 It’s no secret that planning a wedding can be stressful and trying at times. However, it can be even more complicated for the eco-conscious couple who want to host an earth friendly wedding. Suddenly, the happy bride and groom are faced with a variety of choices and, more often than not, will discover it isn’t alway easy being green. Suddenly, we are forced with the dilemma of choosing convenience over more sustainable items due to cost or time. Thankfully, all is not lost. Couples can still enjoy the wedding of their dreams with a little creative thinking. Yes, it’s possible to organize an eco-friendly wedding that gives you all the “feels” without breaking the bank or your principles. Afterall, we want our relationship to be the item that lasts for years down the road, not the trash leftover from the wedding. 12 tips on how to organize an eco-friendly wedding: Start planning early. Depending on where you live, it isn’t always possible to walk into a store and purchase green products. Don’t wait to the last minute if you want to organize an eco-friendly wedding and buy items in bulk to cut down on costs and unneeded packaging. You need to start now and allow plenty of time to locate or order items you want. Locate the perfect venue. Not all venues are created equal and this is especially true when it comes to being eco-friendly. Before booking or putting down deposits, look for a location that can host the ceremony and reception in one place to reduce driving. Also, consider the natural lighting and how much input you will be able to have over the food and products used. Purchase recycled paper invitations. When choosing invites, look for eco-friendly versions made from recycled materials. You can buy a variety of high-quality products that feature handmade paper, paper with seeds inside that can be planted, and so much more! Go digital. Ditch paper invites altogether and use digital options for inviting people to the wedding, reception, and even for RSVP’s. Buy local. Reduce your carbon footprint by hiring local vendors to buy local products and services. Also, purchase in-season produce and foods to add regional flare.  For flowers, pick organic or upcycle your own. There are a variety of eco-friendly options available. If you can’t find organically grown or sustainable flowers that are in-season, make your own from vintage fabrics or old books. You can also throw the bouquet and choose potted plants! Embrace reusable table coverings. While it’s tempting to get plastic tablecloths that can be rolled up and thrown into the trash, keep things classy and eco-friendly with cloth or reusable table coverings. Many venues may already provide this option, but you can always buy your own or borrow from friends and family. Find something borrowed. Rent or borrow reusable centerpieces, decorations, and other big ticket items. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel for each wedding and it makes financial sense while being better for the environment. Go vintage and buy used. Instead of buying all new items that come with packaging, hit garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets, and online resellers first. You can also repurpose items your family already owns for the wedding for one-of-a-kind items. Look for ways incorporate old doors, Mason jars, containers, bicycles, feeders, wedding dresses, lace, fabrics, and more on your big day! This will keep items out of the landfill and give your wedding personality for pennies on the dollar. Ditch the disposable silverware and table settings. Go old school and pump up the glam by using real plates, glasses, and silverware complete with cloth napkins. By saying no to the plastics, styrofoam, or paper products you will be eliminating these one time use items from heading to the landfill. If you don’t want to hassle with dishes, but want the convenience of disposable items, you can find disposables made from rice, wood, and potato products. These, unlike plastic, can be composted or dissolve naturally over a short period of time. Get lit. Many couples love the ambience white light provides at their reception, but this trend often involves a multitude of string lights and numerous outlets which require a lot of energy. Instead of buying any old strings of lights, look for LED options featuring Energy Star ratings to save power and prevent unneeded energy use. Donate leftover items. Many of us overplan and find ourselves with extra decorations, flowers, food, and more. Others would love to enjoy or use this surplus! Instead of trashing extras, consider donating your extra resellable items to a charity thrift store, giving flowers to a hospital or church, or ask about donating leftover nibbles to a mission or food kitchen.  What tips can you share for organizing an eco-friendly wedding? Authored by contributing writer, Shannon Lochwood.
Shannon Lochwood currently lives in Southern California. She has a passion for weddings and loves to write about anything related to special "I do" moments. In her free time she loves to hike and spend time with her family and her two lovely dogs @shannonlochwood http://shannonlochwood.weebly.com/ We have so many wonderful photos to share from this wedding - we had to post again (and even more to come!) Enjoy the spectacular staging and rentals from Flexx Productions, florals by Bliss Wedding Florist and event design by WhiteTine Interiors! Thank you to Mike & Mer Photography for capturing these beautiful photos to show off the decor at Brittany & Eric's wedding!  Wedding Professionals: Event Planners: My Big Day Ceremony/Reception: Private Residence Event Design: WhiteTine Interiors Photographer: Megan Newton Photography Florist: Bliss Wedding Florist/Palmer Flowers Event Rentals: Flexx Productions Event Rentals: Robin Rentals Event Rentals: Butler Rents Band: Diamond Empire Band Catering: Three Tomatoes Face Painting: RJ’s Amazing Entertainment *All photos is this blog post are from Mike & Mer Photography
 Contact My Big Day Have Fun. Be Young. Let us know how we can help. Original Ideas, superior strategies, your own private party planner. ~Event Planning, Coordination & Management~ My Big Day llc Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us Located in Loveland, CO As event planners, we serve the entire Front Range; Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken
Contact My Big Day
Have Fun. Be Young. Let us know how we can help! Original Ideas, superior strategies, your own private party planner... Christine Kovacs Forster, Owner/ Party Planner My Big Day llc Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us Located in Loveland, CO As event planners, we serve the entire front range; Northern Colorado, Southern Wyoming and mountain venues. My Big Day was honored to be part of the Annual Wags to Wishes Hoedown Gala for Denkai Animal Sanctuary. Not only are we pet lovers, we are long-time volunteers and supporters for this pet shelter. As supporters, My Big Day provided the table decor for the fundraiser. We are happy to announce that the fundraiser raised over $13,000 for shelter pets in Northern Colorado! Below are some photos from our set up prior to enjoying a delightful evening with fellow pet-lovers. Have Fun. Be Young. Let us know how we can help!
Original Ideas, superior strategies, your own private party planner... Christine Kovacs Forster, Owner/ Party Planner My Big Day llc Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us Located in Loveland, CO As event planners, we serve the entire front range; Northern Colorado, Southern Wyoming and mountain venues. We are seeing some exciting wedding trends for 2015! My Big Day loves working with brides who have a vision and are willing to try new things. With every wedding season trends change and we can see patterns in popularity. Here is what we are seeing for 2015: Destination Weddings to the Colorado Mountains: Living and having a business based in Colorado, we see 'mountain themed' weddings all the time. But in 2015 we are seeing more destination weddings to the Colorado mountains than ever! We have brides coming from out of state and getting married in Silverthorne, Breckenridge, Estes park, Vail, Beaver Creek, Granby, and Steamboat Springs. Why are mountain weddings so popular? We think it's because a wedding outdoors makes for great photos, Colorado has reliable weather, and Colorado is more affordable than having your friends and family fly to Bora Bora for your destination! 
A My Big Day wedding in Granby, CO
Classic Making a Comeback: Everything old is new again! Simple elegance, white, gold accents, distinguished details... We are seeing the word "Classic" everywhere! Think lace... pastel pink... fine china ... crystal.... what weddings were, and are again! CLICK HERE for more wedding inspiration on Pinterest!
Laser-Cut Wedding Invitations: In 2015 laser cut and laser scribed invitations have definitely become popular. We are seeing "Classic" make a comeback, and laser cut invitations are a statement piece that can convey a classic theme to your guests. With the array of designs and intricacies available, these invitations set the tone of a wedding! They are great for Save the Dates too! We received this laser scribed invitation from bride, Alicia: 
"Frozen" Winter Weddings: Blame it on Disney... weddings are not just for the summer (they never really have been). But more than ever, winter weddings are gaining in popularity. And why not!?! Snow makes the perfect background for soft, clean, sparkly elegance! CLICK HERE for additional winter wedding inspiration on Pinterest.
Wedding Cinematography: Forget the words "wedding video." Wedding movies are the new trend! My Big Day has worked with some incredible videographers who turn weddings into short films. We LOVE this trend! Below is a wedding film from one of our recent weddings: Craft Beer Weddings: Being from Colorado, and having a business in Northern Colorado, "The Napa of Beer"... we find that craft beer has made it's way into the wedding scene - BIG TIME! Signature cocktails will always be a fun offering for guests. But local, craft beer and spirits make your Big Day a celebration of you, and where you are from!
Have Fun. Be Young. Let us know how we can help!
Original Ideas, superior strategies, your own private party planner... Christine Kovacs Forster, Owner/ Party Planner My Big Day llc Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Located in Loveland, CO As event planners, we serve the entire front range; Northern Colorado, Southern Wyoming and mountain venues.
by Jessica Weimer When planning a wedding, most brides first thought doesn’t always go to favors. Usually it’s the dress or the décor or the amazing food they plan on having. But favors are not something to be overlooked, especially nowadays when favors can be so fun and creative! No more with the old school bag of candy coated almonds that used to be the expected favor. Now thanks to Pinterest, and all the crafters out there, you can make your favors as memorable as your wedding. These are My Big Day's Top 5 favorite creative ideas for wedding favors - whether it is a DIY project for you and your bridesmaids or something customized your guests can enjoy for years to come.
There you have it! Our Top 5 Favorite Wedding Favors!
Now as you plan your wedding you have some great options of really great wedding favors that guests will remember and be very impressed with! If you are looking for more wedding inspiration visit our Pinterest page at http://www.pinterest.com/MyBigDayEvents/ -My Big Day Company  -by Jessica Weimer, My Big Day Keeping your wedding memento’s or selling them is a tough decision. If you’re sentimental you will most likely keep most or your décor, but is it worth the space it takes up in your home/garage? If you sell everything most likely you will regret it when that special occasion comes up and you are missing the cake knives you didn’t think you’d need. Here is a list of must keep items and some items you need to sell. Toasting Glasses: While this might not have been the item you spent days deciding on, it is still something that could come in handy in the future! If you are fond of traditions this could be something worth saving for future anniversaries. They are a great conversation piece when people admire your glass cabinet; it could remind you of that great toast your brother gave. These are also something that may be hard to sell, especially if they are engraved or have a personal touch. Cake Knives: Cake knives are something that can be sold or kept. If you are an entertainer then they may be a must to keep, since you will probably need something to cut a cake in the future. In that case they are also a great conversation piece, every time you pull them out you can reminisce of the cake at your wedding. Or maybe you really want to store them in a shadow box and show off the amazing detail or engraving you chose. They can be used as a tradition you hand down to your child when they get married. If you aren’t attached to them they could be sold or even give them to another friend who is getting married soon! Wedding Gown: This is definitely a personal choice by the bride, some brides really don’t put much sentimental value into their bridal gown but to others it is the most important dress you will ever wear. There are some businesses who will preserve it in a box for you, or even a more unique idea is to get it preserved in a shadow box and hang it in your closet one day, depending if your closet is big enough! If you don’t mind changing up your dress, you could alter it into a different dress you could wear for a vow renewal or a significant anniversary! These are great ways to keep the dress looking good and the sentimental value intact. If you don’t mind selling your wedding gown, there are always re-sale shops you can go to. (My Big Day recommends Wed Wisely in Loveland, CO.) Or even donating your dress to be given to a woman less fortunate who needs the help and would love her dream wedding!
Décor: When your wedding is over you are left with great memories and tons of the décor you spent many hours perusing and then purchasing! If like most people, you don’t have use for 50 cylinder vases, there is hope to still sell some of it. Recycle Your Wedding is a great website that lets you list your wedding goods and the suggested price and people can look through and buy. It also has a wanted section in which people describe what they’re looking for and the amount they would like to pay. This will at least let you hopefully sell the majority of your things. There is no good or bad time to sell your wedding goods, as brides look year round for the perfect find! Though if your wedding was trendy it is best to try to sell as soon as possible, because chevron may have been the cutest thing ever this year but next year it may be out. Craigslist is also a good site that can help you unload your wedding decor, but don't expect to get even half of what you paid. The site is best for re-homing your goods, but not making money.
Some décor is worth keeping such as the gorgeous arch you may have constructed to get married under. If you and your new husband are moving into a home and have a backyard, it would be the perfect garden accent and be a really good conversation piece. My Big Day offers affordable rentals for clients looking to have the latest trends with decorations, but who don't want to purchase 25 centerpieces that will never see the light of day again. When it comes to selling things from your wedding, it can be a tough decision to part with things that have so many memories, but also it could save you the headache of having to store it and then just throwing it out eventually. Our photography friend, 2M Photography captured some amazing photos of our event rentals. Our client and mom to be, Heather, has a beautiful shower hosted by her mom and sister. They asked My Big Day to decorate, provide serving dishes, and fun baby games. B.Sweet.Cupcakes in Loveland provided the delicious cupcakes. Thank you, Vikki (mom), for thinking of us and allowing us to assist in your special day!
The reception was help at the park pavilion. Table were names with their favorite stadiums, and decorated with baseballs, sunflowers, and of course - Cracker Jacks! Guests signed homeplate as the guest book. The snack bar was filled with peanuts and pretzels, and the caterer, Common Link, hosted a smorgasbord of baseball themed gourmet food!
The day was simply perfect --- filled with joy and surprises! My Big Day was honored to be the wedding planners for such a special day. And you know we love a theme!
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We love a theme. Every party needs one, every event deserves one. Follow us on our journey down the path of creative party planning & exceptional events! Monthly Archives
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