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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Short and snappy
John Bonner's film "The Impossible Journey" gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "You can't get there from here."
The short movie, which will screen at the Winter Film Festival on Thursday, Feb. 16, tells the story of an 18-mile bicycle ride that Bonner took from his home in Marblehead to Boston. -
AN ARABIC MODE
Can music solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
That possibility is being considered by a class at Salem State, which will host the SHARQ Arabic Music Ensemble on Monday, Feb. 13, for a performance and master class that are both open to the public. -
North Shore Entertainment Calendar
Good cause and fundraisers
DANCING WITH THE STAFF. Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., Swampscott High School, 200 Essex St., Swampscott. Dancing With the Staff competition will benefit the Swampscott High School Dance Team. $5/advance, $7/at the door. Open to the public. To purchase tickets, contact Coach Danielle Lannon at daniellelannon@gmail.com, or Alexa Baldacci at alexabaldacci@gmail.com. -
Pet Connection: How to prevent a lost-pet crisis
Tonka, a beloved Jack Russell terrier and member of a Salem family, disappeared on Halloween while his owners were giving out treats and getting their kids into costumes for trick-or-treating.
The devastated parents called the veterinary practice, Animal Control Officer Donald Famico and the Salem police to see if any lost animals had been turned in. Very little sleep was achieved that night. Mom and dad scoured the neighborhood looking for Tonka and contacted everyone they knew to help them find him. They had no idea if Tonka had been lost or stolen. The next morning, their young children were so enraptured with their Halloween candy they did not notice Tonka was missing, and their wise mother got them off to school calmly without distressing them with the bad news. Then she went back about her search. - The Buzz Many wish people were more like dogs It seems some people are not dreaming of getting a puppy as a Valentine's Day gift, but rather wishing their human mates were more like a dog. And their dogs are helping them look for mates! According to an American Kennel Club survey:
- Don't fret over dog park snub: Don't fret over dog park snub Q: I'm trying not to take it personally, but my feelings are hurt. This morning when I showed up at the park where neighborhood dogs and their owners gather every day, there was one woman standing there with her dog, Daisy, a West Highland terrier. Her dog ran over to my dog, greeting us warmly. Daisy's owner was not so sunny. She responded to my bright "good morning" with a question: "Where is everybody?" She made me feel invisible. I felt like saying something nasty to her. Suddenly, my dog group feels like high school. Am I not in the popular crowd?
- Dear Abby: Savings bond gift matures into mother/daughter battle Dear Abby: I'm 30 years old and have a close relationship with my mother, but something is bothering me. When I was a little girl, my grandmother gave me a U.S. savings bond for my birthday. It has matured to its full value. My mother refuses to give it to me. She said that my grandmother intended it as a wedding gift.
- North Shore religion news in brief After 40 years of service to the church, the Rev. Canon Jurgen Liias, founding rector of Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church in Danvers, will retire following the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, Feb. 5. The Rev. Tim Clayton will be installed as rector of Christ the Redeemer this spring. During the interim, the Rev. Brian Barry will serve as priest-in-charge. There will be a celebration of Liias' ministry on Saturday, April 14, with a luncheon at the Danversport Yacht Club, 161 Elliott St., Danvers. Tickets may be obtained by calling 978-774-3163.
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North Shore religion calendar
Sunday, Feb. 5
Celebrating Foreign Missions, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tabernacle Church, 50 Washington St., Salem. Join church members and guests to celebrate and commemorate the ordaining and commissioning of the first missionaries who left America in 1812 for foreign missions. Speaker: the Rev. Liz Walker, ordained minister and award-winning television journalist. 10 a.m., service, honor church's missionaries from 1812; 1 to 3 p.m., historical artifacts display; 1 to 2:30 p.m., re-enactment of missionary's wife, Ann Haseltine Judson. 978-755-3164 or www.tabernaclechurch.org. -
New England Blues Festival returns to Salisbury
For some, the blues season ends in September.
Nick David is working to change that.
For the third year, David, leader of the blues band Mr. Nick & The Dirty Tricks, is bringing the New England Winter Blues Festival to the Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury. Four bands will perform on Saturday, Feb. 11, beginning at 8 p.m. - More Lifestyle Headlines
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