“Bob & Irene’s Offbeat yet Sustainable Wedding”

Bob & Irene were married Saturday, October 15, 2011 at the beautiful Springdale Farm (Sustainable Urban Farming) in East Austin. Festivities began when the wedding party and approximately half of the guests arrived in a bicycle brigade with the Austin Bike Zoo. Talk about carbon emission reductions! It was a wonderful beginning to one of the most unique and creative weddings I’ve ever experienced.

Preceding the ceremony, guests gathered around the ceremony site for cocktails served in mason jars and a variety of “snacky snacks” as the bride called it. This included local artisan cheeses and crackers, house roasted almonds, and one of the groom’s favorite staples, pretzels. Live music provided by The Inheritance (a local Eastern European folk/experimental dance band) set the perfect mood for the evening.

After the ceremony, guests meandered over to the reception area for an evening filled with “Festivities, Food & Fun.” Whiskey Shivers, an incredibly talented roots music band kept the crowd on their toes with foot-stomping hootenannies and hoe downs throughout the night. Food catered by East Side King (delicious Asian-fusion street food) and Franklin Barbeque (voted best BBQ in America by Bon Appetit) was devoured by everyone.

So besides being incredibly unique, what made this wedding sustainable? Here is a quick rundown of the creative “green” strategy that went into the planning:

Location- Central location near downtown Austin

Venue – Wedding was held at a sustainable urban farm. Rental costs for the venue even went back into the farm to support growth of produce for community.

Transportation – Bicycles and carpooling, local transportation.

Invitations - Were printed on the back of Whole Foods paper shopping bags.

Décor – Centerpieces included reused glass yogurt jars from bride & grooms home, hand-dyed egg shells from their own chickens. No living plants were used. Confetti for the wedding ceremony was also made from crushed egg shells hand-dyed by bride.

Food & Beverage – Real plateware, silverware and linen napkins used. Local foods provided by East Side King and Franklin Barbeque. Salad was made from greens provided by the farm. Homemade margaritas were crafted using simple syrup made from organic raw sugar, hand-squeezed limes and served in mason jars that the bride & groom now have at home for everyday use.

Lighting – LED string lights, compact florescent bulbs, soy candles.

Waste Management – 89% of all waste was recycled or composted. Only 1 bag of trash for over 100 guests.

So now the question many ask..….did it cost more green to go green? It certainly did NOT. This is one of the greatest fallacies we hear in the events industry. Many think it is more expensive to produce sustainable events. This is simply not true. With smart planning, management and implementation, there are many strategies that can be implemented to minimize negative impact without hurting your wallet. This is Green Fern Events area of expertise. As a result, we helped the bride & groom produce a beautiful and unique wedding that was not only cost-effective but sustainable.

To view more picture from the wedding visit HERE

Photography by Zach Hunt