Apr
22
Posted By Lei Lydle
Apr
23
Posted By Maren Nicholas, Dreamweaver Calligraphy Earth Day had its official start on April 22, 1970. That date is
considered to be the beginning of the modern environmental movement.
This movement grew, expanded and went global in 1990, becoming the
major event that we now celebrate not only on April 22nd but also try
to be aware of all year long.
In honor of my Earth Day Birthday (its true; my birthday really is on Earth Day, although I have been alive slightly
longer than we have been celebrating Earth Day), I thought I would
write a blog about ideas to make your wedding more Earth-friendly.
You can start with your invitations....there are many companies that
are now using all recycled papers to create wedding invitations. I
also found some places where you could by invitations that were made
out of natural fibers and flower seeds so you could plant the
invitation and have flowers bloom. The most interesting I found when
researching this information is that calligraphy is considered to be
totally eco-friendly as it uses no fumes, no machines, no electricity
and no other processes that can be harmful to the environment. I mean,
I knew all those things to be true, of course, but hadn't thought about
it from that point of view before! So go ahead, hire a calligrapher --
call me! (as a point of reference, I am listed as a "green" wedding
vendor on AtlantaBridal.com because of the fact that I use recycled
products as well as recycle papers, bottles, supplies and more for any
projects that I create; you can check it out here).
The next point that I want to make in keeping your wedding "green"
is to use organic flowers or flowers that are currently in season when
you are having your wedding. If you use flowers that are not in
season, you are creating fuel and transportation usages to get those
flowers to you that is not good for the environment. Other suggestions
are buying your flowers from your local farmers market, using dried or
silk flowers for your arrangements, or if you plan far enough in
advance, you could grow your own! Consider, too, donating your flowers
after your ceremony to a nursing home, hospital or any place they can
be enjoyed for the days and weeks they may live after your wedding day
is over.
Most or many wedding do use candles at their ceremony as well as
their reception. If you choose to go with soy candles instead of
traditional wax candles, they will be cleaner, burn longer and clean up
with just soap and water. In addition to this, soy candles come in all
shapes, sizes, colors and scents.
When planning your ceremony and your reception, if you plan both
events to happen at the same facility, your guests will not have to
drive from place to place which will also help to cut down on emissions
and gases. Once your reception is over, there will be invariably, a
good bit of food left over. That food can be donated to a local food
bank, church, or shelter that provides food for people that don't have
any. Not only is that a good way to save the environment, it is a
great way to save your soul!
Many couples have been giving wedding favors that are green, from
things like the seed packets pictured at the top of this article to
trees that you can go home and plant to donations to eco-friendly
organizations.
If you are interested in finding out more ways to make your wedding
more green, there are a number of planning websites that can help you
do just that. Your wedding day is just one day, but your love and
commitment are something that you want to stand the test of time...kind
of like the Earth! And what we do today can help generations to come.
Happy Earth Day, everyone!
Aug
24
Posted By Lei Lydle 
My husband and I are big fans of Bravo TV's No. 1 food show Top Chef. So, I was particularly delighted when I fired up my DVR to watch the Season 6 premiere and found that one of the "cheftestants", Kevin Gillespie, is the chef at Woodfire Grill - one of AtlantaBridal's Preferred Restaurants. That news was exciting on its own, but then Kevin actually WON the first elimination challenge with his vice inspired dish! Congrats Kevin!
Woodfire Grill is a fabulous farm-to-table restaurant in Midtown, Atlanta. It is not an "event facility" but it is a great location for smaller wedding related events such as rehearsal dinners and engagement parties. I think it is also the perfect venue for a more refined bachelorette party (or bachelor party) because they offer wine tastings, wine menus and chef's tasting menus - they can and will give you a personalized experience for your special occasion.
Woodfire Grill has several private rooms including "The Mezzanine," which can be divided into three private rooms or one large space that can seat up to 50. The upstairs space, called "The Loft", seats 16 in an intimate and cozy environment. And the restaurant has an outstanding patio where your guests can enjoy a standing cocktail party of up to 75 or a private seated affair for 30.
If you aren't familiar with the term, a farm-to-table restaurant is a restaurant where the ingredients are sourced as locally as possible so they are usually very fresh. Eating locally is considered environmentally-friendly, because it generally requires less resources than importing food from other regions. In addition, farm-to-table restaurants like Woodfire Grill keep money in the community which promotes the local economy here in Atlanta.
Check out Woodfire Grill for your next event - whether it is just for dinner, a night out with the girls, or a wedding related event such as a rehearsal dinner or a bachelorette party. The food at Woodfire Grill is delicious, the restaurant is eco-friendly and supports the local economy...and, if you are lucky, you just may get to meet their famous TV Star, Chef Kevin Gillespie! And tell them Lei from AtlantaBridal sent you!
May
28
Posted By Lara Molettiere, Cameo Event, LLC Location, location, location! When planning your Green Wedding or Event, you should consider a few points before you decide upon a location. How many guests will you be having? Remember the fewer the guests, the lower the carbon footprint! What time of year is your wedding? Do you want an indoor event or a garden wedding? Casual or formal, or perhaps somewhere funky like a hip nightclub? Narrowing down what you want in a venue will alleviate a lot of unnecessary stress when you begin looking at venues.
One thing to consider is that if you have both your ceremony and reception at the same location, you will alleviate the need for your guests to travel to two different places. Look for locations that offer recycling of the empty liquor bottles. Look for locations that include table, chair, and linen rental, as this eliminates quite a bit of shipping and carbon production. One beautiful hidden gem (that is also very reasonable) located near Atlanta is Dolce Atlanta-Peachtree in Peachtree City. You won't believe the beautiful retreat settings are only 25 minutes from the airport! Be sure to tell John that Cameo Event recommended you!
Look for a garden setting if you choose an outdoor event. Look for one with either an inside option or a permanent tent. Look for one that already has tables and chairs for you to rent from the facility to prevent having to rent and truck everything in. One such treasure most Atlantans do not know too much about is buried in Coweta County. Dunaway Gardens is a beautiful historical landscape known for it's beauty and also the place where Sarah Cannon developed her famous character, Minnie Pearl. Dunaway is the largest natural rock and floral garden in Georgia. Try to find a location that incorporates at least a few Green practices into their operations. If you can look for a facility that is Green, such as The Garden at Kennesaw Mountain. They grow their own herbs and some of thier veggies, they run the ballroom off of solar panels, and the even compost! How great is that!
If you do happen to have your heart set on a destination wedding, keep your guest count to a bare minimum and look for a place that offers green wedding packages. To find great eco-friendly hotels and accomodations check out EC3. Also check out the domestic destination Naples Grande Beach Resort, which is a One Palm certified Florida location.
Most of all, have fun and enjoy planning your Green wedding.
Happy Planning!
May
18
Posted By Lara Molettiere, Cameo Event, LLC If you are having a wedding or special event, you probably have not thought about the environmental impact it may have. So here are a few basic points of interest. The average wedding alone produces between 14.5 and 22 tons of CO2 - that is a lot of greenhouse gas and a huge carbon footprint. That number actually increases for weekend long events like destination weddings. So if you want to lessen the environmental impact of your wedding, I will be covering different ways you can reduce your special event's carbon footprint. This post is about food... one of the most important parts of any celebration.
How do you make green (no, that doesn't mean you have to have only veggies) choices for your special event menu? Look for caterers who utilize local and organically grown produce and meats that are in season. You will not believe how fresh and fabulous your food will be. And you not only help the environment by doing this, you help your local economy by supporting small businesses and local farms. Make sure your caterer understands you want all local and organic products used, not partially local (ie. it got flown in the day before you event from a neighboring state as air travel is one of the highest carbon emitting ways to travel or ship things) so that you and your guests have the best and freshest possible dishes. Also look for a caterer who will provide To Go Boxes of food for the wedding party and will recycle all the glass, metal, and plastics as well as compost the leftover food. That way everyone benefits including you! If you are local to Atlanta, check out Parsley's Catering in Marietta.
What about the beverage side of your menu? Well, if you have not had organic or bio-dynamically grown wines, you are in for a treat. Napa Valley has some of the best local vineyards that produce great and environmentally friendly wines. Most can be found at your local liquor store where you will receive a discount on cases (bonus!) and you will also be able to find organic vodka, scotch, and several other liquors are joining the green movement. Check out Robert Sinskey for amazing eco friendly wines and they have great pairing recipes to go with them! Go to Starbucks for fair trade certified coffee and tea for your non-alcoholic selections. Check out their web site to learn more about their fair trade practices.
What about Wedding cake? If you have never had an organic cake you should expect it to taste even better than any other cake you have ever had. The less processed flour has a slightly heavier texture, but the butter is preservative free so you get the yumminess of butter without the oily taste or the metallic aftertaste, because the eggs are fresher and are not full of pesticides and antibiotics its fluffier and richer than most cakes. All around, organic pastry products are twice as yummy as their over processed counterparts. Check out Dulce Vegan for organic vegan creations in Atlanta that are delicious! If you haven't tried their cupcakes you have to go by!
Enjoy your earth friendly celebrations!
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