Our kind style blogger Katie brought us a great post about planning an eco autumn wedding not too long ago. You guys loved it so she decided to share her suggestions for winter as well.
Planning an Eco Winter Wedding
By Katie Gillespie
Winter is a time of hibernation, short days, and cold weather. It is a time to celebrate simplicity, warmth, and a stark kind of beauty. For my post on fall weddings, I made suggestions for fashion for the wedding party, favors, invitations, etc. that may be helpful here, too. For winter, weddings can be made eco-friendly quite simply and here are a few ideas for a lovely, understated winter wedding planned with kindness and compassion for all.
Above photo: Gown by Lindee Daniel; hanging lights photo by Tiger Shout; twig lights photo from Wedding Bee
I’m a big fan of second-hand clothing as the most eco-friendly option for any occasion, weddings included. Looking at local thrift shops or online for vintage and second-hand wedding dresses is a wonderful (not to mention, affordable) way to go. That being said, this time I’d like to feature the gorgeous creations of a Los Angeles-based sustainable wedding dress designer –Lindee Daniel. The Rebekah gown, pictured above, is lined with organic cotton, can be made in any number of sustainable, vegan fabrics and would look great on a range of body types. I love the romantic simplicity of this gown and it would be fun to work with the designer to get a dress that suits you perfectly.
Source: Pinecone bouquet from SeasonalBounty on Etsy; homemade vanilla extract recipe by Serenity in the Storm; recycled silver wedding bands by VK DesignsJewelry on Etsy
I really want to emphasize simplicity and stark warmth for winter wedding planning that carries over from the dress to the decorations to the food. In my opinion, skip the flowers in winter and opt for a more eco-friendly option. Try a bouquet of twigs, pinecones and other fallen items, like the pinecone bouquet pictured above from SeasonalBounty on Etsy. For favors, you could try a DIY option like homemade vanilla extract and an eco-option is to use cute mismatched containers from a local thrift shop. For rings, antique or vintage rings are always lovely or try something clean and simple like these recycled silver bands from VKDesignsJewelry.
To decorate the space for your winter wedding hang strands of LED lights around the room. Lately, I’ve been walking around my neighborhood and I’ve noticed how, in winter, the trees tend to shed some of their small, twiggy branches. These are so pretty and would be beautiful to collect and use for centerpieces with more strings of LED lights. These could either be laid down the center of the table artfully, or arranged in mason jars or other containers found at your local thrift shop. A simple theme of lights and twigs will give the decorations a warm, effortless feel while maintaining a fairly low environmental impact.
In many parts of the world, winter is not a season of an abundance of fresh produce, but there are seasonal foods that can be celebrated in a delicious, yet simple meal. Offer a warming menu, like a rich, curried winter squash soup, a kale and beet salad, and hearty slices of a whole grain freshly baked bread. Serve vegan mulled wine or hot apple cider. Top the meal off with a dense, rich, vegan chocolate cake that uses ethically-sourced chocolate shared with good friends and family.
What are your ideas for a kind winter wedding?
About Katie: Katie Gillespie is a PhD student in Geography, working on a dissertation that looks at the lives of individual cows in the U.S. dairy industry. In her free time, she writes the Seattle-based blog Serenity in the Storm, which features vegan news, recipes, fashion and animal advocacy-related topics, she is a contributor at MindBodyGreen, a volunteer for the Food Empowerment Project and for Pigs Peace Sanctuary.
