Restaurant Weddings: the ultimate value menu!

Venue hunting can be exhausting, and confusing. The less-inclusive the location, the more additional costs add up. It’s important to really understand what services your venue offers or includes, and what you’ll be responsible for renting or bringing in, yourself. You might find yourself surprised when the reality of your lakeside outdoor wedding includes negotiating with port-a-potty companies and electricity generators!

Starting from scratch can cost a pretty penny more, generates a lot more waste, and grows your carbon footprint; so don’t underestimate how using a restaurant can help you save more green while being green! Restaurants come equipped with all the tables, linens, and food (sometimes even decor) waiting for you. Many of you might say, “But I just don’t like the feel of your standard restaurant,” to which we say, “Then find a restaurant that feels right!”

We got married at a restaurant that felt more like an indoor/outdoor lounge and club, and it was the perfect place to have a party. You can find a restaurant to compliment just about any theme. Look at ethnic or exotic restaurants for a destination wedding-feel right in your own town, or an offbeat choice like an awesome beer garden or kitschy diner to really express yourselves and set a fun mood.

Restaurants come equipped with proper tables, seating, matching linens, dining rentals, bars, and staff, so you can cut out almost all of your rental costs (and delivery fees), with the added bonus that you won’t need a gas guzzling truck lugging all these items to and from the venue. If you pick a place with loads of natural character or decor built-in, you can really lean on that and save the money, the headaches, and the waste that you’d otherwise create.

But, where you really start conserving is the food. Being able to speak from firsthand experience as former catering servers, we know it would make you weep to see how much food is thrown out after every single event. “But can’t you just donate leftover food?” Good question! Sometimes yes, but usually charities won’t accept open food, and it would not be fresh enough in time to serve it to the needy. When you work with a restaurant, a lot less is wasted because being onsite will allow for a huge increase in efficiency. Instead of having to prepare everything in advance, and throw out what they don’t use, your food will be served fresher, and they can repurpose leftovers for their service the following day. Again, you save on delivery, since their equipment is ready to go, but isn’t going anywhere.

The real win in having a restaurant wedding reception is more of a sentimental paycheck, but it’s just so dreamy to be able to go back on your anniversary and have a special dinner at the place where it all began. Does it get more romantic? Yeahwedidn’tthinksoeither.

You can save even more since its a bulk purchase, negotiating with one vendor for many items, instead of making lots of deals with multiple vendors. Less stress, smaller environmental foot print, and far less cost, all make for a much bigger smile on your big day and a much smaller weight on your shoulders… So don’t overlook your friendly neighborhood restaurant, yo. It could be just around the corner!

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Let the Official Search Begin

My first dress shopping adventure started last summer during a long weekend in Chicago to visit my sister. Jed and I toured around the city until my sister got off work and then we left Jed at the Millennium Park Bar and wandered a few blocks down to the aftermath of the “Running of the Brides” at Filene’s Basement. I thought there would have been tons of dresses, and there were, but most of them were on the ground or covered in dirt where they had been dragged across the ground. Jed will tell you that he had the better end of the deal.

Not too long after we made it back to DC, I noticed Filene’s Basement was having another sale so this time my mom and I figured we’d show up a little earlier. I didn’t know I needed to bring my own entourage though. There were literally a pack of people, with matching football jersey’s and face paint guarding a pile of dresses for their bride. Trying to avoid being tackled, and fighting the urge to hang up the dresses that had fallen to the floor, my mom and I decided we’d rather be eating lunch across the street.

The one good thing that these two unsuccessful adventures gave me was an idea of the cuts I liked. At first I didn’t think I wanted anything that was strapless, because most strapless dresses don’t look great on me. But I fell in love with the sweetheart cut. For the most part, I also like when the dresses have some sort of defined waist. It can be natural waist or drop waist, although it’s not a criteria. I am not a bead or lace girl, however I do like some of the fabric flowers on dresses. It gives the dress just a little added something to it. I also think that wedding dresses should have buttons, but those can always be added later. Of course these are only my opinions. Not everyone likes the same styles…or at least I hope not cause if so, there are a ton of dresses in magazines and online that no one will ever wear.

That brings us to this coming weekend. I am going to take my first “official” (aka, have to buy a dress soon) stab at trying on wedding dresses. I gathered a list of bridal stores in the area, checked out their websites to see if their dresses matched my style and started calling. I booked a few appointments and am hopeful to have a little more luck this go around…

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Vodka (yes, vodka) Can Save Your Wedding & the Environment!

Of course there is the obvious use for vodka on your wedding day. “Oh geez, my nerves are out of control!” Have a sip of vodka and those heeby jeebies will quickly become the nice and easies. But remember just a sip, otherwise you’ll have a whole slew more problems. But vodka can help you out in a pinch, as an environmentally and pocketbook friendly assistant.

Hunter actually went to school with this bottle of vodka!

Wrinkle releaser: “Oh no! My dress/suit got all wrinkled on its way over, and there is no iron in sight and no time to go to the dry cleaners! What to do?” Simple pimple, yo! Just mix one part vodka with 2-3 parts water into a spray bottle and you have an instant and inexpensive wrinkle releaser. If you want to add a spritz of perfume, go for it. Spray away and watch the wrinkles in your clothes and your brow, disappear.

Deodorizer: “Oh gosh I’m so nervous and it’s such a hot day. I totally have been sweating in my clothes and I’m rocking a little stank. Eek!” No sweat! Just use that same wrinkle spray concoction, and spray away. Then soak a tissue in some straight vodka and swipe your smelly spots. The alcohol will kill that stinky bacteria on contact. Feel free to throw in a spray or two (thats all!) of perfume or cologne, just for a good measure of sweet scents.

Household Cleaner: “Yikes this taple top/guest bathroom is stained all over and there are no cleaners to be found! How embarrassing! ” Easy peasy! Just lay some vodka on the problem areas for 15 minutes and scrub away. All clean and no harsh chemical smells, residue, or disapproving looks from Aunt Edith to deal with.

Favors: Buy a few handles of vodka. Medium shelf works best, but you can also use low-shelf and filter it through your Britta pitcher a few times to improve the taste. Purchase vanilla beans, or pick rosemary from the garden and place them in your handles of vodka. Let them marinate in the dark for a month and ta-da! You’ve just made delicious infused vodka. Purchase some cheap mason jars from the market and create some cute stickers using address labels. Fill up the jars, add a sprig or bit of whatever you infused into it for garnish, slap on a custom label, and you have a unique, personal and tasty gift for everybody in your wedding party. (Just don’t try to infuse with bacon. It’s gross. Trust us)

If your ceremony goes off with out a hitch, congratulations! You can easily adapt these tips for your home use or gift giving occasions to save some green and be more green! Now grab the left-over vodka, put on your dancing shoes, and let’s party!

Dana & Hunter of The Broke-Ass Bride

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Fantasy Frostings and our Green-Ass Duo!!!

We are so excited for our Green-Ass Bride and Groom Duo Dana LaRue and Hunter Stiebel for their announcement today about the Broke-Ass Cake Collection at Fantasy Frostings in CA. If you are a CA green bride in search of cake with style but on a tight budget - this post is for you! Click on this cute-ass logo to read all about it!

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Thanks Bride Tide!

We are so excited to be named as one of the top 100 wedding blogs on Bride Tide yesterday!! As of today - our blog is one month old and our magazine is 3 weeks old going live! We are so honored to be a part of this list! We have had amazing reception to our blog and our magazine and we are working hard this month for the 2nd issue to go live on March 15th!

Some of our wonderful friends are also on the list - a must see for everyone in the midst of wedding planning! We were listed with 3 of our friends in the Eco category - Jennifer from Earth-Friendly Weddings Blog, Emily from Eco-Chic Weddings and Tracy from Recycled Bride! And we also have to mention our Green-Ass Bride & Groom’s own wedding blog - The Broke-Ass Bride made it in there as well! Of course there are 95 others in there that we love as well - so please check it out by clicking on the images below!

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Green Weddings by the Green-Ass Bride & Groom!

We hope you’ve had a chance to check out our article on pages 92 & 93 of the bad-ass first issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings! Click the cover to check it out!

Here are five more tips to help you save green and be green as you head toward your big day!

Recycle. Many couples resell, or even give away spare items after their weddings, and in this case one persons trash can literally be your treasure! Buy used from craigslist, ebay, flea markets, vintage or thrift shops, and online resale boards to let the pre-owned work for you. A quick stroll around the internet can easily yield mason jars, centerpiece components, dresses, table number stands, card boxes, dresses, jewelry and more! Many popular wedding sites have message boards specifically for the sale of wedding paraphernalia, and niche sites such as PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com specialize in reselling gently loved wedding gowns. Get cozy there, and you’ll be scoring green deals in no time flat! Just don’t forget to pay it forward, and let your spare parts live on to make someone else’s day as magical as yours was.

If you are going the route of disposable plates and utensils, make sure to go biodegradable. A couple of years ago biodegradable disposables were rare and cost a great deal more than plastic disposables, but times have changed. Plates, cups and flatware made out of biodegradable sugar cane or potato and corn starches can be easily found at an affordable price. So rather than your fork starting in a factory and taking up permanent residence in a landfill, it comes from the earth and returns to the earth. Best yet, BioSmart has a starter pack deal with all the plates, cups and flatware you need for fifty people for only twenty dollars. That’s forty dollars for a hundred happy guests and one happy earth.

Given our current economy and eco-awareness, it’s no surprise that the invite foretelling the arrival of a proper invitation (aka the Save the Date) is often the first to take a hit. The obvious alternative is the evite, and while certainly the easiest, many feel that that it comes off “cheap” or simply impersonal. But there is an option that is free of cost, paper and full of charm and personality: A fun video or interactive CD-ROM created by you and your betrothed is sure to touch the hearts and possibly the funny bone of everyone who sees it. Click Here for an amazing example. Your cutback on costs and carbon will easily be overshadowed by your huge investment of personality and imagination. It’s a great way to say, “Look how much fun we’re ALREADY having. You’re gonna wanna save that date.”

Keep it simple by selecting a venue that can accommodate both the ceremony and reception, eliminating the travel between locations (and saving on emissions). If you must have two separate locations, consider providing a shuttle to help guests along while keeping the number of cars on the road to a minimum. Encourage guests to carpool and take public transit on your wedding website or invitations as well. Or better yet, lead the procession from ceremony to reception yourselves, and revel in the smiles, hoots and well wishes you’ll receive from every passer-by as you roll married-ly along!

Choose a venue that’s rich in ambience and beauty, and therefore requires less decorating and enhancement. By playing up the surroundings, you’ll save money and reduce your footprint. Gardens and parks are naturally adorned and lovely, but even choosing a richly decorated restaurant or event space can reduce your need for extra embellishment quite a bit. If all else fails, remember that candlelight can create instant mood and helps create warmth and glow in cold or sparse spaces.

Choose kind jewelry. No one wants to start a new chapter of their life with blood on their hands, So why support conflict diamonds or dirty gold mining? So many sites today provide alternatives, its easy to find conflict-free suppliers, lab-created gems, recycled, estate and handmade jewelry for your wedding day. Ask your local jeweler if they can melt down and repurpose gold, and bring in something old to make something new. For more information on the impacts of gold and diamond mining visit No Dirty Gold, or the Conflict-Free Diamond Council.

Go, get your green on…. And rest easier knowing that you’re heading into a new chapter of your lives with a clearer (eco)conscience!

~Dana LaRue & Hunter Stiebel

Check out more ideas at our blog!

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