Wedding Invitation News, Etiquette & Planning Blog » green

Eco-Friendly Wedding Favors

Katie — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:10:36 +0000

Every time I go to a wedding where the tables are stacked high with cheap, plastic favors that no one will ever use again, I give silent praise for all of the beautiful, stylish and inexpensive eco-friendly favors that are available from sites like Etsy and Beau-coup.

Not only will these favors add eco-friendly heart to your celebration, they also bring a touch of style and elegance that plastic simply can’t touch.

Check out some of these sweet eco-friendly favors:

Happy Earth Day!

Katie — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:08:09 +0000

Here at Wedding Paper Divas, we’re celebrating Earth Day in style by carpooling to work, banning all paper plates and plastic cutlery and serving the entire staff a selection of delicious veggies, healthy meats and salad from a local restaurant. Several of our staffers are also planning to take advantage of some of these great Earth Day deals on everything from Etsy items to haircuts, computers, Christmas lights and more! Check out Yahoo! Green and The Huffington Post for more info.

How are you planning to honor Mother Earth today? This Nature’s Melody Save the Date Card is printed on our eco-friendly ecru paper. Will you be adding any eco-friendly details to your wedding celebration?

What’s your style? – Belle Fleur

Lea — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:23:19 +0000

In our last post in the What’s Your Style? series, we look at the belle fleur. The garden bride embraces the beauty of nature in a charming and refined way. Her wedding invitations reflect the magnificence of the natural world, incorporating emerald green leaves and bright blooms with fresh, modern design.

Marriage Garden Wedding Invitation

From L to R: Orchid Green Wedding Cake; Green Wedding Bouquet; Garden Place Holders; Green Wedding Reception; Apple Martinis

To past posts in this series, view:

To download a complete version of our 2009 style guide, click here.

Inspiration Board: Pink and Lime Green

Tara — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:16:25 +0000

Spring took a deep breath in Northern California today, blowing away the rain that has been taunting us and welcoming sunny skies and warm temperatures. The cheerful flowers that greeted me outside of my house this morning only stood to enhance the spring fever that I’m sure everyone is feeling. Vibrant fuchsia blooms highlighted by light green stems stuck in my mind all day, and I just had to share it with the world!

From left to right, top to bottom: Pink and Lime Green table setting from Tickeled Pink Brides; Pink balloons from Flickr; Limes from Wikipedia; Green Martini from Flickr; Simple Orchid Wedding Invitation from Wedding Paper Divas; Flower chair decor from iVillage.

Tea Length Wedding Invitations

Tara — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:57:00 +0000

As a self-proclaimed lover of all things unique and different, I can’t help but fall in love with some of Wedding Paper Diva’s newest invitation designs. At my own wedding, I used ever-popular tea length bridesmaid dresses, which appear both modern and sophisticated at the same time. If you want to tie this same look in to your invitations, consider the Together Forever Wedding Invitations:

The graphic designer in me loves the text treatment–simple yet striking. You don’t often see landscape tea length cards, so this feature stands out to me as well.

Another tea length horizontal card that I’m loving is the Modern Bouquets Wedding Invitation in Verbena. The hues of blue reflect a very 2009 color palette, and the cluster of flowers in the corner denotes spring.

Visit Wedding Paper Divas to browse all of our striking Wedding Invitations. And don’t forget to sign up for our email list (found on the bottom of the homepage) to win a $100 Wedding Paper Diva’s gift certificate, usable on any of these fabulous designs!

Inspiration Board: A Jewel-Toned New Year

Tara — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:05:12 +0000

With winter and the holidays upon us, nothing appeals to me more than jewel tones. I have been obsessing over various clothing items, promptly added to my Christmas list, and I’ve noticed one constant theme–deep, vibrant color. Now, it’s your turn to get inspired with my inspiration board. Happy Holidays!

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Glass Candle Holders, photo courtesy of Fruition Designs, Bridesmaids with Orange Flowers courtesy of JoNa Photography, An Evening at the Moroccan Casbah in San Francisco by Brier & Dunn, Modern Fireworks New Years Card by Tiny Prints, Drew Barrymore in green ballroom from About.com, Colorful Wedding Cake from Truly Wedding Blog.

Inspiration Board: Mint Green

Tara — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:04:24 +0000

There is something about a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream that takes me to another place, where everything is happy and beautiful and perfect. As I was consuming said bowl last night, I began to picture the perfect wedding, cast in shades of this delicious treat. The color was brought up again in conversation with a fellow Diva, and from there, this inspiration board was born. So grab a bowl of mint chocolate chip, and enjoy.

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Country Creations Centerpiece; Wedding Paper Divas Floral Patterened Wedding Invitation in Meadow; Green Hydrangeas Wedding Cake from iVillage; Green Umbrella Photo courtesy of Cheap Wedding Favors; Green Hydrangea Bouquet; Green Martinis, Light Green Beads from Beadbonkers; Delicious Irma Pumps in light green; Granny Smith apples.

Colorful Bridal Gowns

Tara — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:01:05 +0000

Most people think of the white wedding gown as being one of the oldest traditions in the book. When I was looking for my wedding gown, the thought never entered my mind to step outside of the white/off-white color realm.

However, trends have emerged pointing to a more nontraditional approach to the wedding gown. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t stumble across some sort of colored wedding dress while thumbing through a bridal magazine. Just recently, Diva Dialogue blogger Lea shared a photo of a gray dress with me:

Contrary to what you may think, colored wedding dresses are nothing new. As a matter of fact, white dresses didn’t become popular amongst all class levels until the late 18th century. In the case of the gray dress, this was traditionally worn by the lower class in the 18th century.

Step back in time even further and you’ll find that traditional wedding dresses in Medieval times were rarely white when planning an extravagant wedding. Instead, they focused on jewel tones such as ruby, sapphire and emerald, and were often worn by princesses and the upper class. Today, these choices still exist, such as this red Fiorenza dress from Maggie Sottero:

…And another example straight off the runway in emerald green…

So you tell us! What do you think? Do you like the colored wedding dress trend, or do you prefer to stick to the traditional varying shades of white?

My Real Wedding

Contributors — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:35:49 +0000

Although I haven’t gotten our “professional” photos yet, I do have some shots from my husband’s cousin, who is an aspiring photographer. Her pictures are photo journalistic and I love them.

Eco-Friendly Favors

Contributors — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:30:26 +0000

If you want a gorgeous wedding, but not at the expense of the environment, you might be like many couples who opt for an eco-friendly wedding. Whether this is seen in your choice of venue (my site renovates with environmentally friendly materials), choosing organic food for your menu or everything in between, there are so many choices available today to help make your wedding as green as you want it to be.

One way is by choosing eco-friendly favors.

1) Tree in a Box. Give out these fun favors to help guests grow their very own tree.

2) Donations. Give guests the gift of making a difference by purchasing donations to your favorite charities in their name. Most organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund give out cards with their logo on it explaining what they do.

3) Offset C02. Donate to organizations such as Carbon Fund, which helps to eliminate your carbon footprint and can help counteract the negative impact of having guests travel by car and/or plane to your wedding.

4) Edible Gifts. Gifts such as candy or tea are great ideas, especially when wrapped in recyclable products.

5) Be creative. The idea is to give something that will help guests remember your wedding while making them feel good about themselves and the environment.