And back from far, far and away...

So it has been over a month since I last posted, huh? You wouldn't believe how many things I wanted to write about, but never found the time to. Favors doubling as table decorations, size of the guest list, 'best' time of the year for a wedding, friends officiating vs. family pastor, making a website for our wedding - the list just goes on and on. And then there's all the fun little favors and decorations I made for my sister's wedding shower this past weekend that I'm itching to share with you all. I hardly know what to start with first.

I guess I'll just go chronologically. Favors. Or decorations, depending on your interpretation. We've been all over the map on this one. Originally it was making cookie-cutters out of metal craft strips in the shape of a maple leaf, attached to a card with our favorite cookie recipe(s). In fact, the idea was born from these:

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Next, one of my friends showed me an article on terrarium centerpieces (which did double-duty in both decoration idea AND introducing me to Indie Bliss. A wonderful discovery, that). So that prompted a mad week or two of researching cheap containers and the best methods for making small terrariums. I figured that, working at a pet store that also offers live plants and terrarium products for the scaly kids, I could get all the other supplies I needed there. Somewhere along the way I discovered this PERFECT idea for making the whole thing even more green (as if living terrariums could be more eco-friendly, eh?). Recycled light bulbs. For the containers! Do see the beautiful examples at Re-nest. The first one you see is my favorite.

Perfect, right? Except, where to find about 50-60 burnt-out bulbs... Hm...

I do still love the terrarium idea, but then got to thinking: I wonder how many folks would really like these little guys as much as I do? I'd hate to see them go to waste, just sitting on some dark shelf until they get all moldy and stinky. Plus, that's a lot more work to put into our 'simple' wedding than we had been hoping for. Do love, love, love the idea, and if I had about 3 or 4 more of me I would probably pursue it whole-heartedly, but now I'm back to one of the first ideas I had and forgot about until I saw it in the beginning of my little scrap/note-book. Donations to a charity or non-profit organization. Specifically one like the Nature Conservancy, or the National Wildlife Federation. Simple, less expensive, and more pro-active. I mean, we might still do some little doo-dad if we find something fun and, well, not to sound like a cheapskate, but let's say 'efficiently frugal.' But let us not forget: beside being green about this affair, our goal is to NOT start our married life by digging ourselves into debt for the "biggest day of our lives."

So, can anyone think of any other charity or non-profit that we should consider for our donation?

Past the days of ye olde letterpress

As promised, today's post is about invitations, and the myriad of choices that there are out there. The theme of our wedding is being green, so these are all more environmentally friendly than the traditional go-to-the-local-printing-business-and-pick-the-one-you-like-best. Anyone with sympathies in the conservationalist agendas needs to decide which they'd like to support with their investments: buying local or organic. In my mind, even though organic might mean paying more, and having a larger carbon-footprint from shipping, I feel as though purchasing from these places who are trying to make a difference voices my opinions a lot better. Shaun and I hope to offset a chunk of our wedding via Carbon Fund for all the shipping we'll probably require.

But I digress, now back to the topic. What I would imagine as being the simplest alternative to traditional invitations would be to chose ones made of recycled paper, or sustainably harvested materials. Just do a quick google search and you'll find oodles of shops catered specifically to these sorts of paper goods, or at least ones with a good selection thereof. Forever Fiances has a nice array of eco-friendly invites. Invite Site does as well, and here you also have the choice of assembling the invitations yourself (for the crafty and DIY-strong couples). Both of these two sites also offer plantable invitations, whereas Botanical Paperworks only has seedling invitations. The author of my favorite green-wedding blog, Jennifer Stambolsky, went and made her own line of invitations that are environmentally friendly and modern at Earthly Affair.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are the invitations that are entirely digital. These are, in my opinion, the most environmental option. There are even a few sites that have some nice looking templates like My Invitation Link. Coupled with an online RSVP tool at Wufoo you're on your way to being the greenest bridal couple around. Though I love the thought of these, digital invitations are really informal, and I'd have to worry about offending guests who might think "oh, the couple doesn't care enough about me to send me a real invitation?" Then again, I'd have to wonder if I'd really want someone so uppity at my wedding... Either way, there's no invitation left for the sentimental to hold onto as keepsakes, unless you go and print yourself a static copy.

Then, somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, you can design your own and print it off on whatever resources you have available at sites like Download & Print. There are resources for how to properly write out the working, and I find the rules at the Offbeat Bride to be quite fun and accurate! Then you can download your own fonts at places like TypeNow, Font Stock, or DaFont (of which Jellyka, Saint-Andrew's Queen Font and Scriptina were recommended at another blog, I can't recall which one, sorry!)

Lastly, who said invitations had to be paper products? Indie Bliss has a fun list of alternative materials, from wooden veneers to wallpaper. Go crazy nuts, so long as it reflects you and yours!