Green: Not Just a Color

Going green? You're not alone, says Linda Howard, wedding consultant and coordinator of Linda Howard's Sensational Celebrations, a high-end dream wedding organization in Los Angeles.

A couple's concern for the environment is the motivation for this recent trend, Linda says. "The bride and groom don't want to throw away flowers or other wedding and reception components, but they still want to have beauty and create the wedding in a way they feel good about," she explains.

"Even the Academy Awards last year was all green," she says. "Whether it's because of Al Gore or whoever, even florists are willing to go green today."

Florists may use organic flowers, not cut flowers, for example. Plants, including succulents or containers full of fruits and vegetables, are novel choices for centerpieces because they don't go back into the environment as dead foliage. Using rosebushes, dwarf trees or topiaries instead of a large arrangement at your guest book table or reception entrance are some of Linda's suggestions.


"I did that at my daughter's wedding," she says. "We purchased topiary trees and I put one in my yard.

"When we do a $60,000 flower wedding, people sigh when they think of all that will be thrown away," she says. "Going green, you can use the trees and plant them in a pot afterwards. It's a wonderful reminder and living memento of your wedding day."

Donated flowers will still die within days, and the end result is the same as if your cleanup crew threw them out. Besides, they will wither quickly after your event.

"The flowers are at their prettiest point during the wedding, so if you take them away, they are not pretty for very long," says Eric Buterbaugh of Eric Buterbaugh Flower Design. For those who want the ambiance of live cut flowers, he says, "We can buy 100% green-grown flowers without pesticides. We are limited in what we can buy, but it can be all naturally grown."

Brides who want to scale down, but not eliminate, the beauty of cut flowers have some options. "She will still need a personal bouquet to carry," says Thomas Sydavong of Michael's Flower Girl. "We would do a single calla lily, hydrangea or rose."

"Maybe one orchid branch instead of an entire bouquet," Linda says. Another of her ideas is to carry a tiny floral bouquet or a single stem that is to be preserved afterwards, becoming a floral wedding keepsake. Carrying an heirloom family treasure or a tiny purse instead of a bouquet is another solution.

Using only recycled paper for everything from invitations to place and menu cards is becoming more popular. Some brides go even further, using a stain made of walnuts instead of ink for the calligraphy.

The party favors, too, can reflect the environmental theme. A green apple dipped in dark chocolate and placed in a recyclable clear box tied with a dupioni silk ribbon made a luscious and dramatic presentation at a recent Beverly Hills wedding salon. This sensual solution reflects the sensitivity of an environmentally savvy bride, Linda says.

"A green bride is very tuned into texture. She's usually very artistic and this reflects the couple's style and persona," she says.

This carries through into the dupioni silk fabric of her wedding gown. Unlike most satin or linen fabrics, dupioni silk is natural and recyclable, Linda says. "It's sophisticated, and you can do a wide range of colors." The raw texture gives the dress a unique appearance as it catches the light.

Linda acknowledges that it is not for every bride, but for the woman who "wants something no one else has had."


Wearing their mother's or grandmother's wedding dress may seem to be a meaningful recycling option for some brides. Rosalind Hui, owner of Rosalind's Bridal & Alteration, has remade 50-year-old dresses to fit today's brides. But she has some words of cautionary wisdom to offer those considering such a project.

"The fabric is very weak," she says of the older dresses. "And brides today may be larger and we have to make the dress bigger. We cannot even find the old fabric," she says. "If the body is too different or the dress is too old and we have to alter it too much, it's not good."

The outdated style of the dress is another consideration. "We have to decide what to keep and what to change. We have to totally remake sometimes," Rosalind says. "Usually I can do it, but it will be expensive. Even to clean the dress costs a lot of money."

As an alternative, she may be able to fix an heirloom headpiece and make a veil that no one can tell was not original. Unless it is critically important to the bride to wear her loved one's dress, Rosalind says, "Sometimes, I tell them, 'better to make a new one.' This is not a way to save money."

Sometimes, going green costs more green.