Tara Brown-Selders and Michael Selders left for their honeymoon under a shower of ecofetti, environmentally friendly confetti, after their green wedding in Houston.
Photos ( Matrimonial vows of commitment extend to planet Earth. Haily Zaki and Brian Tuey trekked four miles up southern California’s San Gabriel Mountains with 32 friends, accompanied by pack mules carrying granola bars and organic lamb. There, in a propane- and hydro-powered campsite dining hall bedecked with pine cones, they exchanged wedding vows. Tara Brown and Michael Selders incorporated 21 “eco-initiatives†into their wedding at Houston’s Four Seasons Hotel. To make up for the pollution caused by their honeymoon flight to Hawaii, the Selderses purchased carbon offsets, a means of reducing carbon emissions by contributing money to plant trees or develop renewable-energy projects. Dana Wilmert wore a 1950s sea foam green prom dress purchased for $1 from a thrift store when she married Johnny Damm in DeLand, Fla. She made the paper for her invitations and stitched magazines together to make the envelopes. At the reception, her guests ate local, organic fare served on biodegradable bamboo plates, which were later composted. For these – and some other – brides and grooms, wedding traditions and festivities are taking on a distinctly greener hue. These ecoconscious couples are donating leftover reception food to shelters, planting trees in honor of their guests in lieu of giving favors, and eschewing gifts in favor of contributions to the charity of their choice.
This is no fleeting trend, insists Corina Beczner, founder of Vibrant Events, a sustainable-event consulting business in San Francisco. “This is something that’s here to stay,†she says. “It’s an alignment with people’s values in the world.â€