January 7, 2010

1st Real Green Wedding for 2010!: Anne and Benjamin

As I mentioned before, yes I was working all the way through New Year’s… and, uncharacteristically, I was happy to do so!

That was a first since I usually end my work for the year either on a 21 or 23, last year was an exception (lucky I know!)… and I was excited, why???

It was the first REAL GREEN WEDDING for 2010 for me! (maybe for the whole Manila even!) as in Eco-friendly, environmental, earth-friendly wedding and the couple wanted it that way!

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A bit of jade for good luck...

So you can just imagine my excitement to make their wishes come true for their special day!

So how did we do it?

We used…

ORGANIC FLOWERS (see Green Wedding Idea#3)

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A bit of queen anne's lace to soften and add some green to Anne's bouquet, which incidentally, also means sanctuary... isn't appropriate for a earth-friendly theme.

Of course, there’s nothing better than organically grown flowers for a GREEN themed wedding! The couple’s colors were white and green, so it was quite easy to get flowers in their motif.

Green Wedding Idea#8

ECO GLASS VASES

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Could you have guessed that this vase came from pieces of broken glass?

For the container for my bride’s bouquet, we use glass vases from recycled broken bottles and glass materials. I have been using this supplier for years, almost from the very beginning because of the right mix of quality and price. And I was just pleasantly surprised to find out they were into the Eco movement before it became the fashion! Talk about ingenuity! Leave it to Pinoys to come up with Eco-Pinoy fabulous products that are not only functional, chic and environmentally friendly!

(I should show you the containers I make to transport my bouquets next time…)

Green Wedding Idea #8

LOCAL FLOWERS

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A touch of green for Benjamin and of course some more luck...

In true green fashion, the couple requested all flowers be locally sourced to reduce the carbon footprint for their wedding, and of course I was just as glad to oblige.

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The lovely maid-of-honor, Irene, with her clutch of beautiful local flowers.

It has been some time that I have had this romantic notion that maybe someday, Filipinos would embrace local flowers just as readily and as enthusiastically as they have embraced delicate Lilies of the valleys and tulips that have travelled thousands of miles to grace their beautiful weddings.

Maybe that time may soon be here.

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and of course the cute flower girl delicately carrying her prized bear... after some gentle coaching from me to handle the little teddy carefully : )

Green Wedding Idea #9

REAL PLANTS

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Mixing live and cut flowers and foliage is a win-win to get a lush feel while staying true to being earth-friendly and keeping costs friendlier.

Yes we used real plants for the church! As a win-win, we filled up the arrangements with cut flowers and foliage. While the real plants were later donated to the church to green their surroundings even more, now that’s recycling!

Green Wedding Idea#10

MINIMAL FLORAL FOAMS

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We used perennials like Aglaonemas "Marian" (the ones with white centers) and Spathiphyllums that totalled to more than 100 plants!

By using real plants, we not only helped green the church but we also kept the use of non-biodegradable floral foam to a minimum. We effectively brought it down from 2 1/2 to 1 brick for this type of arrangement!

For Anne and Benjamin, my best wishes for your union full of promise and hope, for a future that is blessed as it was on that day, as it was in the beginning, so it will be ’til the end, 01.02.2010.

Now that’s starting the New Year right!

(That’s just for the entourage and the church… I hope to get more pictures from the couple of the reception to share with you.)

Be happy. Be Healthy. Be Whole.

Make the Quaint things count,

Theresa