Eco-Weddings

When you’re planning a wedding, there’s so much to consider: the food and drink, the gown, the bridal registry, the honeymoon…and on top of all that, throw in the consideration of what this conspicuous consumption is going to do to the environment! What’s an eco-conscious couple to do, elope? Well, don’t fret too much if dreams of your Big Day don’t involve peddling a bicycle to the county courthouse. These days, a number of wedding businesses and planners are catering to the green couple who wants to have a big celebration with a small carbon footprint.

One of the biggest expenses when it comes to any wedding is the catering, but with a little planning and shopping around, this expenditure can be used to benefit both the environment and the community. Green caterers such as Henrico’s Goodrich Gourmet and Richmond’s Green Monkey offer locally-sourced, organic and natural foods and make use of environmentally-friendly products. And of course, Virginia vineyards are an excellent source for wines that have never spent time in an airplane cargo hold. The Charlottesville area is home to several wineries that produce their own méthode champenoise sparkling wines. These include Horton Vineyards, the Kluge Estate and Thibaut-Janisson, this last-named being the winery that produced the Blanc de Chardonnay served at the infamous 2009 White House dinner crashed by Tareq and Michaele Salahi (themselves former owners of Fauquier County’s Oasis Vineyard).

For many years, brides who didn’t want to schlep down to Mega Bridal Mart to try on massive polyester poofs have been seeking out unique vintage bridal gowns. Vintage can range from the sweetly traditional (granny’s hand-me-down wedding dress) to the downright funky (old flapper gowns, hippie caftans or disco dresses), but it is undeniably eco-friendly. Re-use, after all, is one of the 3 R’s, right up there with Reduce and Recycle in the green pantheon. Brides who’d rather not start out their new lives wearing someone else’s old clothes can still reduce the eco-impact of their wedding gown choices by selecting natural fabrics such as silk, hemp or Tencel, available from green designers such as Conscious Clothing and Threadhead Creations. Rawganique, a retailer offering a full range of hemp products, has a line of somewhat casual wedding wear for both men and women. Grooms who prefer a more formal look, however, can stay green by doing what grooms have always done--renting a tux. The trick, of course, comes with finding an eco-friendly dry cleaner. Check with your local cleaner to see if they have alternatives to traditional methods which may be more environmentally conscious.

The most high-minded of eco-conscious brides and grooms are the ones who direct their wedding guests to make donations to their favorite green causes instead of bringing presents to the wedding itself. This is all well and good, and a perfectly lovely gesture, but what if you really do need some “stuff” to get you started on your new life together—or you’d just like to have something to unwrap on your special day? Some couples ask guests to bring gifts of locally-sourced crafts or food items, like those found at Virginia's Finest. Others request Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) memberships such as those offered by Dominion Harvest, Farm to Family in Richmond or one of the other CSAs in Southside Virginia listed on the Virginia Grown website. Others prefer to register online at websites such as Ten Thousand Villages, GreenSage and Gaiam for organic, sustainable and fair-trade gift items. Even the Home Depot gift registry can be environmentally appropriate for brides and grooms in need of Energy Star appliances.

While adventurous couples have a wide variety of eco-tourism honeymoon opportunities from which to choose, ranging from a solar-powered yurt hotel in Spain to a rainforest bungalow in Costa Rica or an “ecolodge” in Vietnam, the most environmentally-conscious decision of all may be a “staycation”, or at least one close to home. Fall Creek Farm in Danville, Cooper’s Landing Inn in Clarksville, Tacrea House in South Boston and Three Angels Inn in Lawrenceville all offer romantic accommodations right here in Southside. With the Blue Ridge Mountains right at the doorstep, what could be a better way to start your eco-friendly new life together than exploring the natural wonders of your own little corner of the world?

________________

Maria Scinto has a master's in library and information science from the University of Denver. Her work has appeared in publications including "Northern Virginia Magazine," "The Montgomery County Gazette" and "The Fairfax Times". She has co-authored two books, "The Takeout Cookbook" and "Savvy Convert's Guide to Choosing a Religion." Her favorite subjects are sports, food and the paranormal, and her dream is to eat a hotdog in a haunted ballpark.

________________