Favours, Gifts & Registries
How do you choose an eco-friendly gift? I feel like an expert on this area having spent countless hours scouring for eco gifts or at the very least not destructive by being made irresponsibly or just more junk that will be one day added to a garage sale.
A few friends suggested that we give trees as favours to go along with our eco-wedding. While I love the sentiment of asking guests to plant a tree to mark our future life together, I realize they are not always practical for all guests, particularly those that have a black thumb or live in urban centres away from easy planting areas. We opted instead for organic jam favours, something we know people will use and like, plus it fits with our harvest theme and colours. We picked the strawberries and blueberries ourselves from local organic crops and made the jam with the help of my Mom.
Finding gifts for the wedding party and those who helped was not so easy. Where possible we shoped at fair trade and eco stores. Finding keepsakes that are green can be a challenge. But the fair trade frames, sculptures and even wrapping paper covered a number of people on the list. Where we couldn't buy gifts that were considered green, we tried to at least ensure they were something that would be treasured for years to come, like sentimental children's books for our parents, a small quilt, Xeko eco-card game, attire accessories, insultated wine cooler and bar accessories were some of the items we chose for our wedding party and close family. Finding eco-gifts for men is particularly difficult. Then it comes to how to package them. I opted for gift bags from tree-free greetings and handmade fair trade papers.
To be true to our eco-friendly wedding, we also needed to ensure we chose gifts that appreciate nature. While we kept some of the traditional elements like fine bone china and proper wine glasses which will hopefully be one day passed down, we tried to choose eco-friendly gifts when possible. From bamboo towels and serving bowls, to kayaks and bicycles to help us enjoy our own backyard, we chose gifts that suited us and helped our guests see that there are plenty of cost-effective eco options. With any luck they may consider bamboo at their next purchase, which is softer and four times more absorbant than cotton, not to mention sustainable because of the rate it grows. We also registered with Ten Thousand Villages for beautiful one-of-a-kind gifts for our home and hopefully we will introduce at least a few guests to one of my favourite stores to shop at.
When guests ask me what I want most though, I tell them in all honesty, we wish to renovate the tiny kitchen in our century home and we would very much appreciate Ikea gift cards. Ikea ensures that all their products are FSC (sustainable wood) and flat packed to ensure that they are eco-friendly. We wanted ensure that our kitchen will be made out of sustainable wood and Ikea is our best option for price, quality and moral reasons.
Hopefully we will inspire some of those closest to us to choose green next time when shopping for gifts.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Eco Reception Venue on a Budget
Trying to keep an eco-wedding on a tight budget as we are can prove to be a real challenge. It is easier to meet green needs when you have more green to spend. For simplicity sake, we wanted a venue that not only offered a beautiful natural outdoor setting for an outdoor ceremony, but also within walking distance of our reception hall. This meant fewer maps needed to be printed for guests and less gas needed to be consumed to get from one place to the other.
We lucked out on a recommendation of a previous co-worker who also happened to be a chef. She highly recommended a cultural club in Breslau, near Kitchener, called the Slovenian Club or Sava Club for short http://www.savaclub.ca/index.html. There simple but nice hall, highly recommended food and kitchen staff and flexibility when it came to bar and menu selection made them a perfect choice. It was not until 6 months or so before the big day that I approached the wedding coordinator Theresa about serving an organic meal and they agreed to work with us on it. We had recently found a fantastic farm store, Well Fed Food http://www.wellfedfood.com/ that we were buying all our meat from. We asked if our wedding meal of beef and chicken could be sourced from here or another organic producer as we were sure our guests would notice the difference as we did (the chicken is the best we have ever tasted!)
Because we are able to bring in our bar (the Sava Club will be supplying the bartenders) the sky is the limit on what we can bring in for wine, beer and liquors. We have chosen to use Peele Island Wines http://www.peleeisland.com/, who uses integrated pest management and promotes eco-business practices. They are excellent, affordable local Ontario wines. The beers are a selection of locally produced beers, many of them also organic. For those who can't get away from the big brands, we are offering Bud Light. Steam Whistle Pilsner will also be on hand and they practice green business like using green bottles (which can be used twice as much as brown bottles), using brownspace for their brewery, hybrid vehicles and biodegradable cups for tastings. Cameron's Cream Ale and Auburn Ale are a few other brews we will have available, Cameron's was recently nomiated for the best green business in Oakville and participates in 100 Mile Diet themed events in southern Ontario. Nickel Brook Organic Lager and possibly Organic White will also be available for guests, using organic ingredients and no preservatives. We may also offer Muskoka Lakes Cottage Breweries Heffe Weissbier, another quality organic brew. Last, but not least a favourite of the groom and the best man is a rich stout made by Hockley Valley, a great local micro-brewery.
The biggest challenge in our eco-bar was finding organic spirits, being that we live in Ontario. The LCBO has very few and expensive options available, however a much wider selection is available just south of the border. We were able to source Juniper Organic Gin here, but we had to travel to Buffalo to pick up Rain Organics Vodka and Papagayo Organic White and Spiced Rums. Organic whisky is not yet readily available here, so instead of importing a European options, we kept it in Canada and purchased the only whisky made by a completely Canadian owned company and made in Ontario, Pure Gold. Where possible, we are sourcing organic and natural juices to round out the ecobar.
We are having the traditional wedding photos following the ceremony, so we were fortunate in that our hall had a nice large lot attached including Bocce Ball and Horseshoe courts to keep our guests entertained while we snuck off for wedding photos. We are also including a few other games to keep guests entertained, like mini-putt and badminton. Our wedding guests can also enjoy the park where the ceremony will take place or follow us a very short drive down the road where some stunning trails along the Grand River are located.
We lucked out on a recommendation of a previous co-worker who also happened to be a chef. She highly recommended a cultural club in Breslau, near Kitchener, called the Slovenian Club or Sava Club for short http://www.savaclub.ca/index.html. There simple but nice hall, highly recommended food and kitchen staff and flexibility when it came to bar and menu selection made them a perfect choice. It was not until 6 months or so before the big day that I approached the wedding coordinator Theresa about serving an organic meal and they agreed to work with us on it. We had recently found a fantastic farm store, Well Fed Food http://www.wellfedfood.com/ that we were buying all our meat from. We asked if our wedding meal of beef and chicken could be sourced from here or another organic producer as we were sure our guests would notice the difference as we did (the chicken is the best we have ever tasted!)
Because we are able to bring in our bar (the Sava Club will be supplying the bartenders) the sky is the limit on what we can bring in for wine, beer and liquors. We have chosen to use Peele Island Wines http://www.peleeisland.com/, who uses integrated pest management and promotes eco-business practices. They are excellent, affordable local Ontario wines. The beers are a selection of locally produced beers, many of them also organic. For those who can't get away from the big brands, we are offering Bud Light. Steam Whistle Pilsner will also be on hand and they practice green business like using green bottles (which can be used twice as much as brown bottles), using brownspace for their brewery, hybrid vehicles and biodegradable cups for tastings. Cameron's Cream Ale and Auburn Ale are a few other brews we will have available, Cameron's was recently nomiated for the best green business in Oakville and participates in 100 Mile Diet themed events in southern Ontario. Nickel Brook Organic Lager and possibly Organic White will also be available for guests, using organic ingredients and no preservatives. We may also offer Muskoka Lakes Cottage Breweries Heffe Weissbier, another quality organic brew. Last, but not least a favourite of the groom and the best man is a rich stout made by Hockley Valley, a great local micro-brewery.
The biggest challenge in our eco-bar was finding organic spirits, being that we live in Ontario. The LCBO has very few and expensive options available, however a much wider selection is available just south of the border. We were able to source Juniper Organic Gin here, but we had to travel to Buffalo to pick up Rain Organics Vodka and Papagayo Organic White and Spiced Rums. Organic whisky is not yet readily available here, so instead of importing a European options, we kept it in Canada and purchased the only whisky made by a completely Canadian owned company and made in Ontario, Pure Gold. Where possible, we are sourcing organic and natural juices to round out the ecobar.
We are having the traditional wedding photos following the ceremony, so we were fortunate in that our hall had a nice large lot attached including Bocce Ball and Horseshoe courts to keep our guests entertained while we snuck off for wedding photos. We are also including a few other games to keep guests entertained, like mini-putt and badminton. Our wedding guests can also enjoy the park where the ceremony will take place or follow us a very short drive down the road where some stunning trails along the Grand River are located.
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