Natural Nuptials in LA TimesThe bride may still wear white, but some couples are deciding their weddings should go green. From vegan menus and wholesomely hemp gowns to invitations printed on recycled paper, some couples are creating organic celebrations that prove you can walk on air and still be down to earth. These environmentally aware pairs are choosing botanic gardens over ballrooms, and conflict-free stones for rings. They burn essential-oil candles (perhaps from Aroma Naturals in Irvine), and are chauffeured in eco-chic hybrid limousines (such as Evo Limo Service in Los Angeles). There’s even a website, organicweddings.com, to help orchestrate the details. Talia Botone and Daniel Bernstein are going as green as possible to help guests get to know the earth-conscious folks that they are. “This is the one big day in our lives and we want to let people experience ‘us’ and what we share together,” said Botone, who will wed Bernstein on June 19. “So, we’re getting married under a big oak tree at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu and having a totally vegan menu and ‘plant-ables’ for centerpieces. Our dog, Mr. Love Jones, is our ring bearer. We want to create a day that’s eco-friendly and meaningful on many levels.” Natural setting The first element to set the tone is the location, and many couples are having their natural nuptials on such untouched terrain as a nature preserve, a botanic garden or a breezy bluff overlooking the ocean. “One who wants to get married at an organic farm has more options for the ecologically friendly details than some other locations may offer,” said Sasha Souza of Sasha Souza Events in Los Angeles. She plans weddings at such outdoor sites as a winery and organic farm in Northern California and Pacific Sun Ranch in Malibu. Angelica Weihs, founder of GreenWeddings.net, specializes in creating all aspects of a wedding celebration that is “green, hip and holistic.” “I suggest sites for couples that are in touch with nature and are in line with holistic ideas,” said Weihs, who is event coordinator for The Inn of Seventh Ray, which is known for its organic menu. Weddings can be held at the inn, which has a gazebo and a creek. The restaurant also does catering at other locations. Healthy menu The most obvious wedding feature to turn organic is the menu. Made with organic ingredients, this vegan cake was served at the wedding of Marne Herzer and Drew Roehrich. Botone and Bernstein worked with the caterer at Calamigos Ranch to create an interesting and tasty menu sans meat, dairy and processed sugar. Entrée items will include herb-roasted seitan (a wheat gluten protein with the consistency of chicken) with artichokes, Mediterranean grilled vegetables with balsamic glaze and garlic and herb-mashed potatoes. “I want to accommodate our tastes, and it’s something I want to share with people without being off-putting about it,” Bernstein said. “I think they’re going to dig it.” Marne Herzer and Drew Roehrich of Colorado had a vegan menu at their green wedding in 2003, and though Herzer’s parents were begging for at least one salmon dish to be offered, “we wanted to show everyone that it could be delicious, and people were blown away by the food.” Inn at the Seventh Ray owner Lucile Yaney said most of the couples who wed there are either vegetarian or want to serve veggie choices along with their all-natural meat and fish entrées. “We even hosted an entirely raw-foods wedding, which was extreme, but the guests loved it,” she said. “And most couples serve our organic wine and natural beer, fresh juice punch and Jun, a special fermented drink of liquid-digested enzymes.” Couples who aren’t vegetarian may focus on other enviro-friendly details to get the feeling across. Choosing caterers with recycling programs or who work with sustainable organic farms is another way people are trying to make small differences, Souza said. Perhaps the strongest weakness, the item for which even the most health-conscious can go astray, is the wedding cake. But, even this traditional tower of sweetness is taking an organic turn with “cakeries” like Mani’s Bakery in Los Angeles, which is cooking up a vegan caramelized apple cake and organic chocolate-dipped strawberries for the Botone-Bernstein affair. “We have a lot of clients who are doing everything green for their wedding and want an organic cake,” said Carl Avery of Mani’s Bakery. “We only use organic wheat or rice flour, and often use soy cream cheese icing, which can taste like either a cream cheese or butter cream — it’s really light and delicious.” Inn of the Seventh Ray makes a fruit-sweetened hazelnut torte cake, and Michele Coulon Dessertier in La Jolla is known for its Gateau Aileen hot-milk sponge cake layered with organic berries grown by local farmers. “Organic ingredients really taste so much better,” Coulon said. “I am booked solid because people, more and more, appreciate the flavor and the idea of knowing their cake is natural and healthy.” Souza said most of her clients are not fastidious about going all green, but are trying to pay attention to details that may be approached in a more natural way. “People are more sensitive to their own behavior and how it affects the environment,” Souza said. “I think they are making as much of an attempt as they can in order to feel that they are trying to give back instead of constantly taking the resources around them for granted.” Recycling stationery Botone opted for Greenfield Paper Company’s recycled paper thank-you cards imbedded with wildflower seeds, so people can plant the whole card including the paper. For centerpieces, she’ll have potted flower plants with herbs that can be transplanted for extended life. Herzer gifted her guests with a tree-in-a-box, which comes in a little peat pot from treeinabox.com. Many of Weihs’ couples have written on dried leaves for place cards, and made their ceremony programs out of handmade paper. Another eco-angle is to choose flowers from local growers known for being pesticide-free and who have been determined to have work practices that are safe for workers and the earth. Seabreeze Organic Farm in San Diego specializes in naturally grown edible blooms. Owner Stephanie Caughlin says the farm provides edible flowers that couples freeze into ice cubes to accent water or drinks. Friendly flora also can be ordered on the Internet from Organicbouquet.com. To further show their concern for the environment, some brides and grooms are even donning a “recycled” or gently worn wedding dress or one made of natural fibers. “It’s getting more and more mainstream to do a green wedding and have it reflected in the gown as well,” said Crystal Miller, owner-designer of Conscious Clothing in Santa Fe, N.M. (getconscious.com). Organic gown Miller, who makes hemp wedding dresses to order, said, “We are doing double the orders from last year because hemp is a beautiful and environmentally sustainable choice. We offer a hemp/silk blend, a hemp/silk floral jacquard and a hemp/silk satin, which has a gorgeous sheen and is soft to the touch.” Herzer wore a hemp/silk gown designed by Miller, and her husband was dressed in hemp drawstring pants and a hemp collarless shirt. “His outfit looked nice because hemp can look like linen,” Herzer said. “And, I had no idea that hemp could look so beautiful, and it’s much less expensive. Plus, we were married on the beach and wore flip-flops so it fell into the theme of everything to wear natural clothing.” Botone decided on a silk bridal gown, and although her fiancé won’t be wearing a hemp suit, neither he nor Botone will walk down the aisle in leather dress shoes. “We’re doing all we can to have a wedding that supports our causes,” Botone said. “It was a challenge in certain areas — finding a caterer that would do a vegan menu, the cost of recycled paper invitations, a hemp suit verses a wool tuxedo, but, we feel we’re going green in a lot of important areas.” Botone is crafting her and her fiancé’s silver wedding bands herself, and Herzer wears a Chalcedony gemstone, a Native American symbol of community joining together. Even as the eco-couple rides off into the sunset, guests can toss freeze-dried flower petals or Ecofetti, biodegradable confetti available through Ecoparti (ecoparti.com). “It’s getting easier and easier to go completely green,” Botone said. “It just takes some time and planning to do it the right way and your own way.” Debra Beyer is a freelance writer based in Glendale. |
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