“It isn’t easy being green.” Kermit the Frog, Philosopher,  Sesame Street (1969)

Sorry Kermie, we disagree.  Once you put your mind to it, there are LOTS of ways you can add a “touch of green” to your wedding.  Of course you can wear a recycled paper wedding dress, walk barefoot down a grassy aisle in the woods to repeat your vows in front of a natural arbor of pine trees, ask your guests to bring empty aluminum cans as wedding gifts and honeymoon in a yurt.  If that’s your thing, we say “go for it!”

If you’re of a more traditional ilk, think about adding an eco-touch here and there, then share it with your guests.  Inspire them when you mention in your wedding program (recycled paper of course) that the flowers are headed to the local hospital after the party. It only takes a spark, right?

Then send your guests home with an eco-fuzzy feeling and a special eco-touch to remember your day with wedding favors made from easily renewable resources.  We’ve added new ones to our Kate Aspen collection, and you can see them by clicking here.

Have we inspired you to make your eco-mark?  We hope so! We’ll leave you with a little inspirational poem we like:

Earth receives
Foot and paw,
Hoof and claw
With equal grace.
But,
It is the way of
The wild,
Not to overstep
The bounds of hospitality.
This is a wild place.
Follow me
And leave no trace,
That wind, rain and snow
Cannot erase.
Elise Maclay in Bev Dolittle’s book WALK SOFTLY

Whoa!  It’s COLD here in Atlanta!

And there’s nothing better to take our minds off the weather than a good round of photos from our friend Pam of Paris Mountain.  She has such a special talent for wedding photography (and she also knows that we’re all about unique when it comes to weddings and wedding favors – so she knows just what to send).  Enjoy!

Pam, you know us SO well – shoes and wedding cake – a girl’s best friends!  LOL!

When you start seriously looking around at all the interesting ways people recycle, you’re bound to find some delightful surprises  – like Lorimarsha!

We found her via her Etsy store.  Although most of her creations are beautiful, bold, brightly colored treats, her alternative wedding designs are so softly romantic and individualistically awesome – a real breath of fresh air on the wedding scene.

Lorimarsha designs clothes and accessories for women who are not particularly intrigued by what they find in the mall. In designing her 100% eco-friendly collection, she searches out quality vintage garments and textiles to deconstruct and redesign into dresses, tunics and skirts. Each garment is one-of-a-kind and is never reproduced.  How neat is that?

Whispers of Victoriana comingle with cutting edge creativity and construction with an ear to the 40′s and 50′s  in Lorimarsha’s alternative wedding designs.  Fresh, unique, and oh so individual,  she is drawn to natural fabrics – silk, linen, cotton – “materials that feel good on the body.”  Her greatest joy “…comes in making an individual person happy to have stumbled across my work.”

See Lorimarsha’s fabulous, eco-conscious designs here on her blog.  She’ll lead you to her glorious, ever-changing  Etsy store from there!

Truly a delightful surprise, isn’t she? 

Photo Credits: Lori Sandstedt and Wen Chang of wentzu.com

Christmas Day, 2009.  She was still PJ-cozy at home with her family in Raleigh.  He was back in Atlanta with his.

Or was he?

Julia, her sister, calls her to the front of the house, “Amanda – come see!  The neighbors brought presents!”

At the front door ?  Mark, on the porch, down on one knee, ring in hand.  Ahhhh, true love!

After spending a semester studying Art and Music all over Western Europe, Amanda, one of our talented product designers, bonded with her fellow traveling Georgia Tech students.  Once back in Atlanta, they introduced her to Mark.  The attraction was instant, and the two dated for three years leading up to December 25, 2009.  It’s such a good story!

Mark’s family was completely on board in advance – scheduling their Christmas celebration a day early so Mark could make the trip. The normal six hour Atlanta to Raleigh drive took eight hours because of the weather, but Mark was on a mission!  He’d already asked Amanda’s father for his blessing, the whole family knew – shoot – the whole neighborhood knew before Amanda did!

Of course she said yes, who wouldn’t? To make it all the more poignant, her beloved Grandmother was there to witness the proposal.  She, too, had received a proposal on Christmas day, 62 years before.

They have a date, the plans are in the works, and Amanda has promised to share the journey with all of us!  So stay tuned – happy details to follow!