{Eco-Chic Weddings} by Emily Anderson

etsy wedding fun: wedding favors + bridesmaid dresses

all items available on etsy.com:
necklace: candysart
sweet treats: DoubleDippedSweets
heart ribbon: polkadotstrawberry
clutch: dalinda
bridesmaid dress: econica

*quote is by Robert Burns.

destination weddings: superfantastico recycled invitations + ebay retro gifts

You can have a "destination" wedding without leaving town--just incorporate some fun and quirky travel themes into your wedding planning. But if you are leaving on a jet plane for your destination fiesta, think about reducing your impact in other ways--carbon offset programs, recycled invitations, online rsvps....and bon voyage!

resources:
www.publiqueliving.com  (or  make your own version to add a little travel decor)
www.superfantastico.com (recycled invitations)--Love this site!
www.ebay.com (retro  travel bag)
www.vabest.com (organic peanuts)

gorgeous and green: a martha stewart weddings special on style.

I hope you had a chance to see the Martha Stewart Weddings Special on the Style channel, "Gorgeous and Green."  I was happy to be called upon by Darcy Miller and her team for some green, eco-chic ideas for this beautiful country wedding, which is especially sweet since Martha Stewart and the time I spent working for her provided a lot of inspiration for my book, Eco-Chic Weddings...here are some of my favorite green ideas:

Green tip:

Choose seasonal flowers, if possible. Not only is this a greener choice, but you'll also save money. You can find seasonal items even in the Winter months, like these pretty winterberries...

Green tip:

Skip petroleum based, toxic parrafin candles. Everytime you light them, you're basically breathing in burning petroleum. Yuck! Soy and beeswax candles are readily available, so make the switch.

Green Tip: 

Give your guests favors they won't toss in the trash...these sweet little fabric flowers can be worn by men and women, or they can add a little flare to a home. Skip the personalized favors...Trust me, only your Grandma will use the picture frame with your name and wedding date on it.

Green tip:

Let your bridesmaids and flower girls choose their own dresses that they will wear again after the wedding. Designate a certain color (give them each a fabric or paint swatch as a guide.) It's also a good idea to designate a certain fabric--this will help all of the dresses coordinate. Another way to tie the looks together is to add a little embellishment, such as these pretty little butterflies.

For more green wedding ideas, pick up  copy of my book. Be sure to check with the Style. channel for when they will be showing the Martha Stewart Weddings Special: Gorgeous and Green again.

xo

*all photos are from Martha Stewart

anna maria horner + huckleberry karen

I love Anna Maria Horner's designs, and she has great bundles of fabric that you make good use of. Maybe you could sew some sweet little pouches for your friends, or use them as colorful napkins on your tables. The beautiful little favors with paper flowers were featured at a wedding shot by Huckleberry Karen.           
*this is a "studio fat stack" from Anna Maria Horner.

{pinks + yellows} eco gold + paper flowers

Pretty is as pretty does...and not only are these items pretty, they are all fair trade, eco, and ethical...

Sources from the top:
Invitation...Paperwink
Bridesmaid/or Rehearsal dinner dress...De Sentino
Bridesmaid/or Bride's shoes...Form + Fauna
Plates...Terra Keramik
Pencil favors...Remarkable
Candle stick....Terra Keramik
Wedding band...Toby Pomeroy
Handmade paper peonies...Martha Stewart

martha stewart weddings: decoupage gift plates

I just looked through the current issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, and there's a fantastic decoupage idea in one of the featured weddings. What a wonderful idea for a table setting that can also be a gift for your guests. Decoupage (from the verb decouper, "to cut out") became all the rage in 17th c. France. Marie Antoinette is said to have been a fan of the technique...so let your guests eat cake and keep their plate ;)

Decoupage is a fairly easy, but if you do go with this idea I think that you should make chargers (so that the actual plate goes on top of the charger). In general, a charger is about 11.5 to 13", but they can be larger if you so desire. You can find used charger plates online, or maybe someone in your family has a few they wouldn't mind giving away.

   

    

*These lovely decoupage pieces are by Lorena Siminovich of Petit Collage. Each print is available for $140, and would make a nice addition to your wedding registry.

For more ideas and techniques check out: 
Handmade by Allison

contact: orders@handmadebyallison.com

*teacup wedding favors*

Next time you see a lonely teacup and saucer who has been lost from its set, you might be able to use it in many ways, for your wedding, and in your home. I love these teacandles from Etsy.

They would make the perfect wedding favor, as well as adding a little style to your table setting. Just tie the place card name to the handle, and voila, tea for two becomes a three-in-one idea. These teacandles are made from soy wax which is a renewable resource, as well as that traditional paraffin wax is a petroleum byproduct...the cups are reused from long-forgotten china sets, and can be washed out and reused as guess what? Teacups.

                     

                         
The idea for candles came from Martha Stewart (for me anyway)...but after the candles are finished, you can wash them out and use them for pretty storage containers, for jewelry and other little items...here's an image from Martha Stewart I found...but the storage idea I got from my grandmother who did this herself...

                      

                         

Or, you can use you can use the teacups as mini-planter like teleflora....
                      

Or a teacup topiary from SavonCrafts...not my favorite image, but you get the idea.

                         

                            

I have many random teacups doing storage duty in my home, and sometimes they turn into little flower vases too. I see them at every thrift store, just waiting for someone crafty to take them home and give them a job.

*editor's choice* d. sharp

our first official *editor's choice* award goes to d.sharp, aka diane sharp, whose meticulously designed handmade items have graced the pages of martha stewart, country living, among others.

she also sells directly to the public, so you can get one of her one-of-a-kind items for your special day. i always like to stress the importance of focusing on a few key elements, the flowers, the cake, or the table settings, rather than taking a crap shoot approach and trying to make everything perfect, big, and meaningful. all great event designers know that focus is the key to a successful event, so even if you spend a little more on something like a handcrafted item from d.sharp, this will certainly be a focal point for your guests, as well as something worthy of display and to be treasured for a lifetime. emily

{lovely loveliness} from katrina rodabaugh

Katrina Rodabaugh has a beautiful view of the world...

go to her blog to see all of her lovely things.

cake stands + other wedding design ideas: {look in the attic} thanks to domino magazine + martha stewart

I found one of my favorite sources, Look in the Attic, from Nick Olson (the Deal Hunter) over at Domino Magazine. You can find practically anything in the way of transferware, jadite, and depression era glass...all of which are totally my style.

From top left: pink jadite tiered cake stands (set of three, $110.99); green jadite cake stand ($74.99); porcelain transferware serving tray ($34.99); white jadite tiered cake stands (set of three, $110.99); depression era glass cut bowl ($64.99); depression era glass cake stand ($49.99);  depression era  era glass bunny rabbit serving dish ($24.99).

Whether you use these pieces for your wedding, or just register for them, you will find so many uses for them, from entertaining, to decor, to everyday use. I can not tell you how many times I used cake stands for events when I worked for Martha Stewart. Growing up, my grandmother had all of these pieces as well. I guess that's where my love affair for milk glass, hobnail, and depression era pieces comes from.

Read more here...