by Courtney Carlisle on October 20, 2008
Morgan Boszilkov presents the Natural Bridal Collection, a new line of eco-friendly designer wedding gowns. The dresses are handcrafted with love in the United States, and 5% of profits are donated to environmental causes. Morgan uses sustainable fabrics and strives to apply green and socially responsible principles to all aspects of her business. Her designs are elegant, beautiful, luxurious and Green!
The Collection includes exceptionally designed gowns that are eco-friendly without sacrificing style or beauty. Each gown is named after a woman who has been an inspiration in Morgan’s life.
Morgan has designed some of these green gowns to be “convertible”. These dresses have detachable bottom skirts! This is a great option for a bride who wants something different for her reception, or plans to wear the dress again in its shorter form, enhancing the “greenness” of the dress.
The Couture section includes boundary-pushing designs using beautiful eco-friendly fabrics. These include artistic one-of-a-kind dresses. Morgan believes sustainable fabrics are not limiting, but have endless potential for creating fabulous designs.
Photo Credit: Kyle Egan, Courtesy of Natural Bridals
by Courtney Carlisle on October 19, 2008
Suzan St. Maur’s
How to Get Married in Green offers simple and candid ways to make your ceremony and the traditions leading up to it, including, yes, the bachelor and bachelorette parties, lower impact. The book even offers helpful advice on crafting personalized ceremony touches.
The book gives a nice overview of everything that a bride should consider and may forget while planning - everything from rings to dresses and make up. It also comes written with charming British wit that makes it fun for stateside readers.
Another great book is for the bride to be is The Knot’s Guide to Real Weddings from editor, Carly Roney, which offers practical information and guides for any bride - those going green or not. It’s the perfect basic primer for planning an ideal wedding party with all the right etiquette. Use this as a great basis and put your own eco-friendly twist on your big day.
by Courtney Carlisle on September 1, 2008
Santa Fe, New Mexico-based Conscious Clothing has been around since 1995 making bridal couture from sustainable fabrics, such as hemp and silk. They even offer a hemp/tencel blend for vegan brides. The little shop is expanding to sell to retailers and bridal boutiques nationwide.
The simplicity of most of the designs is perfect for the girl who doesn’t want a lot of frou frou and lends itself well to natural flower head pieces or other adornment to take center stage.
The A-line silhouettes are very flattering, and the line offers a variety of finishes - strapless, halter, spaghetti straps and more to help you find the right fit.
Perhaps one of the best pieces in the collection, is the flowergirl dress. Remember, it’s never too early to start shopping eco-savvy.
by Courtney Carlisle on September 1, 2008
How romantic is it to be with your significant other in the middle of no where without anything to do but recharge and rekindle. If you need a little R&R, check out the 64-room beachfront boutique hotel, Spice Island Beach Resort.
This St. George’s hideaway is entirely non-smoking, has non-chlorine pools, home grown herb gardens, implements natural composting, and focuses on energy conservation. The resort uses solar heating, desalination plants as a means to stay eco-sensitive.
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by Courtney Carlisle on August 28, 2008
Submitted by Evan Reitmeyer and Soor Kothari of MyDeejay.com
This week, we’re exploring a Middle Eastern theme. These cultural elements are quickly making their way into American mainstream, with more and more people enjoying Bollywood films and exotic beats. We’re excited to share a sample playlist from some of our Indian and Pakistani clients’ weddings, with a couple of Western hits mixed in.
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by Courtney Carlisle on August 25, 2008
The [Re]Drive External Hard Drive from SimpleTech ($140) is an energy efficient hard drive wrapped in an eco-friendly package that is so stylish, you would never hide it away in a cabinet but put it front and center on your desk.
This plug n’ play system works with your USB 2.0 and 1.1 jacks, is Mac and PC compatible (phew!) and automatically turns on and off with your computer to conserve energy.
Did I mention how good looking it is? The hard drive is made with renewable bamboo and recyclable aluminum, the most recycled metal on the planet according to SimpleTech.
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by Courtney Carlisle on August 14, 2008
Evan Reitmeyer and Jeff Brown of MyDeejay.com are back at it with this week’s hit list:
After bringing indie music to the forefront with last week’s post, we’re back this week with a mix of recent hits to get your wedding guests moving. A great way to enliven the last hour or two of your reception is to blend radio-friendly pop and dance with a few cool remixes, often available on iTunes. Professional wedding DJs should have the ability not only to beatmix songs at your wedding for a nightclub effect, but also to edit songs in advance if needed. Below you’ll find some suggestions for songs that our clients have requested and enjoyed.
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by Courtney Carlisle on August 11, 2008
For those Californians who don’t want the typical beach or vineyard wedding in Orange County or Napa…try Big Sur. You might just be in for a huge surprise when it comes to how lovely and affordable a small wedding it can be.
The Ventana Inn in Big Sur offers a wedding packages that let guests stay in well appointed rooms, indulge in sensual spa treatments and enjoy miles of coastal views and ocean breezes. They can help take care of everything from getting you ready to getting you fed with their catering services with their all-inlcusive package…and yes, you can take a nude Japanese hot bath pre or post ceremony with your loved one.
by Courtney Carlisle on August 9, 2008
It’s true trying to shop to fill an empty kitchen, trying to plan meals and tackling the grocery store for two can be daunting as a newlywed. Just coming up with new ideas for the seasoned cook is a challenge!
That’s why I love some of the new cookbooks and DVD’s that have come out for two.
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by Courtney Carlisle on August 8, 2008
Thanks to Jennifer Reitmeyer, Evan Reitmeyer and David Johnson, the team over at My Deejay, one of the first eco-friendly DJ companies for providing set list ideas for the bride and groom. The post below is courtesy of them! Stay tuned weekly this month as we share their suggestions.
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