Something new, something borrowed…. something repurposed.

Weddings can create a lot of waste.  Decor accents are one area where it may be hard to keep your footprint low.  Couples want the ceremony to be lovingly decorated and the reception hall to look magical. Wedding and bridesmaid dresses are most likely a one time wear and even though it is nostalgia that has us hold onto these items what if there was a way to share your wedding day features with others? 

Craigslist is a great way to repurpose wedding items and for those couples on their way to marriage, it is a great resource to find coveted dresses, accents and more.

Couples looking to find wedding accent treasures have a new way to go about finding gently used items.  Couples already married have a new venue to sell wedding items to upcoming brides and grooms.  A new market, a wedding swap meet begins next month at Heritage Hall in Vancouver. 

Bridal Swap  is a new venture conjured up by Dream Group Productions, a lower mainland based wedding and event company who saw the need to help new brides and grooms find all their wedding needs in one place. Not only is their idea economical it is also a great way to keep your wedding footprint low.

Geneve McNally best explains their reasoning:

“Bridal Swap came about after spending several summers watching our clients purchase and make rather than rent candy/centre piece vases and candle holders (thank you IKEA), overlays, chair covers, etc.  They justified it by saying that it was the same (if not sometimes cheaper) to buy something rather than rent it and most “planned” to sell these items on Craig’s List or other after the fact.  The reality is most brides post wedding do not have the time or energy to go to the trouble of selling these items and they end up often being “temporarily” stored away it their garages and eventually being tossed out or donated (the latter not being so bad).  So, we thought why not create a tangible forum for past brides to unload these coveted items which in turn would benefit not only current bride’s pocket books, but help in reducing the carbon footprint of future brides who may be planning to do just the same thing in purchasing rather than renting vases.  The last reason for creating the event was to have some fun!  We foresee a wonderful energy filled day with lots of bustling brides exchanging goods and possibly even wedding tips!”

Bridal Swap takes place February 20th from 10:30 -4pm at Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street in Vancouver.  Past brides can find more information about hosting a table from their website and new brides can shop at one location for their wedding needs.

Portobello West

This month and last we have had a promotional table at Portobello West in order to get the word out about The Grassroots Wedding Fair.  We were able to feature  a number of our exhibitors to give people a taste of what they can expect at the green wedding fair.  It is such a pleasure to engage those curious enough to pause and find out more about our event.

Those engaged or those who hoped to be engaged soon (there were many) made a b-line for our table.  The gorgeous dress by Patty Nayel of Pure Magnolia and the exquisite cake made by Sweet Naturally Bakery brought them over.

I was surprised though how many married couples also stopped to chat.  My greatest joy was hearing the feedback that others gave once they learned about our event.  “Wish you were around when I got married”, “About time someone started a green wedding fair”,  and simply, “What a lovely idea”.  They listened to me chat about the commitment our vendors have made to the environment and how easy it is to have a green wedding.  Many were intrigued how even a few decisions can lower the impact that a wedding has on the environment and how much more rewarding a marriage ceremony can be.  All agreed on one thing . . . that weddings are about more than just a big show on one particular day.

Christina of Spark created the beautiful bridal jewelry on display.

Ginger and peppermint candy cane macaroons were on hand from Buttercup Cake Design.

Modern and unique wedding invitations from Something Green Weddings.

Foodisima joins us for our next event with gourmet vegetarian catering.

I also want to thank Carlie from Portobello West for the opportunity to share our great green wedding event with lucky shoppers these past two months.

photos by sweet earth photographics who also had beautiful handmade, handbound portfolios on display.

Shona Dion