With more and more couples planning their wedding as a natural extension of how they live their lives, soon to be married couples are asking the question, how can I plan a green wedding? Luckily, Asheville is a town that offers authentic answers for brides with a passion for sustainability. To get organized, connect basic green ideas (reduce, reuse, recycle and go local) to each aspect of the big day.
As a popular location for destination weddings, there are more venues than you could ever really research in western North Carolina, but two eco friendly locations come to mind for couples: The North Carolina Arboretum and Laughing Waters at Hickory Nut Forrest Eco-Community. The Arboretum, which features green buildings, gorgeous landscapes, water conservation and recycling, is a eco-friendly environment for special events. This venue work with each couple to actually plan a wedding that uses organic and natural products as part of the event. Because couples are required to take a pledge to reduce consumable products on their big day, brides can rest assured that not only is their event green, but all of the weddings at the arboretum use green practices. All this begins when couples receive a wedding packet that provides instruction on sustainable practices as it relates to catering, decorations, flowers, gifts, furnishings, transportation and recycling. Another green venue, Laughing Waters, occupies over 200 protected acres and offers a green environment for events which includes organic orchards and a retreat constructed from locally-milled trees, powered by a micro-hydro turbine that produces electricity from the tumbling waterfalls on the creek. The eco-community hosts weddings in a variety of locations (outdoor and indoor): at the organic orchard, by the old farmhouse ruins or inside the retreat. Another perk of both venues is the beauty of the natural landscape, which means couples won't necessarily need to spend as much money on consumable products for wedding décor.
After the wedding venue has been chosen, the next big decisions are catering, photography and flowers. Choosing Asheville vendors keeps money in the local economy, where you'll find an abundance of passion for sustainable practices.
With over thirty years of experience, husband and wife team, Greg and Miki Kilpatrick, created Saffron Fine Foods (they also own the popular, north Asheville eatery, Homegrown). Catering weddings, they offer recycling and composting during the reception and base their business on relationships with local farms like Ashley Farm, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, New River Organic Growers and other local food producers. Ask them about their “100 Mile Menu” which offers specific options for each of the four seasons, all sourced from local farms within one hundred miles of Asheville.
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