Buck the diamond trend and go with what you love. Choose a ring that embodies everything unique about you and your special day. Select a ring with a stone you love or one with your favorite color; perhaps your birthstone or a stone that represents the month you will be getting married. Just think of it as the birthstone of your new life together – now how romantic is that?

Whatever you select just remember to ensure the stones and metals are ethically sourced, recycled or vintage.

Here are a few samples of gorgeous non-traditional engagement rings.

From left to right: Estate Aquamarine & 18K White Gold ring from Fay Cullen; Handcrafted Pale Green Sapphire & Recycled 18K White Gold ring from SuLusso Sustainable Jewelry ; Sapphire & Platinum ring from Brilliant Earth; Malawi sapphire & 14K yellow gold ring from SuLusso Sustainable Jewelry; Vintage Tourmaline & Gold from Fay Cullen; Emerald & Recycled 18K White Gold ring from Greenoro; Amethyst & Sterling Silver ring from Turtle Love Committee; Garnet & Sterling Silver ring from Turtle Love Committee; Alexandrite & Recycled 18K White Gold ring by Green Karat

Following my post I received numerous email messages from readers inquiring about ideas for recycled, reusable signs. Well, here are a few ideas I came up with– unique signs that can be incorporated into either your home décor or garden after the wedding. 

When trying to come up with unique sign ideas for your wedding, consider your hobbies — things you and your future hubby enjoy together. If you enjoy outdoor activities such as canoeing, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing or surfing perhaps consider using vintage oars, skis, snow shoes or snow / surf boards as signs.

If you have a shabby chic wedding theme, look for beautiful vintage distressed white picture frames. A search of local antique and secondhand stores or garage sales should render some fabulous finds. If you can’t find white frames paint them yourself with eco friendly milk paint. Don’t worry if you can’t find matching frames, using mismatched frames painted in the same color adds to the shabby chic charm.

Look for old garden chairs, gates or sections of picket fencing. With a fresh coat of paint, tired and weathered wood products quickly spring back to life. These items would look absolutely stunning in your garden after the wedding day.

Other items to consider are:
Vintage cupboard doors
 Small vintage doors
 Antique window frames
 Old plank flooring
Child’s chalkboard easel
Corkboard with notes tacked on
Vibrantly painted garden chair topped with pillows embroidered with bride & grooms names
Tie line between two trees or fence posts;  using laundry pegs hang crisp white sheets or pillow shams embroidered with bride & grooms names
Hand pennant flags with signs attached

Do you have some more great signage ideas or pictures to share with us? We’d love to see them. Post your ideas under comments or send them to info[at]myecochicwedding.com.

Looking for an affordable way to add ambiance and charm to your special evening? Why not hang rice paper lanterns. Available in a wide array of colors, sizes and patterns; light weight, battery operated and easy to install, lanterns will add a glorious glow to your reception.

These gorgeous bubble-like lanterns can easily fit into any event design theme. Use various vibrant but complementary colors to create a fun and whimsical atmosphere. Combinations such as orange, pink, yellow, soft lime green and lavender make a wonderfully fun and fresh palette; perfect for a spring wedding.

Want something more elegant and sophisticated? Hang all white lanterns in various sizes for breathtaking results. Also try adding in a few colored lanterns that are in keeping with your color scheme.

Do’s & Don’ts

Don’t skimp. A few lonely lanterns strewn around the room looks cheap and lacks that Wow! factor. Lanterns are best displayed in groupings.

Do consider renting instead of purchasing if budget is a concern. If your venue is too large and you do not have the budget to acquire lanterns to fill the room, consider zone lighting. Hang a grouping of lanterns above the dance floor or above the head table.

Don’t hang with string. The number one mistake most people make is hanging their lanterns with ugly string, twine or wire.

Do consider hanging your lanterns with beautiful ribbon or clear beading cord, otherwise known by its more manly name of fishing line.

Don’t hang all at the same height. Hanging your lanterns at the same height can look a little boring and lacks depth. Try instead to hang your lanterns at different heights; you will achieve greater visual impact particularly when using one color.

Don’t hang to high. Your lanterns should feel like a warm cloud of bubbles above you. You will lose the ambiance by hanging your lanterns to high.

Suppliers:

www.lunabazaar.com (For Purchase)

www.blowflowerdesigns.com (Rental)

Technology has made it easier than ever for businesses to go green. Almost everything can be done digitally without paper. This is especially true with photography. Photographers are leading the way to a greener future with a new age of images, but is going digital enough to claim to be a green photographer?

Most photographers have embraced the digital age. They use digital cameras, print digital images and store photos electronically. Yet many don’t claim to be “green”, even with the popularity of the eco-movement. It takes more than going digital to be a “green” photographer.

For photographer, Kristina Carter of Vrai Photography, “being green isn’t just about recycling or going digital. It’s a mindset and a lifestyle,” and she is more than happy to share that with her clients.

So if choosing a photographer that shares your ideals and eco-friendly attitude is important to you, what should you look for in a green photographer? In addition to going digital many “green” photographers take recycling seriously, and they use energy efficient lighting and equipment.

Eco-friendly photographers are often as passionate about the environment as they are about their work.

Anne Ruthmann, of Anne Ruthmann Photography, says she’s been “a bit of an earth loving hippie for about 10 years,” so it’s no surprise that she makes all her business decisions with green practices in mind, though she also says, “each year I learn more and more about additional ways I can help the environment. I’m definitely nowhere near as earth friendly as I would like to be, but it’s an educational journey and every little step helps.”

Corey McNabb, of Corey McNabb Photography, says of everyone at his studio “we’re always trying to find new ways to help the environment and hope that in some way we can make a small dent.” He decided to green his studio not too long ago by switching to recycled paper products, adopting a stringent recycling program, going digital as much as possible including delivering contracts, documents and photo proofs digitally, and they’ve greened the studio itself with energy efficient light bulbs, a programmable thermostat, a controlled water heater, and they now use rechargeable batteries. Plus they use reusable shopping bags made from recycled materials.

The husband and wife team at Grazier Photography decided to go beyond their eco-friendly lifestyle (they work from home, shoot digitally, are conscientious about recycling, and donate to charity) and offer a Green Photography Package. The photo books in this package are made from at least 50% recycled content and are produced in an environmentally conscious way. They also are putting 5% from every green package into carbon offsets.

So what else do green photographers do that makes them so eco-friendly? They eat local and organic food, they carpool, and they donate time, energy and/or money to charitable causes. They probably do many of the things that you do to be green.

So how do you find a green photographer? Hit green living Web sites, green wedding sites, look on Craig’s List, ask people. Word of mouth is a big deal; you may find someone fabulous through the grapevine.

Green photographers are out there and they will be thrilled to shoot your marvelous eco-event.

 ~Wenona Napolitano is the author of The Everything Green Wedding Book which will be out in December 2008. You can learn more about her and the book at www.everythinggreenweddings.blogspot.com

Are you considering an eco-friendly wedding but all the natural and recycled fabrics and items aren’t your thing? Are you looking for glamour, romance and elegance but still aching to be green?

You can be glamorously green and eco-elegant while going vintage.

Vintage gowns have become very popular in recent years because of a renewed interest in the beauty and style of the past and the growing green movement. Many celebrities have donned vintage gowns for red carpet events and even for their own weddings. Vintage gowns, accessories and décor are fabulously green because no new resources are needed to make them.

Surprisingly there are many vintage styles and options to choose from. You might be surprised at what is available (they used to make things to last you know):

• The flapper styles of the 20′s
• The understated beauty of the 30′s
• The glamour of the 50′s
• The psychedelic fun of the 60′s
• The disco inspired attire of the 70′s
• Even the awesome 80′s if that’s your thing.

 Perhaps you wish to go back even farther in time to romantic Edwardian or Victorian fashions.

One of the greatest things about going vintage is that you can center your whole wedding theme around the era of your gown.

Pair a 20′s flapper gown with old fashioned Speakeasy, bootleg, and mobster accessories (Al Capone anyone?).

Match up a 50′s dress with Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, rock n roll records, juke boxes and poodle skirt flair.

Go 60′s hippie style or become a 70′s disco diva.

Research what was popular in a certain era and center your wedding attire and décor around that. Have fun scouring antique shops, thrift stores and online sites dedicated to vintage items (like Tias.com).

So where should you start?

There are many web sites that have information about vintage wedding gowns, traditions and accessories but I found a couple books to be most helpful:

Vintage Wedding – Simple Ideas for Creating a Romantic Vintage Wedding
by Daniela Turudich

Accessorizing the Bride -Vintage Wedding Finery through the Decades
by Norma Shephard.

 These books will help you see what types of fabrics and styles of dresses were popular during different decades.
So where can you find vintage gowns?

You never know when you may find a gem at a local thrift store, consignment shop or antique store. You might even be lucky enough to have a vintage clothing retailer in your town. If not, there’s always eBay and a host of online retailers that specialize in vintage gowns. Two well known online retailers are VintageWedding.com and VintageVixen.com. If you are in the UK check out VintageDress.co.uk.

Buyer Beware

Be careful when shopping for vintage gowns especially if your purchase from an online retailer.
First of all make sure the gown is not a reproduction but an actual vintage gown. If you really want to go green buying a new “vintage” replica doesn’t fit the bill, unless it’s made out of natural, sustainable materials like hemp or bamboo.

Several popular stores offer vintage “style” dresses. They are not real vintage gowns which means they are not green. New materials and resources were used to create them.

Also be sure that you get a gown that is wearable. Some real vintage gowns are so old and fragile they cannot be worn, at least not without a lot of expensive and time consuming restoration which only a very qualified seamstress could accomplish.

• Always ask for full disclosure of the gown’s condition.
• Any stains, rips, or tears?
• Do the zippers, buttons, snaps, etc all work properly?
• Is anything missing?
• Is the elastic in good condition?
• Ask for good quality photos so you can examine the gown you are considering.
• Ask about the store’s return policy. If a retailer doesn’t offer to stand behind their merchandise you may want to shop somewhere else.

 Another big issue with vintage gowns is sizing. Sizes have changed over the years. You’ll want to ask for measurements of any gowns you are considering. Get accurate measurements of yourself and an item of clothing that fits you well and compare them. Make sure you get insurance on anything shipped to you. The last thing to consider when purchasing a vintage wedding dress is undergarments. You’ll want to know what kinds of undergarments were worn with that specific style of dress. Some styles may require a corset or a hoop skirt. Many vintage styles cannot comfortably be worn with today’s modern undergarments.

Treat searching for items for your vintage wedding like treasure hunting. Grab your maid of honor, bridesmaids or your mom and take a day or two to hit all the local thrift shops, antique stores, yard sales, estate sales and whatever other second hand retailers you can find. Maybe you have a large flea market in the area. Make sure to stop there. You never know what you may come across nestled in the bottom of a thrift store bin or buried in someone’s garage. Second hand shopping can unearth many treasures, along with a lot of junk, but stick with it, perseverance is usually rewarded.

Having a vintage wedding can be rewarding, fun and ultimately green.

 ~Wenona Napolitano is the author of The Everything Green Wedding Book which will be out in December 2008. You can learn more about her and the book at www.everythinggreenweddings.blogspot.com

©2003 Kathryn Weber
Publisher, The Red Lotus Letter
www.redlotusletter.com

As soon as a bride announces that she’s engaged, friends ask, “What are your colors?” While many women choose colors based on nostalgia or what will look good on their bridesmaids, selecting color combinations should be taken more seriously.

When a bride plans her wedding, she often pays close attention to tradition and the meaning behind every detail. Possibly the first detail that most brides think about are the colors for the wedding, but few think about the meanings of those colors. Considering the importance of the day, doesn’t it make sense to choose colors that are harmonious and beneficial for the couple?

Interestingly, the most harmonious and beneficial pairing of wedding colors comes from the tai chi symbol of yin and yang. This is the color pairing of black and white — the foundation of wedding colors (black tuxedo for the man, white dress for the woman). What is important to know, though, is that black is yin (female) and white is yang (male). This is why, when a man wears a black tux, his male energy is harmonized and balanced with the female color, and when the bride wears white, her female energy is balanced with male energy of the white (yang) color.

Of course, few brides and grooms venture far from the black and white tradition. Where the color choices go awry is in the supporting colors, such as those of the bridesmaids, flowers, reception table cloths, and so on.

Bearing in mind that feng shui is often referred to as a method for creating harmony. Harmony – in feng shui – means that colors, elements, shapes, and numbers are all supportive and beneficial for one another. On such an important day as the uniting of a couple, adding auspicious colors will help give your day a harmonious — and auspicious — start.

COLOR CHOICES CAN CREATE GOOD OR BAD LUCK

Color combinations that create bad luck:

• Greens and metallic colors (white, silver, gray, gold)

• Red and blue

• Black and red

• Green and yellow

• Yellow and blue

• Red and metallic. Metallic colors such as white, silver, gray, or gold metals are especially bad when they’re paired with red.

Color combinations that create good luck:

• A yang color (i.e. red) with its yin version (i.e. pink) are always good, safe choices. Others include: dark blue/light blue, purple/lavender, dark green/light green.

• Red and green (great for Christmas weddings)

• Yellow and red (The perfect feng shui pairing for harmony, good social standing, and wealth)

• Metallic colors (white, silver, gray, gold) with yellow

• Greens with blues are perfect together

• Blues with metal colors (white, silver, gray, gold) are well-suited for each other.

What do the colors mean?

Reds and gold/yellow/beige: Harmony and prosperity, good luck and happiness

Black and white: male and female, harmony

Green and purples (can be lavenders or light purple): Growth, longevity and wealth

Metal colors: Creativity/children

Yellow and white: Heaven and earth

Green and blue: Growth

Red and green: Happy luck and success

Black and green: Wealth and growth and longevity

Especially auspicious colors: gold & purple (great wealth), silver & purple (great wealth), green & purple (great abundance), purple & white, purple & black (career and financial success)

© 2003 Kathryn Weber