

{Organic Wednesday} Natalie Portman's Wedding

Natalie Portman Images

I have been a pretty big Natalie Portman fan ever since she was a little girl and starred in Beautiful Girls. Did you know that in 2003, Portman graduated from Harvard College with an A.B. degree in psychology, pretty smart eh!! How do you like them apples!? Well I did some snooping and only found a few paparazzi pictures online of her recent very Organic and Eco-friendly wedding, but have all the details. By the sounds of it, I would have LOVED their wedding, sadly I was not a guest.

"Although Portman debuted the rock at the Oscars last February, she and Benjamin Millepied made it official with a super-romantic wedding ceremony Aug. 4, 2012 at a private residence in Big Sur, Calif.

Wearing a bohemian wedding gown designed by her pals at Rodarte, the same house that made the purple dress that Portman wore to the 2010 Oscars. She wore flowers wrapped around her head and a long veil, she exchanged vows with French choreographer/dancer Millepied, 35, beneath a hand-crafted chuppah just after sundown on a spot overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Presided by a rabbi, the vows took place by candlelight beneath a hand-crafted chuppah. They were surrounded by family – including 14-month-old son. During the ceremony, the couple were wrapped in a tallits, a Jewish prayer shawl, and in keeping with custom, things ended with Millepied smashing a glass to shouts of "Mazel Tov!"

The wedding between Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied reflected not just the bride's Jewish faith and the groom's French nationality, but also the couple's outlook on the world. 

Instead of having flowers flown in, the ceremony featured wildflowers indigenous to the Big Sur coast where the ceremony took place, and instead of "fish or steak" the menu was strictly vegan in keeping with the bride's diet. Also instead of the traditional wedding cake, the couple opted for French macarons.

The reception was held under a tent at a private residence, and featured a Klezmer band. The newly married couple kicked the dancing off with a 20-minute hora dance before being lifted up in chairs by guests. 

When things wrapped up around 2 a.m., the approximately 100 guests took home packets of wildflower seeds as party favors. The packets were inscribed with a single word: Merci".

sources: read more and even more reading

Eco-chic Weddings

In case, you missed this before, I'm sharing it again because there are so many great ideas, I don't want it to get lost in the shuffle of my blog! I recently finished reading "Eco-chic Weddings" by Emily Elizabeth Anderson and have LOTS of great information to tell you about. As you know my passion is sharing eco-friendly ideas that you can consider for your wedding, it doesn't have to be everything, even a few green efforts can make a big difference. This will be a pretty lengthy post, so stick with me, have a cup of coffee, get a piece of paper to take notes, or get ready to click on links and bookmark them! Most of this information is directly from Emily's book and some I have added in.

Facts To Think About:

• According to Conde Nast Bridal Group- American Wedding Study 2006 the average American wedding is now $27,825 in 1990 it was $15,208
• Prioritize!! What is the most important part of your wedding that you are willing to spend money on and what could be edited out?
• Borrow -  Emily wrote in her book that she borrowed her friends pearl bracelet which was special since her friend couldn't be at the wedding. Maybe borrow someone’s veil too.
• Think about one-time-use items like your wedding shoes that you will only wear once, do you really want to spend that much on them?
• According to the Bridal Consultants of America, October is now the most popular month of the year to get married.
• Ask and find out if your venue/caterer compost leftover food? Could they donate to a compost community garden?
• Reduce: Send your wedding invitations earlier than planned so that you don’t have to send out save-the-dates, or it’s too late to send out save-the-dates so you just send invites
• Self-adhesive stamps come with non-recyclable plastic sheet backing so if possible get the moisten and stick stamps
• Recycle your ink cartridges, more than 300 million ink cartridges end up in landfills every year. You can take them to Staples and get a discount!
• Average money spent on honeymoon is $3.700
• This is a BIG FACT I DID NOT KNOW!! 10% of honeymooners go on a cruise, but did you know that one of the largest waterway polluters is the cruise ship industry! Discharge into the ocean by cruise ships is not covered under the Clean Water Act. I have actually never been on a cruise but it's such a huge industry for tourism.
• Consider going to a “green” location and doing “green” activities and rent from Enterprise Rent-A-Car since they have the Toyota Prius

{Vendor Spotlight} Chocolat by Adam Turoni

I lurve chocolate!! Yep, if I could eat chocolate everyday 24-7 I would, so when a local chocolatier contacted me about tasting his gourmet handmade luxury chocolate, I said YES of course. Adam has a long history with chocolate and many years in perfecting his skill. He says that, "with lessons learned from the kitchens of my grandmother to Chez Panisse to Chef Greweling I am spinning chocolates that taste like the magic of memories". You will remember his chocolate too!!! You can find his chocolates at all Wright Square cafe and Paula Deen's store or place an order with him for your event.

I was impressed with Adam's beautiful presentation of chocolates seen below, his gorgeous office space which is located on Desoto Row one of the few certified “green” buildings in Savannah, but more so by how delicious the chocolates were! Adam supports local businesses such as Savannah Bee Company, PERC, Brighter Day, and local spice and tea shops. He only uses premium chocolate chips to start with in order to make his delicacies. All of his chocolates tasted amazing, but my favorites were:

• Raspberry Mouse ganache, always a favorite combination but WOW he is good!
• Peanut Butter Cup, he makes the peanut butter from scratch and you can tell since it's so fresh and smooth.
• Sourwood Sea Salt Honey Caramels are soooo good and my husbands favorite (I let him sample my leftovers!)
• Cafe Americano has a nice robust infusion of local PERC coffee which is right across the street from Adam, perfect for an after dinner dessert with fresh brewed coffee!
• Blood Orange and Grand Marnier Truffle is very BOLD and sophisticated.
• Chocolate Covered Candied Orange Peel is also potent and a nice compliment to the orange truffle.

I loved this wall in his office that he painted and created a fun frame display!

Here is a close up of his signature Almond Bark Lion Medallion

Chocolat by Adam Turoni
2423 Desoto Ave, Savannah, GA
(570) 510-1820
chocolatat@ymail.com
http://www.chocolatat.com
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