original:
http://www.ashevilleindieweddings.com/blog/2013/3/12/how-to-plan-a-locally-inspired-green-wedding-in-asheville.html
from Jennifer Callahan
Photo taken at the NC Arboretum, by Jennifer Callahan Photography
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.
When planning the wedding flowers there are several green approaches one can implement. As their life continues well after the day of the event, potted plants are a great alternative to cut flowers. Gift the potted plants to family and the wedding party, which will reduce the use of consumable products in the wedding. Vendors pride themselves on tailoring their services to each event–communicate your green perspective to the florist and see what ideas they bring to the table. “Use other elements such as branches, moss, wheatgrass, stones, pods, soy candles, mixed with paper or fabric flowers which you keep after the wedding,” suggests local florist Jessica Gregory of Aria Floral. Western North Carolina is also rich with flower farms (for example, Lady Luck Flower Farm, Fisher Branch Farm, and Sweet Earth Flower Farm to name just a few) which are a source for DIY brides, but these farms also create flower arrangements for events and you can request that your florist source your flowers from a local farm and use natural plants that will safely compost. You'll also find your florist can be your event stylist, and with that in mind you can draw from your personal resources and include things already significant to you as a couple in your decor. Local florists are well versed in incorporating things from the bride and groom which hold significance into the wedding design.
With digital photography the new standard for weddings, photography has become greener in the absence of chemical processing. Past that, couples can request green practices be used by their photographer as they can choose local bookmakers as a source for custom wedding albums, opting for digital proofs to reduce the use of paper and ordering prints made on recycled materials. Asheville is also home to one of just four certified green photographers in the entire state of North Carolina. Jesse Kitt's passion for sustainability in her personal life spilled over into her business life as a wedding photography. While many photographers will tailor green packages, Jesse took it a big step further, with certification from Greener Photography. "My shipping supplies are made from recycled materials, I'm 90% paper free and used double-sided printing on recycled paper, I recyled all batteries that are not rechargable and focus on online marketing so I produce less paper waste," explains Kitt.
For wedding attire, brides can go green keeping their money in the local economy with designers like Brooke Priddy of Ship to Shore. Another option is to go vintage. This popular wedding trend dovetails beautifully with the principle of reduce and reuse. Downtown vintage clothing stores and antique businesses are a great source for dresses with warmth and charm that are unmatched.
While those are ideas for some of your big wedding decisions, you'll find small ideas (like using lavender in place of confetti to throw at the end of the night or making your wedding gift a donation made to an environmentally friendly cause in the name of your guests) complete the wedding celebration. Always keep in mind the transportation of consumer products is a major source of damage to the natural environment. With each decision you make consider from how far away something traveling, and evaluate it's potential to become waste–use that as a guide to make your wedding's carbon footprint as small as possible.
