Real Wedding: Kristle and Mike - Eco-elegance in Quebec

Every bride and groom has a different story to tell. Some stories are whimsical, some are serious, some are elegant, but in the case of Kristle and Mike, their story is about hosting a memorable and elegant event while celebrating in an eco-friendly way. It's hard not to admire these two. In lieu of shower gifts, they encouraged guests to donate to Project Tanzania, their own personal creation which aimed to help Tanzanian children by building healthy futures.


Their wedding was held at the beautiful Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City. Although this was a destination wedding, the guest list was kept to a minimum and details weren't spared when it came to keeping things green. For instance, the flowers were sourced from a local florist and were pesticide free.



They opted to serve a vegan cake, "beautifully made with certified organic and Fair Trade ingredients by a sustainable boutique bakery."



Paper products used were made from 100% post-consumer recycled content and printed with soy-based inks.



The wedding dress was re-purposed and carried lasting sentimental value with it. It was not only worn by the bride's mother on her wedding day, but by the bride's godmother as well! It was then altered to match Kristle's own personal style.



Rather than have a guest book, they took advantage of a white board which guests could write personal messages on and then take a snapshot of with a digital camera.


Thank you for sharing your wedding us us, Kristle and Mike! Many happy wishes to you both!

Photography by Jonathan Robert / Flowers by Les Halles en Fleurs / Décor Coordination by Melanie Fecteau of Evenements Carpe Diem / Ceremony & Reception Venue: Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac/ Invitations by Yoko Chapman (formerly of Pulp & Circumstance) / Shoes by Browns / Dress from my mother’s closet /Cake by LPK’s Culinary Groove

A Place for Cupcakes and Cakes

Are cupcakes outdated these days? I remember a time when it seems they were all the rage. Whatever the case, they are still might tasty and I say they should make an appearance at your wedding if you are a true cupcake fan. And true fans need a little cupcake stand too. Okay, to be honest, a cupcake stand isn't the most practical gift, but the ones at Whitney Smith Pottery sure are adorable. And so are the cake stands!

Keeping It Real and Green: Deodorants and Soap

Who knew deodorant was such a popular topic!? My last post, "Just The Pits," generated a lot of great feedback, for which I am ever appreciative of. Kate Gallagher of The Practice suggested her favorite, Burt's Bees spray with oil of sage, while the Divine Miss Em took the brave leap into living a deodorant-less lifestyle. And Fig+Sage made the good point that Tom's does still include propylene glycol, which alters the structure of the skin by "allowing chemicals to penetrate deep beneath it while increasing their ability to reach the blood stream."(The Good Human) Um...that doesn't sound good. So at Fig+Sage's recommendation (and many rave reviews in the blogosphere), I just purchased Soapwalla's deodorant cream (pictured above), which consists of superfine vegetable powders, clays, lavender, peppermint and tea tree essential oils. Right on! I'll let you know how it works! :)

Pomegranate Juice Soap from Dress Green

For the rest of today's post, let's keep things clean and nice-smelling by talking about soap! My quick green tip of the day: skip the bottle and go for the bar. Many liquid soaps are packaged in big, heavy plastic bottles, but unfortuantely not all types of plastic can be recycled (and this can be especially dependent on the recycling center in your area). Bar soaps however, usually come in cardboard packaging, or no packaging at all, which cuts down on waste. There is a huge selection of handmade soaps on Etsy, many of which come in recyclable packaging. Visit Nashville Wraps for eco-friendly gift bags and you've got yourself a charming set of bridesmaid's gifts.

Sew Much Fun Friday

This weekend, I really plan to get out the sewing machine and learn how to use that freakin' thing. I have actually sewn before. I made a pillow and a little stuffed cow. Oh, and some pants. But it was all done under supervision and it was about 15 years ago. Wow, that makes me feel old.

The lovely dresses above are the creation of Elizabeth Dye, who owns the Etsy shop The English Dept, among other things. I'm not sure if Elizabeth actually sews these or has someone do it for her, but regardless, the frilly feminine frocks really make me want to jump right into dress making. I should probably start with curtains though.

Considering my mind is currently swimming in a sea of creativeness, this week's list will center around crafty things and the sort.

Hand painted flower pots at Cherry MenLove

Non-traditional sushi serving set from Alma Pottery

Win: This delightful book, Simple Sewing, over at Life's Rich Pageant

Coconut Milk Fudge. One word: sinful.

Just the pits...

I know my personal hygiene choices are probably not your favorite topic to read about, but before you click that mouse, hear me out. Although there are no conclusive studies, many speculate that the aluminum in most antiperspirants possibly elevates estrogen levels, which can increase your risk of breast cancer. True or not, I'm not sure I want to be putting aluminum on my skin....every. single. day.


With the popularity of all those shoulder baring, armpit exposing wedding dresses taking shape, you might be apt to make a beeline for the deodorant that guarantees to make you never sweat and simultaneously make you smell like a fresh, clean breeze on a moonlit path in the middle of April. Who knows how they do this? However, we sweat for a reason. Not sayin' it's couth to walk into a wedding smelling like you just left the gym, but it's not like men and nipples. Our sweat function exists for a reason. (This is going to read a little like an infomercial, but I promise no one is paying me to write this. It's just a personal product which I'm happy to vouch for.) Personally, I hesitated to switch because I swear I sweat more than most girls (sooo sexy, I know), but I put my smelly fears away and made a switch to a more natural deodorant with less freaky ingredients. There are a few options out there, but I'm currently using Tom's of Maine. And so far, so good!

Of course, once we hit 95 degrees in July and August, all bets are off.

So with that said, what do you think? Do you have a personal favorite hygiene product you'd be willing to vouch for?

A Vegetarian Bride's Own Words

My recent post, "Reasons to Say Bye-Bye to Meat," prompted Amber to write in about her own vegetarian wedding experience, which I was so impressed about I asked if she would mind if I reposted it here. We both hope that her story inspires some of you other vegetarian brides to stick to your guns and dare to give your guests a non-conventional menu of delicious veggie style fare.

In Amber's own words:

"As much as this was a celebration for our guests, it was a celebration about us and we didn't eat meat. Besides, it was only one meal anyway. She (the bride's mother) agreed with that and let the issue drop. She made it her mission to make sure everyone of our 75 guests knew that there wouldn't me a speck of meat at the wedding... I'm surprised she didn't force me to put a note in with the invitations!

I slaved over the menu writing it from scratch and submitted numerous drafts to the venue. We finally came to a final menu just a few weeks before the wedding. We had a buffet in the interest of getting our guests to try some stuff that might be out of their normal comfort zone. I wanted to use as many seasonal, fresh ingredients as possible. Here is what we served."

-----------------------------------

Butternut squash soup

Caesar Salad with Grated Romano Cheese - w/homemade veggie Caesar dressing

4 cold salads
New England Style 3-Potato Salad
Oriental Noodle Salad with soy, ginger, sesame & garlic
Fire Blackened Green Beans with lime garlic aioli
tortellini salad with tomato, basil & mozzarella

2 sides
Broccoli gratin
Cannalini beans with swiss chard

3 main dishes
Wild mushroom strudel
Vegetables lasagna

Grilled polenta cakes with Ratatouille

-----------------------------------

"I had so many complements on the food. It was great. I defiantly didn't eat as much as I should have... too worked up! If my meat n' potatoes family can enjoy a vegetarian wedding... anyone can."

What's The Scoop?

I really dislike ice sculptures as part of wedding decor. There is something so cruise ship/prom/1980's over-the-top dinner party about them. Plus, it's probably not the best use of water, but this is just my opinion. In any case, you will never see ice sculptures touted on here. Sorry to disappoint those who may have been looking forward to it, but personally, I think this is better:

ICE CREAM! If you have a favorite local or regional ice cream company, consider supporting them. Bonus points if they are all natural or organic. Offer little scoops in little cones or big scoops in big cups! Granted, they aren't as grand as a massive ice sculpture, and you can't engrave your name in ice cream, but you also can't use your ice sculpture to give your cake that a la mode experience. Or you could, but that might be rather odd...

Both photos from Snippet and Ink: Left, Right

Healthy Monday: Bringing Posture up to Par with a Strong Core

Oh, posture, posture, posture. Posture makes perfect, right? I promised to follow up today on the progress of my posture, but I don't think there is much to report. It's definitely something I am more aware of now, but have I improved? Probably not. I'm still working on it though. I was glad to see everyone left really great comments. Michelle at Healthy Eating Roadmap mentioned that improving your posture burns calories, and E.B. Finds noted how as kids we all have great posture, but over time gravity starts to take it's toll on our bodies.

Posture is Important, Second See, Etsy.com

So how do we keep it up? Each morning I yell to the sky, "Be gone awful gravity and let us reclaim the beautiful spinal line we maintained as children!" This doesn't work though. :)

Instead, focus on strengthening your core. Have you ever seen a slouchy ballroom dancer? Ballroom dancers usually have fantastic inner core strength, which aids them in maintaining that super graceful posture they carry on the dance floor.

Check out the links below to learn more about your core:

- Five Reasons to Strengthen Your Core (and accompanying exercises, Active.com)

- Core Exercises: Beyond Your Average Ab Routine (cnn.com)

- Slide Show of Core Exercises (Mayo Clinic)

P.S. For some laughs, check out Manolo For the Bride's, "Posture, Ur Doin It Wrong."

I Owe You's

These cute little I Owe You's are a simple, yet loving way to let your sweetie know you're thinking about him or her. Available at Madison Belle for $5.95.

Happy weekend everyone! I hope you all have love in your forecast and warmth in your soul!



Fun: Aisle Dash has an awesome new look. Check out Anne Chertoff's bit on how to keep your wedding memories fresh.

Fashion: Men's shirts revised. Love this. Think sexy tank top underneath or as a cover up over your bathing suit.

Win: A $250 eco-jewelry shopping spree from Green Diva!

Inspiration: Color palette inspiration for the home can easily translate to palette inspiration for your wedding.

Wedding: Adorable details from the Anti-Bride's wedding.

Green Wedding Favors

Woo. Sleepy day. I'm blaming it on this little booger baby inside of me. Either that or it was the gigantic cookie I had earlier. I received this lovely post from Heather at Dream Green Weddings, who is all about keeping the wedding scene green. Thanks, Heather!

If you are thinking about “greening” your wedding, you may wish to avoid wedding favors that are mass produced and made from plastic (the production of these favors can be harmful to the environment and they usually just end up in a land fill). Instead, more brides are opting for favors that are either handmade or created with sustainable materials like bamboo, organic or all-natural ingredients, recycled seeded paper (plant these favors to grow beautiful flowers), or real tree favors.

At Dream Green Weddings, we recently launched a new collection of organic “spa” wedding favors. Available in several different shapes, sizes and packaging, these wonderfully luxurious eco-friendly soaps make an eco-lovely wedding favor for your guests that you can feel good about giving. The collection features unique wedding favors hand-made from organic ingredients such as olive oil, beeswax lotion, Shea butter, even organic Fair Trade Certified chocolate!

Plus, these favors are presented in either recycled or recyclable packaging (or no packaging at all-allowing you to get creative with how you present them to your guests). From earth-friendly favors to pre-owned dresses to organic décor, you have more choices than ever before to have the gorgeous and green wedding of your dreams!

A Little Unsolicited Advice

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This post has nothing to do with St. Pat's day, but I figured I'd throw in the obligatory mention of it.


Planning a wedding can turn you into a scary, frazzled version of yourself where all you do is worry. If you feel you've already become the worry monster, it's okay. Accept it as part and parcel of the job. And then sit back, relax, and take a few deep breaths. To give you a little story, I remember fretting over lots of little things when I was getting married. What songs would be played? How my dress would look while I was dancing? Who would bring uninvited guests? But then two weeks before my wedding, my father and stepmother got into a car wreck about two hours away from home (and from where the wedding was). My dad shattered his pelvis. That sucked. I have no better way to put it. This was very sad for the whole family, but especially for my dad who was super excited about giving me away. On the day of my wedding, my brother walked me down the aisle and I realized all of those worries I had just kind of drifted away. My family was alive and healthy. My friends were supporting me. And I had more love surrounding me than I could ever imagine. So if all you worry warts would allow me to give you a little unsolicited advice, I'd say take it all in stride and understand that in the grand scheme of things, all that worrying is only going to cause premature wrinkles.

P.S. My savvy computer husband set up a web cam so my dad could watch the wedding from his hospital bed. :)

P.P.S. If you show up to a hospital in your wedding gown, they won't make you pay for parking.

photo via Chrissy White

Etsy Love: Vintage Inspired, Handmade Cuff

Defy conventionality and skip the traditional jewelry on your wedding day. This vintage inspired, handmade cuff is the perfect way to adorn your wrist sans bangles and wimpy bracelets.

RePost: Healthy Monday - Cutting Back on Meat

Well, reasons to say bye-bye to meat...at least once or twice a week.

Did you know that if everyone went vegetarian for just one day, the U.S. would save:

• 100 billion gallons of water, enough to supply all the homes in New England for 4 months.

• 1.5 billion pounds of crops otherwise fed to livestock, enough to feed the state of New Mexico for more than a year.

• 33 tons of antibiotics

And we could prevent:

• Greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1.2 million tons of CO2, as much as produced by all of France.

• 3 million tons of soil erosion and $70 million in resulting economic damages.

• Almost 7 tons of ammonia emissions, a major air pollutant.

(Source)

In her article, The Breathtaking effects of Cutting Back on Meat, Kathy Freston writes, "According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads. See how easy it is to make an impact?"

And Freston is right! It's as easy as meatless pie. It's not only better for the environment, it's better for our bodies. If the vegetarian lifestyle isn't for you, and I can agree it certainly isn't for everyone, try implementing meatless meals into your diet two days a week. That's it! You don't have to cut meat out entirely. Plus, it may help you attain your daily recommended requirement of veggies!

Who remembers this quote? "What do you mean he don't eat no meat!? That's okay, I'll make lamb." (hehe, one of the funniest movies ever!) Are you planning a vegetarian wedding or event? If so, I'd love to hear your stories and share them with our readers. E-mail us at jns721@gmail.com with vegetarian in the subject line.

Re-Using A Bird Cage

Decorative bird cages are really popular for weddings, but what do you do with it after the big day? You could try and use it as an actual bird cage, but most of these things are meant for decor only. Personally, I'm a fan of the bird-cage-turned-lamp idea. It's an eco-friendly way to upcycle your wedding decor and it would add quite a charming touch to your home decor.




Shout out to Seattle based Emerald Green Weddings, an eco-friendly wedding consultancy. They recently opened their virtual doors. Welcome EGW!

*Sigh* Although they aren't earth friendly, these colorful pouches are really freakin' cute!

Loving: marriage.com (how did they snag that sweet domain name!?)

Giveaway Alert! The folks over at Recycled Bride are giving away a beautiful Reem Acra dress.

DIY Fun: Awesome DIY Ketubah kit, found at Something Old, Something New.

Design Inspiration: Here's an idea for all those old, non CFL light bulbs.

Photo Credit: (Left) One Love Photo, (Right) Crafty Crafty

Real Wedding at the Beltane Ranch

Another beautiful wedding at the eco-licious Beltane Ranch (see another wedding here)! These images are from Megan's wedding, the author behind the lovely blog, Forget Me Knot Weddings, who actually won favorite eco-chic wedding from Style Unveiled. (Did I really just write "eco-licious?" Sorry, long day.)



photographer: Kate Harrison Photography

Vintage Containers for the Wedding Pair

Most florists provide the containers for your flower arrangements, but if you're being left up to your own creativity, keep in mind not everything has to be put in a vase. Now don't get me wrong, vases are pretty. And if you get glass ones, they can be recycled and/or are sturdy enough to be used again. But they can get rather repetitive and boring. With a little bit of creativity, you could easily use a vintage container for your floral wedding decor. Each one featured below is a vintage container found at Terrain. The first one, which is my favorite, is an old pear crate, which was used to harvest pears for many years in a Pennsylvania nursery. And apparently the labels vary for each box. You could even go all out and have a "wedding pair/pear" kind of theme! What? Too cheesy? :)

Where to Get Your Color Inspiration

Just because you're an earth friendly bride (and if you read this blog, well that's good enough to make you an earth friendly bride in my eyes!) doesn't mean you don't need a color palette for your wedding! Whether you go with earthy greens, vibrant blues, or feminine pinks, there are plenty of places on the internets to help you with your color dilemmas. (okay, quick edit: I know it's not "internets," I just like to say it, er, write it.)


Kris's Color Stripes is a wonderful website which features a plethora of artsy images and the matching color palettes.



Snippet and Ink offers a variety of color based inspiration boards. Sometimes it's fun to look at these for wedding ideas as well.



The Inspired Bride occasionally offers one beautiful, inspirational image, with matching colors.



Colour Lovers is a favorite with nearly anyone who works in a creative field. Their website allows you to create a custom color palette from scratch, as well as browse other people's palettes as well.

Healthy Monday: Improving Your Posture (and how NOT to get your significant other to help you)

Photography by Simply Boom (found via Snippet and Ink)

(I've actually written about this before, but it was a fairly popular post so I thought I would expand upon it a little.)

I've been trying to improve my posture for a while, so I asked my husband to say to me, "You look pretty" as a code phrase for when I need to stand up straighter. True story. I don't recommend this. Hubby says, "Jennifer, you look pretty." I look at my lovely husband with love and respond, "Oh, thank you so muuu..." and then I realize what he really means. I scowl and sulk for a few minutes, but I have no grounds to get mad because, afterall, I'm the one who asked him to do this.

Getting married (and the threat of hundreds of photos being taken of you) is generally a pretty good motivator for getting into shape. But practicing good posture is also an important part of good health. So let's work on it together! Although the pregnancy inhibits me from doing all the exercises listed below, I'm going to follow my own advice this time around and I'll report back on March 22nd with the progress. I hope you'll do the same! Oh, and if you have your own posture perfecting tips, feel free to share them in the comments! (P.S. Needless to say, we've eliminated the old "pretty" code phrase, but it's been changed to "Jennifer, you're lookin' so curvy!" Haha! We'll see how this goes.)

Take several short stretch breaks throughout the day to keep limbs and muscles flexible for good posture.

From EmpowHER, "Sitting on a chair's edge, feet flat on floor, place a pillow or soccer-sized ball between your knees. Squeeze gently for a few seconds while lifting your head and pulling your shoulder blades back. Repeat 10 times."

Follow these four posture perfect exercise routines from Women's Health Magazine.

Kathy Smith's article on Ivillage recommends working your spinal erectors. "You can do this by lying face down on your bed and lifting one leg and the opposite arm, holding for a count of 10; then lift the other arm and leg. Repeat this process three times a day."

Another recommendation from Smith is to drive with your seat straight up. This might seem weird at first, but leaning forward too much leaves the lower back in limbo and the neck contorted.

Eco-Friendly Decor for the Rectangular Table

Long rectangular tables can add an elegant, modern feel to your wedding. But round centerpieces don't always work with a rectangular table. These hand painted votive candle holders from Stil Novo Design are made from oak wine barrel staves and the shape is certainly conducive for a long table. Dressed up or dressed down, they are a great alternative to traditional floral table decor.


It's Friday again! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead of you. For me? A little work, a little play, a little sunshine happiness. :)

Wish Upon A Wedding is a venture exploding with some of the warmest possibilities. Their aim is to grant wedding wishes to those facing a terminal illness and they already have their first recipient!

Love the color palette of these chunky bubblegum-like necklaces.

Thank you to Ninotschka for listing Earth Friendly Weddings as one of her favorite wedding blogs!

I was never really a daffodil fan until I saw this. Maybe I'm just craving yellow in lieu of not getting enough sunshine this winter.

Registering for fancy shmancy silverware? Read up on six non-toxic ways to keep it spiffy.

Boobs and Wedding Dresses

You want to know a secret? I feel comfortable sharing this with you because I know most of my readers are women, but it's a little out of character for me to be so forthcoming. I've always been a small chested woman. Now my boobs are not only bigger (a perk to pregnancy perhaps), but my stomach is also rising up to meet them. Although a good bra generally takes care of it, it's an issue I find rather annoying. As I've become more aware of these not-so-little-now puppies, I am reminded that they are the number one killer of women ages 15-54. Well, okay, my breasts in particular don't kill obviously, but breast cancer certainly does.

I contemplated listing all the facts here, but I'm not really sure that's necessary. We all know breast cancer is scary. I certainly don't need to reiterate it. Many companies have capitalized on this by marketing every product they carry in the color pink and then giving a minuscule amount of the profits to breast cancer research. (I'm not saying don't buy pink stuff, I'm just communicating what I've read.) But one great way to support those currently suffering from breast cancer is to buy your dress through the Brides Against Breast Cancer Foundation. Through their organization, Making Memories, BABC uses donations to fulfill wishes or dreams for metastatic breast cancer patients. I had the opportunity to be a vendor at last year's Brides Against Breast Cancer tour in Atlanta and I was amazed by the hundreds of beautiful dresses just waiting to be plucked off the rack! If this seems like something you're interested in, check out the 2010 Gown Sale Calendar.

Short and Sweet

If you're aiming for a cute, short dress, these made-to-order beauties would do just the trick. Available at Amanda Archer, each one pictured below is under $450.00. Found via Inspired Bride.

Eco Wedding Organization

Wedding planning requires organization! Even if it's just a dinky binder you still have left over from high school, it helps to categorize your vendors, budget info, check lists, etc... But these eco-binders and hand printed eco-tabs are much cuter than those white plasticky things you used in school. And they won't have your school girl crushes written all over the inside. Buy at Urban Posture.

Healthy Monday: How To Treat The Wedding Planning Blues

Has this ever happened to you? It's a beautiful day. You wake up. The sun shines through your window and in a Disney-esque move, you swing from your bed to the shower to your closet all with a bluebird on your shoulder. And then all of a sudden, BAM! Something happens which causes the realities of life to punch you in the gut and you shuffle around with a melancholic attitude for the entire day.


Sometimes this happens to me. I get this inexplicable moodiness, which I believe is the result of just a bunch of little stresses adding up. And then one day it kind of hits me all at once. Now chronic stress and depression require the attention of a doctor, but the occasional blues, especially when planning a wedding, are normal if not expected. Personally, I'm a fan of exercise, yoga, and meditation. However, there may also be a chemical component to feelings of sadness. Our brains are continually producing serotonin, a chemical which many researchers believe influence mood. (If you have unnaturally low levels of serotonin, you should see a doctor, as this can possibly lead to anxiety, panic, and excess anger.) So next time you're feeling a little down, try these tricks to naturally boost your serotonin levels:

**If you have anything you like to add, please feel free to share what makes you happy in the comments**

- According to Whole Living, eating complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and barley can increase serotonin levels.

- Tryptophan (yes, the crazy sleep inducing stuff we feel after a Thanksgiving meal) is the necessary amino acid our body needs to produce serotonin. Eat small amounts of high-tryptophan proteins, such as turkey, cheese, and eggs at every meal or as a snack.

- Leafy vegetables such as Kale and Bok Choy are high in Vitamin B, which is helpful in converting tryptophan to serotonin.

- Although there is no proof, it is believed that exercise also increases serotonin levels.

Some other ways to treat the wedding blues:

- Start the day by doing something that makes you happy. Roll around on the floor with your pets, cuddle with your significant other, or eat a healthy breakfast.

- Talk to a good friend. Just chatting with a girlfriend about whatever is troubling you can help you feel better in the end.

Additional source: WebMd
Photography by Brooke Mayo