14 Stories

We are so pleased that the extraordinary editor of Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine, Katie Martin, chose one of our clients' weddings to be featured in the Summer issue.  

Taylor and Lauren were married last September and their wedding photos are on pages 88-91 of the magazine - check it out!

For years I've cared about the environment and my company has been purposefully built with this in mind.  To see some of our green policies, please click here.

I don't do vendor spotlights much but I really wanted to call out Katie Martin from Elegance and Simplicity.

Eco-weddings are on my brain recently.  I love them and am committed to being a green company and will soon be profiling green wedding expert, Katie Martin.

I was recently interviewed for an article and was asked if gay weddings were inherently more eco-friendly than straight weddings. 

Strange question, right?  I wonder if I was asked because there's an assumption that gay couples are more socially progressive and being more progressive equals more eco-friendly?  Here's my answer:

Why Gay Weddings are More Eco-Friendly:
The vast majority of gay wedding ceremonies do not occur in places of worship because many religions will not officiate gay weddings (another topic altogether).  The majority of gay wedding ceremonies occur in the same space as the wedding reception. This means less travel/fewer fossil fuels consumed = greener wedding.  (And that's before we talk about reducing paper, locally grown food, etc.)

And Why They are Not:
At this moment, there are currently four states where you can legally have a gay marriage:  Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Iowa. I've had gay couples come from over 20 different states to Massachusetts this year to work with me.  The fuel consumed for travel required for couples and their guests to go to a state where they can have a legal wedding cancels out any advantage gained by having the ceremony and reception in the same space.  Thus, marriage inequality = less eco-friendly weddings.

So truly, what is the best way to green a gay wedding?

How about purchasing carbon offset credits for your gay wedding?  Or supporting marriage equality?

For those who don't know, It's About Time makes a donation to a charity on a client's first anniversary.  Both carbon offset credits and a donation to HRC are options listed in our contract.

One of the many things that is wonderful about the locally grown, sustainable agriculture movement is that wedding food tastes so much better.  I am thrilled that my clients are demanding it.

One of the tricks about this is that sometimes wedding menus aren't set until right before the wedding day - in order to truly work with what is local and available that week.  I worked with two wonderful guys from Manhattan who chose one of Boston's top restaurants for their wedding.  But because the menu was seasonally changing and they weren't able to make a final trip, they sent me in the Tuesday prior to choose between their possible entrees.  Yum!

The great thing about seasonal dishes is that they put everyone in a good mood.  Right now strawberries are everywhere and who doesn't love a ripe and juicy strawberry - nothing quite says summer like it.  And I think there's something sexy and mildly suspenseful by seeing a wedding menu that simply says "seasonal vegetables."

Some of the local sources for seasonable veggies include Northeast Family Farms and Verrill Farm.  Verrill Farm has this great chart which tells you what's in season when.  But any great chef - be it at a restaurant, caterer or function facility - will know exactly where to source their produce and create a sexy seasonable menu for you and your guests.


I am grateful to have clients who care about this stuff and have chosen some of the following amazing-sounding dishes from menus this wedding season: Chef's choice grilled seasonable vegetables drizzled with balsamic reduction; asparagus and leek soup; warm butter poached shrimp with curry, asparagus and almonds; green garlic lentil salad with pea tendrils and basil pistou; spring vegetable bouquet; peach and raspberry pie; sour cream crumb cake with fresh berries, raspberry vinegar gastrique and vanilla bean frozen yogurt.

What's your favorite seasonal dish?  Is there a great restaurant you think I should try for fresh, seasonal food?

I'm a big fan of green weddings and love to work with couples who want to incorporate green and sustainable practices into their wedding planning. It's one more way to think outside the box, and I love that kind of challenge.

I have a resource on my website for green weddings. Click here to download the PDF.

But I also enjoy checking out this blog for real life examples of what people are doing. And I have Kate's book, too.

If you're thinking of going green, give me a shout!