Wedding Planning Blog

Happy Earth Day!

The most appropriate post today would be tips on how to plan a green wedding. It is a trend that is picking up steam. Planning an entirely green wedding is still quite a challenge, but everyone can incorporate some eco-friendly aspects on the big day.

1. Don’t print out all of your correspondence. I encourage keeping every email so that you have an ongoing record of your wedding plans, but it isn’t necessary to print each and every note. I keep most of my notes in my computer. I have recently started using software called Microsoft One Note. It keeps me organized just like a looseleaf binder with tabs, but I don’t have to print everything out. Think about the trees you will save, not to mention the ink that you won’t use. Another great side affect, no heavy binder to carry around!

2. Send an electronic save-the-date rather than an paper one. Once again, you will save on paper and toxic ink AND you will save money on postage.

3. Serve filtered tap water on the bar. In 2003, approximately 40 million plastic water bottles were thrown in the trash. Since Americans are consuming bottle water at a rapidly growing rate, I cannot imagine what we are throwing out today. Give our landfills a break, ask your reception site to put filtered tap water in pretty pitchers on the bar rather than using plastic bottles.

4. Hire an eco-friendly photographer. Here in Orlando, John Unrue, is leading the path to “greener” weddings. Check out his site at www.ecogreenphotography.com/. He started by doing online proofing and now has pod crunches and other paperless options.

5. Buy local. Transportation emissions have a huge impact on the environment. By using locally grown food and flowers, you can avoid pollution that comes from transporting items cross-country.

6. Encourage guests who travel to purchase carbon credits. You and your guests can go to a website like www.terrapass.com/ to calculate how much your car or plane travel impacts the environment. The website will then calculate a dollar amount which can be donated to environmentally-friendly causes. The site can even help you calculate your wedding’s carbon footprint. Go to www.terrapass.com/wedding/weddingcalc.php

7. Give away eco-friendly favors to your guests. Donate to a charity on their behalf, or plant trees in honor of the wedding. If you want something more tangible, give away saplings or seeds for your guests to plant at home.

8. Rather than printing menu cards or signs, use digital photo frames to get your message across.

9. Weddings have a lot of waste. Check and see if your florist, caterer or reception site has a composting program, or see if you may donate leftover flowers and food to nursing homes, hospitals or food banks.

10. Plan carefully. It will save you money and reduce waste if you are accurate on your guest counts. With a plated meal, you will have exactly the amount of food you need (so you won’t overpay) and with an accurate table count, you won’t have extra floral waste.

Going green doesn’t have to be difficult. In some ways, it may save you some money. A grand celebration like a wedding is a wonderful opportunity to show your family and friends your commitment to the environment. You may even create a few new beleivers!

Hi All,

I am very, very excited. After working for a year, my new wedding planning DVD is finally here and available to you! Susan Southerland’s Wedding Planning Secrets has my most sought-after advice in one DVD.

I share my secrets for choosing colors, creating a reasonable budget, dealing with vendors and organizing the day. Check out the website for more information.

I will be at the Perfect Wedding Guide wedding show on Sunday at the Buena Vista Palace. If you are in Orlando, come see me. I am looking forward to discussing your wedding plans with you and on my table, is my Ten Inspirational Ideas for an Out of the Ordinary Wedding idea list, to assist you in planning a memorable wedding!

I hope to see you there!

Its wedding show season once again. For those of you who have never been to one, it is quite an experience! Hundreds of brides running around, dozens and dozens of vendors vying for your business. It can be very overwhelming. Here are some tips to surviving a wedding show.

1. Wear comfortable shoes. This is no time to show off your exquisite stiletto heals. Bridal shows are big and you will be walking around for hours. You won’t be able to enjoy yourself if your feet are killing you.

2. Make a plan. You will not have enough time to have in-depth conversations with every vendor you meet. Think about what you want to accomplish at the show. Do you want to find a photographer and videographer or are you shopping for a florist? Plan on spending the most time with the vendors you need to hire. Gather business cards from other vendors that you like and plan on meeting them later.

3. Bring address labels. You are going to be asked to fill out dozens of entry and information forms. You will waste a lot of time (and get a nasty cramp in your hand) if you have to fill out each form by hand.

4. Don’t be afraid to say, “no thank you.” The vendors at the show are all there to sell you something. Once again, if you stand by and listen to every sales pitch, you wont get to meet with the vendors you really like. The vendors know they aren’t going to appeal to everyone, just politely say that you are not interested and walk away.

5. Don’t bring all of your girlfriends with you. Take your mom, your best friend, or another bride to keep you company and have fun with you, but too many opinions will get you stressed out.

6. If you have purchased your gown, skip the fashion show. The booths tend to be less busy while the fashion show is going on. All those vendors who were chasing after ten brides at once will find themselves twiddling their thumbs. This is the perfect opportunity to have a relaxed chat with one or two of them.

7. Make a note on the literature you take. You will leave the show with a bag full of business cards, brochures and magazines. If you meet someone who has an interesting product or service, be sure to mark on the brochure what struck your fancy; otherwise that vendor will just get lost in a flurry of paper.

8. Create a wedding email address. Keep in mind that after signing up with all those vendors, you will be inundated with email and snail mail advertisements. Rather than giving them your personal email address, or even worse, your work address, create an email address that you use exclusively at bridal shows. That way, you will be able to sort through wedding email at your leisure rather than having to clear things out just to find an email from your aunt.

I hope these tips will help you enjoy all the upcoming bridal shows. Keep your wits and senses of humor! Happy shopping.