{Happy} Earth Day!! {and now for some 'green' love....}

The question this day in age for many wedding vendors is how can I be a 'green bride'?  Believe it or not, it's {easy}!.  An incredible amount of heart can go into ensuring your day is green all the while being exactly what you had dreamed of and then some.

So without further adieu, a few tips for the eco-conscious bride:

1.)  'Succulent Love'~ You've seen these little wonders of nature (we think they are by far the greatest thing since sliced bread) but you're wondering how to incorporate them?  Not only can they be in the designs but they make an excellent way for guests to continue the green process that you began.  (not only do they make fab favors but they are also everlasting.  If one of their leaves breaks off they can be replanted like a seed in the dirt-how incredible is that?) 

2.) Recycle your wedding supplies!~ When in life will you ever need 100 votives, 50 vases and enough fabric to create your wedding gown 3 times over?  The answer is probably never!  We at AbFab call it our 'Recycled Bride Discount' and offer a percentage off if we are able to reuse containers, votives, anything and everything from your wedding!  It's a win-win!  Another wedding will see your items used in a completely different style and you'll walk away with all the gorgeous pictures without all those vases collecting dust in the attic.  We think it is fan-freaking-tastic {and we hope you do too!  Plus, who doesn't love a discount?!}

3.) Be choosy in choosing your blooms~think in season!~ Sure you may adore those peonies or just think that if you are doing yellow in your color palette you have to have those daffodils.  We'd like to challenge brides to think twice before choosing their flowers!  Not only will you pay more for those have-to-have blooms when they're out of season, but the carbon footprint of your flowers in order to get them to you will be larger than bigfoot!

4.) Eco-friendly makeup~we {LOVE} Estee Lauder! ~ Our make-up artist/designer extraordinaire Alaina Mitchell has been trained by only the best.  Estee Lauder proudly boasts a new vita minerals line that contains vitamins and the super antioxidant ingredient pomegranate.  And to top it off, Estee Lauder proudly does no testing on animals.  How can you not love their makeup (and artists) even more for that? Fur friendly = LOVE.

5.) Make your wedding {personal}~ many couples are exploring their options with getting away from the traditional and finding more ways to personalize what is 'their' day.  This can mean anything from collecting containers from thrift stores, contacting family to reuse vintage furniture, to reusing linens that have been sitting in a cedar chest for years.  The AbFab Team 100% supports this!  Your wedding should beat to the tune of you as a couple and the more personal the better.  Recently we purchased some vintage turquoise Ball mason jars off of e-bay thanks to a fabulous lady who no longer needed them for canning~ she was thrilled to pass them down for a wedding and we can't wait to send her a picture of how they were re-used.  The effect of reusing is three fold~people love to see their stuff used again, the wedding is that much more personalized to the couple, and we at AbFab have huge, kiddish smiles on our faces knowing that those items have more love than anything that could be store bought.


These tips are just several of many that we'd love to begin sharing with you on how to have the latest accessory at your wedding, the 'green' stamp of approval!  And now to leave you with a few of our favorite 'green' designs that we think you might swoon over.  Happy Earth Day to all!

 

~moss balls created with a renewable resource right in our own backyards!~

 ~photo credit: Tiffany Vaughan Photography~ 

~artichoke, kale and succulents used in this beauty, how much more 'green' can you get?!~

~photo credit: Tiffany Vaughan Photography~

~lovely artichoke and a vintage broach passed down from generation to generation, a 'eco-friendly' bouquet in multiple ways~

~Recycled POM glasses?  We'll reuse anything!~

And of course, it's a must to give a shout-out to our local organic produce deliverer, Off The Vine, not only delivering, locally grown, organic and oh-so-fresh produce, but plenty of inspiration for adding fruits and veggies to your centerpieces and bouquets!