With the ‘Going Green’ movement in high gear, it has become easier to be environmentally conscious even in the smallest ways - like with your jewelry. Mountains of the Moon is a green bride’s go-to for everyday sustainable & stylish items as well as eco-friendly bridal jewelry. Each sustainable necklace is a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted by designer Melissa Baswell. Ribbons, beads and fabrics reclaimed from vintage and resale shops, left over from our own sewing production, or otherwise landfill-bound, are reworked into chic, stunning pieces of wearable art.

The Mary Necklace

The Kari Necklace

The Grace Necklace

Cheers!

Persephone Efessiou

Polished Image & Style

One of the things I LOVE about writing for Eco-Beautiful Weddings is that so much of what we share is about how to experience true luxury and elegance in your wedding, while still following your own personal ethics and minimizing your impact on the planet. Back in the days where “green” was just the name of a color and nature-lovers wore Birkenstocks and dreads, many of us never thought that Environmentalism could play in the same sandbox as Luxury. But today, the story is far different. In the past three years, the evolution of all things eco has finally intersected with the indulgence that is luxury…without being in conflict. And, lucky for us, it’s slowly working its way into the Wedding arena too! One of the most exciting new luxury eco boutiques to launch this year is Lineage Bridal and I am thrilled to share with you the unique approach that they take to helping you align your environmental goals with the luxury you desire on your wedding day.

About the Boutique

Lineage Bridal offers brides a central place to buy and sell pre-loved, luxury designer wedding gowns. This is not your average “Ebay-style” wedding marketplace. It is an exclusive, privacy-protecting safehouse for exchanging the most luxurious, couture wedding gowns available. For brides looking for true designer bridal gowns at an affordable price that meet the strictest of standards, this is the place to find them. You will not have to search through thousands of average-looking wedding dresses to find the couture gown of your dreams…every gown is of the finest quality and detail. And Linage Bridal carries both one-of-a-kind vintage gowns and new designer dresses alike.

How It Works

All gowns, unless verified vintage couture, are less than 3 years old and must retail over $2500. The highest of standards apply to all listings. No contact information for the seller or buyer is listed and, thus, your privacy is protected. The gowns are exchanged via secure escrow. When a bride selects her gown, she pays the escrow the full amount of the dress and the funds are held until satisfactory exchange. The excellent-condition, dry-cleaned gown is then shipped to the purchaser. Once the buyer fully confirms her satisfaction with the gown, only then are the funds released to the seller. This model perfectly protects both buyer and seller and maintains their privacy at the same time.

Eco Takeaway

Luxury doesn’t mean more. Luxury means better…finer…of a higher quality. Something that shows better, wears better, works better and lasts longer. And eco luxury is no different. It is all of these things…plus it’s better for people and planet.

Guest blogger, Kathy DalPra of Green Diva luxury eco bridal jewelry

We are less than a week away from the launch of the Summer Issue of 2010!

Our cover is going to blow you away! Above is Anni Bruno taking care of our beautiful cover girl model as taken by the talented and amazing Parris Whittingham!

Get ready for a unique cover ladies and gentleman!

How to be green and invite your guests to your wedding day celebration?

The most environmentally friendly option is to go virtual. With a service like Pingg, you can select from hundreds of designs. Dreaming of something more custom? A graphic designer can create an e-invitation, referring guests to a site like eRSVP to respond.

Email isn’t for everyone, but you can still make environmentally friendly invitation choices!

For a little more green, calligraphy eliminates a lot of chemicals used in commercial printing. Take things a step further with invitations made from recycled paper or a renewable resource like cotton, printed with non-toxic, vegetable-based inks.

Combine all three options for a green trifecta and use an e invitation for your rehearsal dinner and eco-friendly, traditional invitations for the wedding!

image credits clockwise from upper left:

Style Me Pretty

Martha Stewart for Pingg

Meant to Be Calligraphy

Bella Figura

Pingg

Jed officially pulled me off the job of having anything to do with what he or his brother (the best man) wear for the wedding. We decided that they would wear charcoal suits and that is what we would get the best man as his gift for being in the wedding. The thought was that a nice classic suit could always be worn again.

Before being removed from my duties, Jed promised me he would wear dress shoes, not his faithful rainbows.

I think he got sick of me sending him one crazy tie after another that was just going to clash with my sister’s navy blue dress or be washed out by the suit. I guess when it comes to men’s clothing, I should leave it to the experts! Maybe now I should get onto something more productive like invitations…

~Brianne & Jed

(Engaged Weekly Guest Bloggers)

Tradition has it that you must have a ‘something blue’ whether it be modest or bold - it’s a must. Don’t be afraid to do something different and have your something blue front and center like with these oh so beautiful vintage pieces below! All pieces incorporate vintage elements and are made by local Etsy designers and will have you looking like an absolute knockout!

By Etsy Designer JadoreDolceCouture

By Etsy Designer liaison

By Etsy Designer hairsewvintage

Cheers!

Persephone Efessiou

Polished Image & Style

I really have the distinct pleasure of showcasing some of the images from Virdina and Kevin’s wedding on Earth Day in April!

Everything from the Etsy Designed paper flowers (that the flower girls now have in tiny vases in their homes) to the organic and local (and sustainable) ingredients in the cake was carefully planned to green perfection!

To see more of their beautiful day - take a look at the video montage below by their eco-friendly videographer Jessica Pi:

To see more images and to find out who all the vendors were - take a look at Elegance & Simplicity’s Blog as well! I had so much fun designing their day! Congrats Virdina and Kevin!

Kristi Odom wowed us with this real wedding that we will feature in the summer issue! This issue is chock full of some of the most amazing things and real weddings to go DIY crazy over!

The Summer issue goes live on June 15th!

Weddings are full of tradition; ring bearers, garters, favors, cake toppers, and more all have their roots in history. Tapping into old customs and weaving them into the fabric of modern weddings is one of the wonderful ways we stay connected with the past.

How to to freshen up old traditions? Add a coat of green! Use vintage or heirloom glasses for your toast, choose a garter made from recycled bottles, or select a cake topper made from sustainable wood and non toxic paint!

image credits clockwise from upper left:

flower seed favors

custom cake toppers

ringbearer pillow

eco-friendly guest book

vintage toasting glasses

eco-friendly garter

I know what you’re thinking-I could totally make my own cake topper like these sweet ones by Rain’s End.

Trust me I do the same thing every time I peruse the Etsy marketplace. Occasionally I think this when I’m watching some design related tv show, or visit a web site or blog by a creative crafty person. I have so many DIY projects backed-up, not to mention materials saved for future projects. In recent years, DIY weddings have become an international phenomenon. Some people think it’s because couples are trying to save money. I have a different theory. It’s the same reason why people become so entranced with the wedding planning process in general. It’s because , for most people, it is the first time they have a license to be creative. Let’s face it, most of us do not have highly creative jobs. There are very few people who get to make a living being creative. Even for them it is mostly about the business side of things-finding your next project, planning the production process, etc. I can a test to the fact that I spend more time planning than I actually do making. So It’s perfectly natural for you to feel like you want to make things for your wedding. That’s great, but don’t forget to be realistic about your time and your talent. I for one am certain that my ideas are far better than my execution. It’s okay for you to buy things, too. You can find affordable, quality, handmade wedding items in many different places. I hope you will take some time to find them. If you can’t find something you really want, find someone who can make it for you-because if you can dream about it, then it’s just waiting to be created for you.

(Bird’s Nest Ring Pillow-adorable, right?)

xo

Emily

http://www.emilyanderson.com

http://www.goodwithstyle.com

http://www.ecochicweddings.com