Going Green: Wedding Celebration With a Helpful Twist
An environmentally conscientious couple creates a bohemian fairy garden wedding that’s kind to the planet.
How did they do it? First, it takes two multi-talented individuals, such as the bride and groom, Taylor and Nick. Both grew up learning and caring about our environment from family, education, and activities such as scouting, horse care, and stable management. Their knowledge, expertise, and outdoor experiences include working as whitewater rafting guides, ski/snowboard patrollers, protecting and managing natural resources through the conservation core, and providing community medical care. They are both highly conscientious of the importance of conservation, preservation, and sustainability in our waterways and land.
Planning a dream wedding that was kind to the planet was a priority.
Together they created a plan to use sustainable resources which could be recycled, reused, repurposed, and composted. They recruited family and friends to help make their dream wedding come true.
From the flowers to the furnishings and food, Taylor and Nick carefully planned every aspect of the wedding to be sustainable and beautiful.
The planning began approximately a year and a half in advance when the bride’s mother planted a perennial wildflower pollinating garden where the ceremony would take place. This garden, located in scenic central Pennsylvania, required tilling by the bride’s stepfather as it is a rock garden. Wildflowers seeds, including Coreopsis, Cosmos, Brown-Eyed Susans, Indian Blanket, Evening Primrose, Eastern Columbine, and Coneflower, provided pollen, nectar, and shelter for hundreds of important species, namely Monarch butterflies, native bees, and insects such as grasshoppers.
The couple collected five used living room furniture sets and rugs for the reception from various estate and yard sales.
The accessories to complete the rooms were purchased, rented, or borrowed from family members and friends. The married couple sold the living room furniture pieces to those interested in purchasing them after the celebration.
Taylor and Nick rented large tents to add shelter in inclement weather.
Rustic tables, chairs, narrow table runners, chandeliers, and other accessories were also rented from local vendors such as Rustic Event Rentals. The owner, Holly Mitchell, had a vision after she married in 2016 to rent sustainable collected pieces reasonably priced for special events such as this. An assortment of clear, green, and brown bottles was saved and used to hold candles, wildflowers, and ferns. These bottles will be recycled, reused, or repurposed for future events. Finally, the moss, pine fir, pinecones, ferns, and wildflowers were all returned to the forest or wildflower garden.
The ceremony took place at dusk when the summer sky was illuminated with hues of various shades of blue, pink, orange, yellow, and white.
The wildflowers and vibrant sky were the backdrops for the wedding photographs. As part of the ceremony, the couple planted an Eastern Hemlock Spruce tree, an evergreen tree native to eastern North America, and the Pennsylvania state tree.
The wedding food consisted of beautiful handmade charcuterie boards handcrafted by Proudfit-Made. Each platter featured fresh and dried fruit, vegetables, nuts, assorted cheeses, jams, and crackers. Family and friends contributed with warm hors d’oeuvres, cookies of all kinds, and a full bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The homemade red velvet naked cake, baked by the groom and decorated by an aunt, was beautifully decorated with freshly washed and dried ferns. The tiered cookie and cake stand, wooden plates, bar, and wooden mountains with fairy lights were handcrafted by the groom and later given to those interested who attended the celebration.
Bamboo plates, utensils, and napkins were all compostable.
Individual drinking glasses were provided so guests could write their names on them, making it easy to identify them. These glasses and cookies were part of their takeaway gift. Recycle bins were placed discretely throughout, and nearly all the trash collected could be recycled.
Why would this couple go to this extent of creating such a venue? Because they care about our environment and are passionate about conservation, preservation, and sustainability with our planet’s future and its inhabitants in mind. Congratulations to this beautiful couple, Taylor and Nick, on a creative, well-thought-out, green (in more ways than one) wedding celebration for all who attended to remember.
