Love your blooms

Flowers! Flowers! Flowers! Who can have a wedding without them? Well... actually many people do and the results are stunning! But, if bypassing lovely bloom for soy, paraben-free, 10-hour burn candle is not your thing, go echo-chic with your approach.

Don't stop at just asking your florist to source "pesticide-free" flowers- go the whole nine yards by having your flowers organically grown for your wedding day. Gasp! Yes, it can be done and it's an absolutely brilliant way to personalize your wedding, fulfill your decor needs, support local farms, and be kind to the Earth!

In the Pittsburgh area Cherry Valley Organics will be more than happy to start growing for you. To find an organic farm near you, visit Local Harvest.

Happy Growing! (no, you don't do all the planting. The farm does)

Tree-friendly Invitations

Nothing sets thet tone for your wedding like the engagement ring --- just kidding :-) I meant the invitations.

Here are some resources to aide in your eco-friendly quest to invite your guests:

• Seal and Send - All their invitations contains some post-consumer material! yeah!
• Twisted Limbs - Handmade paper, earthy feel.
  
• Invite Site - In a word - Gorgeous!
• Papermints - Love LOVE these

-cheers!

Amazing Lens!

Just to show how having a phenomenal photography makes your day memorable -check out those photos from Grace Ormonde's photog + 5Senses partner Kimberly Reed. STUNNING!

5Senses Events Design - visible ink

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to share some uber exciting news. 5Senses Events Design was recently featured by the Post Gazette in an article about eco-friendly event planning. Have a read, won't you?

Also, 5Senses Events can be read talking about the majesty of local landmark Heinz Chapel.

Great Summers Get-Togethers

Summer is here - okay... well, almost here! What better way to enjoy the cool breeze and wiggle your toes than with a back yard fete. Here are some tips to make backyard entertaining enjoyable and carefree.

**image from Food + Wine magazine**

Decor
Keep it simple. Keep it chic. Perfect.

• Run not walk to IKEA Summer tents for delightful umbrellas in a variety of sizes and hues ranging from $5.99 to 29.99. They are lovely and provide the perfect shade.
• Another great IKEA find that will make your backyard sizzle with the setting sun are these adorable lanterns. Pop in a block candle and they cast the perfect glow for hours.
• Do not forget the insect repellant- natural choices such as Rubbing Alcohol mixed with Avon's Skin-So-Soft bath oil will keep the mosquitoes away and smells amazing.
  

Eats + Treats
While grilling is über-fun, that is only the case for the first 10 minutes. When all the partygoers show up and you are stuck behind the grill, it adds up to double boos.

• Prepare as much of your grilling needs ahead of time. Get those hot dogs done and keep them warm in individual foil wraps on the grill. Starving guests will be happy to dig right in.
  
• If grilling meats + poultry DO NOT POKE with a fork - use a thong instead. Poking release the juices.
  
• Let meat sit for 15 minutes after grilling before serving (Food + Wine, June 2007).
  
• Make popsicles for dessert. Simple. Easy. Fun. Brings out the kid in everyone. Add chopped fruits like strawberries and mangoes to the liquid before freezing. Yummy.
  
• Jazz up store bought salsa with fresh fruits such as pineapples, peaches, or mangoes. Waaay better. Everyone will love you and the unexpected sweetness.
  

What to do?
Everyone has eaten what should they do now?

• Make a collage board for the fete especially of ones that includes the guests. People will have fun bonding over the memories.
  
• Get out the nostalgic board games. Turn up the music and play Taboo! For a more contemporary fete - Texas Hold'em is easy to teach and learn.
  
• All keep the music going. Festa Brasil from Putumayo is highly recommended. Whether or not people are dancing it keeps the energy up.

Eco-Tips

• Have recycle bins for all the beer + sodas cans, glass + plastic. People were going to pitch them anyway so have them put it in a Recyle Bin instead. Mother Earth thanks you :-)
• Send out evites or give a ring to invite guests. Evite will have you keep track of RSVPs but a personal phone call will really brighten someone's day and add that unexpected touch.
  
• Even if you must use disposables, use disposables made from post-consumer materials. You don't have to go out of your way to find them either. Check out your local Target.
  

Happy Entertaining!

with grace
5senses

Tchotchkes be gone!

What to give your guests as favors or deciding whether or not to register is becoming increasingly difficult. There are so many tchotchkes that will become mired in the seat cushions and trunks of your guests' cars that you really have to re-evaluate the associated costs.

So, in the spirit of giving and receiving, consider these options when bestowing "thank you" upon your guests.

• www.makingmemories.org : not only can you donate your wedding gown, you can make a donation in honor of all your guests. No one can argue with that.
  

• www.idofoundation.org : if not registering is so not an option, considering registering for gifts at stores registered with the I Do Foundation. A portion of all gifts purchased will be donated to charity. This is a win-win situation! Your guests will not only be giving to you but to others as well. Additionally, your registery can solely be for charitable giving. Instead of buying a gift, your guests can donate directly only at your charitable registry!

Eco-Chic Wedding Trend is Global

Eco-chic isn't going away. Global brides are embracing the earthly-friendly trends and making it part of their special day.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070409/lf_nm/weddings_green_dc

By Sylvia Westall Sun Apr 8, 9:02 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Here comes the bride, all dressed in -- green.

White weddings might have been the dream of fashionable brides of old. But the trendiest British weddings are now at least metaphorically green as couples seek to reduce the impact of their nuptials on the environment.

That means everything from recycled wedding dresses and guests arriving by bicycle, to home-grown flowers and locally produced food for the wedding buffet.

"A year ago there was nothing green at wedding shows. I was really struggling to get the message across that green weddings are about "eco-chic," not lentils and hessian," said green wedding planner Ruth Culver.

"Now specialist venues, products and services are being launched every week."

British celebrity Liz Hurley might have hoped to set new fashion standards with her lavish jetset wedding last month.

But her celebrations broke all the "green" wedding rules, and were dubbed "Liz Hurley's big fat not-so green wedding" by The Independent newspaper, which pored over every opulent detail to determine its environmental impact.

The wedding, which flew in dozens of guests to India from Britain for a series of parties, produced an estimated 200 tonnes of carbon emissions -- more than the average couple produces in a decade, according to researchers.

Bride-to-be Libby Smit will do her bit to make up for this on her wedding day in Northern Ireland this summer.

"We are using the parish church that is literally around the corner," Smit, 30, said. "On the morning of the wedding, the bridesmaids and I are going to be walking to the church."

"GREEN" GIFTS TOO

It's not just the ceremonies that are environmentally aware. Guests are getting into the spirit with their gifts.

After charity gift-lists raised millions of pounds over Christmas, environmental groups WWF and Friends of the Earth have launched similar services for weddings.

Guests can donate to charities on behalf of newly weds, making up to 20,000 pounds ($39,000) a month for green and ethical causes, according to www.weddinglistgiving.com.

"A lot of people seem to feel that when they are making a big commitment to each other they would like to do some good as well," said Nicola Baird, campaigner for Friends of the Earth.

Sarah Webber, 30, a Briton living in Australia, plans to keep the environmental footprint of her wedding to a minimum by having a ceremony in Australia and a party in Britain to prevent her family members from needing to fly across the globe.

She is also making sure her wedding buffet is locally produced: "We're not crusty hippies or anything like that ... but thinking about where things come from is part of our lifestyle," she said.

One of the biggest concerns for 'green' brides is how to find that all-important dress, and the Internet is where they begin their search.

"There is the charity shop option, there are vintage shops, where you could find something a bit more stylish ... or you can have a design made from scratch using fair-trade fabrics," said Katie Fewings, who launched www.ethicalweddings.com in 2006.

Her site lets brides share advice on how to source tricky items -- from organic confetti to recycled invitations -- with nearly 130 registered members in its discussion forum.

With the average cost of a British wedding set to rise to nearly 18,500 pounds ($36,500) this year according to UK-based insurer Weddingplan, couples say the homemade approach personalizes the celebrations.

HOME-GROWN SALAD

London-based Rebecca, a 35-year-old bride-to-be who posts on the ethical weddings site, is being helped by her father, who will be growing lettuces and tomatoes to help feed 150 guests at her wedding reception this summer.

He is also providing a floral touch: "I love wild and home-grown flowers, so my dad has offered to grow all the flowers for me. Cornflowers are my favorite," Rebecca told Reuters, asking to be known by her first name only.

Her fianc� Doron, 36, said although some people have found the couple's choices unusual, the planning has paid off.

"For those for whom the environment is not a prime concern, it initially jars, perhaps ... but once everything is explained we've had 100 percent support."

The couples say their wedding is not supposed to be fashionable: "Fashion is of absolutely no concern to us ... we want to make it really memorable without exploitation," Rebecca said.

Campaigners say couples planning green weddings tend to already lead an environmentally friendly lifestyle, but increased awareness about green issues can take the trend to a wider audience.

"The trend actually gets the message out there and fortunately it also gets the resources for people to be able do this," said Kim Ritch, WWF's manager of partner marketing."