Feature Wedding: Gina & Linton

I found Gina and Linton's wedding over on Brenda's Wedding Blog. Their wedding was Green, completely unique, and filled with loads of details. Sasha over at RSVP Event Planning did such an amazing job putting everything together! But what I really think stole the show with this wedding is the heartfelt contributions by the couple's loved ones. Oh wait, I'm getting ahead of myself again. Let's start at the beginning, with some lovely pictures from this eco-wedding.

The bride wore a gorgeous wedding dress that fit her to a tee. It went along perfectly with the simple, beautiful setting for the big day. Now like I said, this wedding was loaded with details. Not just your average details though, these ones were full of love from the guests! First example is below..the bride's bouquet. Those gorgeous flowers were lovingly arranged by one of the guests! I was super impressed.


The guests were transported from the hotel where they were all staying at to the ceremony by bus. Talk about saving the environment! All those people taking a school bus instead of taking separate cars was eco-savvy and original. They also took the bus to the reception and it transported them all safely back to their hotels afterward. A smart alternative to having guests worry about getting back to their hotel room after a few drinks. Something to think about!

Epic Couple of the Month

There are so many people out there getting married, so many amazing couples. So I've decided to showcase some of those couples. Every month I will make a post featuring a couple that I think meets Epic standards.

Epic Couple of the Month


This month that couple reigns from the west coast..Spokane, Washington! Very far from the Jersey Shore but with May being Eco-Event month here at Epic Events & Designs, they really exemplify what it's all about.



Pete and Andrea started off on the right foot with Mother Earth when planning their special day,they're having a *community-based wedding. The decorations will be all DIY, they're having activities, homemade beer, etc. But wait, they took it even a step further...prepare yourself..they're paying for their wedding with aluminum cans! Yep that's right they are taking cans, bringing them to recycling centers, and using that money for their wedding. Talk about going above and beyond for our planet! They've completely blown my mind. Inspiration of epic proportions in my opinion.

They plan on getting married July 31st, just 7 months after coming up with their "mission" to recycle 400,000 aluminum cans. For the record, that's 5 tons of aluminum!! So far they're reached 86% of their goal. Not an easy job!

Read more about their story . They really are so inspirational! And of course if you live in the Spokane area help the cause..Pete & Andrea will pick up your recyclables! And for those of you who live no where near there, hopefully you live somewhere that allows you to do something similar to this. I know in places like New Jersey 400,000 recycled cans probably won't pay for your whole wedding, but it could probably cover some of your costs! Put on your thinking caps readers, try to come up with other ways to recycle and fund your wedding.







*For those of you like me who are scratching your head wondering what the heck a community-based wedding is, I'm making a post tomorrow to shed some light on it :)

Minted=Eco Invite Love

So I've been searching high and low for eco-friendly wedding invitations. I'll be honest with ya'll, it's not an easy task! There are a few companies out there that make invitations out of everything from recycled paper to elephant dung. Maybe I'm just too conservative but elephant dung invites didn't exactly scream "Epic" to me. But no worries, I found a company that I fell in love with. Their invitations are definitely Mother Nature friendly and completely Epic. Let me introduce to you...Minted . Their selection of invitations are nothing short of amazing! They have something for everyone's style. Here's just a few examples...






One of my favorite things about Minted is that they use independent brands, they give the up & comers a chance. I'm all about indie vendors, they always seems to put more into their work, they have extra heart...what's not to love?!

Now not only does Minted offer a whole slew of fabulous & original invitations, they can also do your save-the-dates, menus, place cards, programs, thank you cards, and a bunch of accessories. They seriously have you covered!

Green Venues

He asked, you said "Yes"..now it's time to pick the venue. As we all know, when it comes to weddings, it's all about location, location, location! And when you decide to have a Green wedding, picking your venue is crucial. Picking a place that cares about the planet as much as you & your fiance do. What's the point of trying to be eco-friendly when your venue is using all disposable decor or wasting tons of electricity? Not really the message you want to convey right?

Here's a few things to take into consideration:

Cut down your guest list- Yes it may sound terrible, but is it really necessary to invite your mom's co-worker's neighbor that you met one time a decade ago? By cutting back on your guest list you can cut out all the extras for that person (like the extra chair covers, favors, meals that often get wasted..etc). You'd be surprised how much those few extra people can impact the environment on your special day.


Pick a venue close to the majority of your guests- If you live in New Jersey and 90% of your guests live in Pennsylvania, why not consider a location there instead? Think about how much fuel stress you'll put on the planet by having the majority of your guests drive a longer distance to you, instead of 10% of you driving to them. Besides, it could be nice to give yourself a nice long weekend in an out of town location..consider it your pre-honeymoon!


Pass on destination weddings- Sure it sounds great getting married on the beach in Hawaii.. but think about how much damage you'd be doing to good ole Mother Earth. Flying yourself, your fiance, and your guests to your location...tons of fuel being used there. Then throw on top of that the rental cars people will need to get around and everything else. Differently not Earth friendly at all.

Go outside- Outdoor weddings are definitely "in" right now, so embrace it! Getting married in a field has a certain romantic simplicity to it. Saying your vows on the beach may be a dream come true for many couples. The park you two first met at may be the perfect place for you to start your lives together. There are tons of options!! If you want to be super Green, look into getting married at botanical gardens...and outdoor wedding, already decorated by nature!

But what if it rains...-That's why event extraordinaires came up with tents! But for those of you who are getting married in the fall or winters, when the weather might just be too darn cold to have an outdoor wedding, there are still plenty of options. (This is why I love Green weddings..creativity!) Have your wedding at an aquarium, it'll definitely be the talk of the town! If you love art, why not have it at a museum? Looking for something a little less formal but still posh? Look into local historic buildings. My all time favorite has to be the Liberty Science Center (Yes, I'm a total nerd at heart). Talk about thinking outside of the box!!


"We're more of a hotel kinda couple"- If you're anything like my family, pretty much every wedding you've ever been to has been in a hotel. Having your reception in a hotel has the bonus of not having to drive anywhere for your wedding night. Plus, for those of you whose guest loveeee the open bar and plan to partaaaay, they can safely walk themselves to their rooms after the reception is over. Eliminating DWI possibilities is always a plus for everyone! Hotels don't limit your chance to be Earth-friendly. In fact, there are tons of Green hotels out there (they belong to an association and everything!) Take the time to investigate and I'm sure you'll be able to find some amazing hotels that have low impacts on the environment.

Two for one- Have your ceremony and reception at the same place! It obviously cuts back on the traveling from place to place.

Go Green events

Ok I'll be the first to admit, I'm not Little Miss Eco-Friendly. I drive my car instead of walking (although my Corolla get fabulous gas mileage), I keep my laptop plugged in way more than I should, and I leave most of my lights on when I'm home alone (yes, I'm scared of the dark still). BUT, to be honest, this whole Go Green movement really inspires me. I love seeing people take old things and make them new again, or find other purposes for used items. Today I saw an article about this stellar company Uhuru who was featured in the NY Post for their new furniture line that the made out of wood that once made up the Coney Island boardwalk! I'm completely in awe of their creativity! They inspired me to look into "Green Weddings" :)

I'm going to do 2 posts a week about how to plan the ultimate Eco-Friendly Event!! Everything from invitations to honeymoons and all the little parts in between.