{Eco-Chic Weddings} by Emily Anderson

earthpledge futurefashion with diane von furstenberg: eco-friendly wedding gowns

Why don't  Vera Wang, Amsale, Reem Acra, or Badgley Mischka make Eco-Friendly Wedding Dresses?  FutureFashion White Papers, Earth Pledge's newest publication, endeavors to explain why. And, the forward was written by  Diane Von Furstenberg. The book is full of insight from designers to manufacturers, and everyone in-between. Best of all, it  provides viable solutions and addresses the financial impact of sustainable practices with individual perspectives.
(all images from brides.com, layout is mine)

style me pretty + tara guerard

I just love Tara Guerard's book, 'Southern Weddings: New Looks From the Old South."  Perfect for inspiration, and many of her ideas could be given an "eco-chic" twist. Tara was a guest writer today on Style Me Pretty, and her ideas are so charming. Just look at the confection of a dress on the cover...delicious.

{eco-chic} wedding inspiration: carol belanger grafton

Long a resource for designers, the books produced by Carol Belanger Grafton (Editor) range from the sublime to the pedestrian (think: Vicotorian era flourishes, and animal sticker books). They also provide some  great inspiration and ideas for an eco-chic event. Let this also be a reminder that inspiration need not come from a "wedding" resource...

   

    

recycled homes: ranch house style

If you're like many soon-to-be marrieds, you're planning your wedding and also thinking about buying a home (or at least, getting ready to do so at some point in the not so distant future.) Well, me too. Except, even though I've been married for almost two years, I'm still a renter. That doesn't mean I haven't been looking for the perfect home, or apartment, for a long time. I'm a  master-researcher, sometimes to a fault (I spend far too much time online), and I know a lot about the housing market. My dream is to buy a sad, lonely ranch style home that nobody wants, and totally recycle it. Experts call this "creating value," I call it being a good consumer...make that, a good eco-chic consumer!

If you want to learn more about how to do this, take a look at one of my favorite books, "Ranch House Style" by Katharine Ann Samon, and giddy-up, cowgirl (or boy). P.S. Another good read, Last Harvest: How a Cornfield Became New Daleville: Real Estate Development in America from George Washington to the Builders of the Twenty-first Century, and Why We Live in Houses Anyway, by Witold Rybczynski.

[photo credit: Dwell Magazine]

be the change

I read this book 6 years ago and it changed me in profound  ways. I remembered what I really wanted my life to be about. I decided to take the skills I had learned working in fashion, style, design and help other people make better, healthier decisions. I worked for brands that know how to make things people want to buy. Recommending stylish things that are also intrinsically good for the environment, and the global community, is how I have chosen to  make a difference. And to remind people of what a wedding is really about, and that maybe a $20,000 ring flashing on your finger shouldn't be a priority.

I chose weddings because it represents a new beginning in most people's lives, and therefore a perfect point at which to make a change.

This quote says it better than I:

We are all visitors on this planet. We are here for 90 or 100 years, at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful with our lives. If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life.
---His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

one (not so) perfect day

Rebecca Mead recently published this spot-on account of the real (U.S.) wedding industry. She tells it like it is, warts and all. I think it's an important book for every bride and groom to read. Actually, I think we all could learn a lot about how mass consumerism has over-influenced our way of life from Ms. Mead.