April 8, 2008

Here Comes the Rain Again


With the dreariness of the past month are you looking forward to a brighter March? We certainly are. So much so that we’ve added a new focus to Moments That Shine. Our event planning services will be gearing from the normal bridal white to GREEN!

After researching, making some new connections & taking a look at the growing trends in everyday life, it just makes sense to try and change people’s mentalities when it comes to weddings. For years those concerned about the environment have touted receptions as needless & wasteful … but that can be turned around. If you’re planning a wedding, there are definitely things you can do to make the event more eco-friendly … at the very least you can reduce your environmental footprint of the day. We have grown our list of vendors to include organic, planet-conscious companies. We would all love to sit down with you and turn your event into something Mother Nature would be proud of. Until you make that call or email, here are some important tips on reducing waste on your wedding day …

• Have your celebration in one location only. Is there really a need to have everyone pack up & go from location to location when there are plenty of all-in-one venues that would be only too happy to have you?

• Buy local. Everything from catering to flowers to wine can be purchased in your area. Not only would you be supporting local businesses by hiring them but you would also be cutting down on major carbon emissions. Plus those carrots are going to taste extra yummy when they come from your backyard!

• Reformat your RSVP cards. Instead of the traditional RSVPs with card stock & an envelope, format them as postcards (all the info, less paper). If you want to go one step further, do away with RSVPs all together & set up an email address for guests to reply to.

• Forgo the traditional wedding favours. We often get caught up in wanting to give our guests a lovely trinket as a thank you for attending the wedding. Unfortunately most of these end up in landfills after the wedding. To ensure this doesn’t happen, instead make the favour reusable, a donation to your favourite charity or simply skip it completely.

• Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Yes, this should be applied to your wedding just like you fill your blue bin up every week.
Do you really need all those flowers? If you look at your surroundings you’ll probably spot some great focal points already there … use them.
Make your centrepieces potted plants and have them double as the guests’ favours.
Check out the vintage clothing stores in your area … there may even be stores with once-worn dresses. Rather than buying new you can find something in great shape and contribute to a good cause.

There are many other things you could do but we can’t give all of our ideas away. We need a reason for you to call. Rest assured we will help you come up with ideas to be gentler to your surroundings during this joyous occasion. We would love to sit down over a cup of tea for a chat about your wedding. And who knows … we may even find some ways to save you money while we’re at it!