Feb 29, 2012

{Guest Post from Eco and Elsie} A Guide to Eco-Friendly Invitations

Thank you to the Eco-Beautiful Weddings Team for allowing me to be a guest blogger for the next few days! I’m excited to share with you some fun, eco-friendly ideas and if you like what you see, feel free to join me at Eco and Elsie, my own blog about earth friendly weddings, life, and marriage.

 

Your invitation - no bigger usually than five by seven inches and containing no more than merely the who, what, where, and when of your wedding - is so much more than just a piece of paper. An invitation is the first glimpse your guests have into your wedding day. If you’re an eco-conscious couple, that first glimpse should reflect that. Below I’ll help you identify what makes them eco, as well as some great companies to choose from.

 

One, responsible material: When choosing your invitations, most companies offer recycled paper, but what you want to look for is 100% post consumer recycled paper. This is the type of paper that is made from curbside recyclables, which helps to continue the demand for recycled goods. If recycled paper isn’t your thing, check out Night Owl Paper Goods, which offers invitations printed on sustainably harvested wood, or Twisted Limb Paper, which handcrafts their own seeded paper that sprouts wildflowers when planted.

Two, responsible printing: Unfortunately, printing is an inherently non-environmentally friendly process, but that doesn’t mean you have to hand write each invitation. Instead, look for companies that utilize soy ink if they are printing with an offset press. Laser printers and print on demand services are actually relatively eco-friendly in the sense that they require less clean up and power than a large offset press. Last, but not least, consider traditional letterpress printers, such as Smock Paper, which harks back to a time of personal craftsmanship and reduced electrical power.

Three, responsible company: The first two points are rendered completely useless if the company doesn’t practice environmentally responsible business operations. Do they do things like recycle in the studio and use recycled packaging, such as Earthly Affair, or are they aware of their building’s environmental impact, such as InviteSite who doesn’t use heat or a/c in their factory?

Jennifer is the gal behind Eco and Elsie, a blog about eco-friendly weddings, life, and marriage.

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Jun 22, 2011

Giving thanks…

Your wedding is the perfect opportunity to show your appreciation for those you love. Why not be thankful to the environment at the same time by keeping it green and local?

Special, creative touches such as sending your guests home with locally-made wines or jams or using recycled paper for thank you notes are sweet gestures to show your guests love.

Guest contributors and eco-fabulous event planners Nick and Aleah Valley of Valley and Co. share more great ideas in “Green Etiquette” on page 39 of the Summer issue!

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Apr 18, 2011

Vintage Issue Feature - New York City to The Channel Islands!

If you are planning your wedding in New York City - be sure to check out our Green City Wedding Guide to New York City with photographer Roey Yohai and Fabulous Wedding Planner Xochitl Gonzalez from Always a Bridesmaid in our Premiere Issue!

Be sure to check out one of Xochitl’s and Roey’s Featured Weddings in New York City in the Issue!

Check out the featured Eco-Invitation Designers Kristy Rice from Momental Designs (with her beautiful shimmering ink design in 100% Tree-Free Paper); Earthly Affair’s Designs on 100% Recycled plus FSC Certified paper; and finally, Two Trick Pony’s + Apiary Design’s 100% PCW paper designs.

Our first eco-bouquet layout featured designs by the Elegance & Simplicity, Inc.

Our Pick-A-Favor featuring local fun items for your guests to choose from!

With the Royal Wedding on its way this week - we could not resist posting a snippet from this beautiful wedding from the Real Wedding Section. Karen Brost’s wedding in the Channel Islands was breathtaking and to this date has been our largest Real Wedding Feature.

Click on any of the images to get the Winter 2010 Issue (OUR PREMIERE ISSUE) to see what you might have missed!

Stay tuned for more “Vintage” Finds from Past Issues!

 

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Mar 15, 2011

Green Is…

Our Green Is Section of the Spring Issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings is not only chock full of green products and services - but we also listed the best resources for eco-friendly weddings on the web!

(There is a giveaway as well in this article!)

Check out Up Up Creative in this issue Green Is Section

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Mar 15, 2011

Earthly Affair’s Jennifer Stambolsky

We are so excited to have Jennifer Stambolsky of Earthly Affair + Earth-Friendly Weddings Blog as our featured blogger in our Spring Issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings! Be sure to read about all the fun details about her green lifestyle and see some of Earthly Affair’s new design - like the one shown above!

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