Jessica Stasinos has been planning weddings for five years, spending an average of 100 hours per couple personalizing their nuptials. Even with all that experience, the owner of The Social Butterfly in Peabody encountered a first this year, when a bride and groom requested she orchestrate a vegan, all-natural-ingredients wedding.
“No animal products can be used, which I think is kind of neat,” said Stasinos. “It’s been interesting. It’s kind of tough to find vegan (products).”
While this may be the first completely vegan wedding Strasinos has planned, the couple are among a growing number of people taking their environmental concerns to the altar, opting for “green,” Earth-friendly ceremonies, receptions and sometimes even honeymoons.
It’s a trend that started in California, Stasinos said, finding its way east in recent years.
A green wedding can be as simple as serving vegan food, like the clients Stasinos is working with, or expand into other areas, for instance brides wearing hemp dresses, couples exchanging rings made of recycled metal, tables adorned with wildflower centerpieces, or choosing to provide public transportation for the wedding party and guests to save energy.
Most often the ceremonies are held outside in gardens, parks or at the beach, again to save energy. And sometimes couples go so far as to ask guests who stay in hotels to use towels more than once, according to Alexis O’Mara, owner of Unique Weddings by Alexis in Stoneham.
“I think (the trend) stems from the state of the environment,” said O’Mara, whose business coordinates weddings all over New England. “The bride and groom are much more aware of the world they’re going to be raising children in. They want it to be a better place.”
Linnea Tangorra of Tangorra Wedding Planning in Newburyport said she has had several clients interested in green weddings.
Given the growing interest, both she and Stasinos have been researching environmentally friendly weddings in order to better serve their clients.
“I was actually surprised at how many resources there are now,” Tangorra said. “A couple of months ago, I could hardly find anything.”
Stasinos emphasized that going green doesn’t mean sacrificing glamor. Green weddings can look and feel exactly like a traditional ceremony and be held at a first-class facility if a couple chooses.
“Can you be green and still be elegant? Yes,” Stasinos said.
The difference is in the planning, she said, which can be more time-consuming and expensive than for a traditional wedding.
Vendors who cater to the eco-friendly theme can be more difficult to find, so lead time should be expanded. Additionally, organic food can be expensive.
“Right now, the average cost (of a wedding) is around $33,000,” said Sonny Apotheker, a Boston-area wedding disc jockey and co-author of book, “Shut-Up, I’m Walking Down the Aisle,” which he wrote with wedding videographer Ron Van Dam.
“Now, if you add special factors in, you can be talking 40- or 50-thousand (dollars),” Apotheker said.
Some couples continue the green theme into eco-friendly honeymoons, such as camping trips or getaways to pro-environment hotels and resorts. The Green Hotels Association offers a list of lodging facilities that promote practices for saving water and electricity, as well as reducing waste. The list includes spots across the county, as well as in the Caribbean and South America.
The association suggests eco-friendly travel tips, too, for instance choosing to fly an airline that recycles waste, like Southwest Airlines; walking or using public transportation while honeymooning; and asking the hotel staff not to change the sheets and towels every day.
“It’s the thing,” Tangorra said of going green for the big day and beyond. “I have people who continuously talk about it and we explore some ideas. We will be seeing more and more of it.”
Lifestyle
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July 17, 2007
Something new, something green
- Lifestyle
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TRIVIAL pursuit
Salem CyberSpace is holding a trivia contest Tuesday at the Hawthorne Hotel to raise money for its programs.
But there's nothing trivial about the nonprofit's mission or impact on low-income kids.
"We're the only comprehensive academic center that takes kids from middle school through college graduation," said director Linda Saris, who founded the organization 10 years ago. -
From dragonflies to owls, Audubon fest explores nature
For anyone who loves wildlife, a trip to the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield on Sunday could be as good as a trip to the zoo. Maybe better.
A broad range of creatures that crawl, swim or fly in Essex County will not only be displayed, but can be examined in their native habitats at the sanctuary's 15th Audubon Nature Festival. -
Good cause
Wine tasting to benefit animals
Wine and dine in support of the Friends of Beverly Animals on Wednesday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Henry's Wine Cellar, 588 Cabot St., Beverly. The wine-tasting event f - Dear Abby: Marriage isn't in the cards for widower and girlfriend Dear Abby: I am a 70-year-old widower with three grown children. My girlfriend is 53. We dated for several months before she moved in with me. I thought maybe with her living here I might fall in love with her. It has not, and will not, happen.
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The reader's eye
Name: Kathryn Hardwick
Hometown: Beverly
Description: "I took this photo after a week of rain early in the morning, of purple columbine in my garden that are just starting to bloom.
"As much as I love gardening, I also enjoy photographing the stages of blooms in my gardens." -
North Shore Entertainment Calendar
Good causes
CELEBRITY BARTENDING EVENT. Thursday, May 31, 5 to 7 p.m., Vic's Boathouse, Victoria Station, Pickering Wharf, Salem. Features Billy Costa, A.J. Burnett, Mayor Kim Driscoll, Rep. John Keenan, Tim Clarke, Bruce "Elvis" Whear, Frank "ASAP" Campbell and Don Kelly. Celebrities will serve signature drinks, beer and wine. All drink sales and tips go directly to the Salem Rotary Club. Red Sox tickets raffled off. Also, stay for dinner and Salem Rotary receives 10 percent of dinner sales. - Woman wants to come clean about online dating subterfuge Dear Abby: I do online dating. For safety, I use an alias. I look much younger than my 43 years, so I went out with a 29-year-old who thinks I'm 33. I have horrible luck with relationships and didn't think this one would be any different. Boy, was I wrong! We have been dating three weeks now.
- Dear Abby: Bullied boy's injuries should trigger police involvement Dear Abby: I am a retired New York City police officer and a resource officer at two high schools in Brooklyn. I must comment on the letter you printed from "Worried About My Boy in Tulsa" (March 29), whose 7-year-old is bullied. If a child hits another child so hard that medical attention is required, it is an assault. The police should have been notified and appropriate law enforcement action taken.
- North Shore religion news in brief The Gordon College Department of Political Science and Christians in Political Science will host the Christians in Political Science Conference (CPS) on Thursday, May 31, through Saturday, June 2, on the college's campus, 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham. The CPS conference, themed "Power and Justice: Perspectives on Political Order," provides Christian political scientists with a unique forum to explore how faith impacts teaching and scholarship. Events include a keynote address on Friday, June 1, 7 p.m. by college president D. Michael Lindsay titled "Higher Power? How Christians Use Power to Shape the World Around Us"; and founder and director of Yale Center for Faith and Culture Miroslav Volfe, and Henry B. Wright, professor of theology at Yale University Divinity School will deliver the annual Kuyper Lecture on "A Public Faith: A Christian Alternative to Secular and Religious Political Exclusivism" on June 2, 7 p.m. Keynote lectures are free and open to the public. For details and a complete conference schedule, visit http://www.gordon.edu/cps.
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North Shore religion calendar
Saturday, May 26
Pentecost Eve Annual Conference, beginning at 9 a.m., Christ the Redeemer Church, 188 Elliott St., Danvers. "One in Spirit: Overcoming Barriers to Unity," a conference featuring a day of worship and teaching by guest speakers and several local pastors representing different North Shore congregations. Closing Eucharist at 5 p.m., followed by dinner. This is the closing event of 10 Days of Prayer, in which daily worship services were hosted by various local congregations. Join in preparation for Pentecost. www.10DaysNorthshore.com. - More Lifestyle Headlines
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