Plan a local, sustainable wedding

Calling Vancouver brides-to-be: Green is the new white at the Grassroots Wedding Fair

While the big day is a momentous, happy occasion, the prep work leading up to it can be so exhausting at times that the resulting stress may threaten to overshadow the excitement.

And in the thick of all that planning, who'd want to be the one to tap a bride-to-be on the shoulder and ask, "Say, shouldn't you take the time to look for more sustainable choices?" After all, the shade of green we are courting is not of the angry Hulk's.

For many, tracking down green options for the various areas of a wedding celebration simply isn't realistic. Even those who make eco-conscious choices in day-to-day living may find it difficult to keep it up on this scale, leading many to turn to more conventional wares or even flee the country for a destination wedding.


 

Luckily, the Grassroots Wedding Fair this weekend has done all the homework for you, and you can get all the help you need to have a local, green wedding that is as elegant, beautiful, fun and earth-friendly as you dream it to be.

Created by Shona Dion of sweet earth photographics, the Grassroots Wedding Fair brings together the top talents in BC's committed green business and artisan communities to cover what you need from the bridal shower to the wedding day. From bridal fashion, jewelry, beauty care, catering, stationery, spa treatments, photography and party decor, there are great eco-alternatives to be explored and enjoyed. Check out the list of exhibitors.


 

Not your typical wedding fair

I remember trudging from one wedding fair to another a couple of years ago, and couldn't really remember which was which afterwards. The Grassroots Wedding Fair promises to provide a unique, memorable experience. Visitors can enjoy massages, sample appetizers, receive pampering beauty treatments and enter to win cool giveaways. There will even be a special prize draw for those who arrive on foot, by bike or by transit!

One event highlight I'd especially like to mention is that Jessica Reiss from ecocessories—the consummate artist at breathing new life into salvaged, vintage jewelry pieces—will be on hand for consultation. If you have a piece of jewellery dear to your heart (be it a chain, a pendant, a gemstone or a single bead) that you'd like to wear on your wedding day, but you're not sure how to work it in, bring it along with you and Jessica will be able to rework it into something suitable to the look you're after.

Plus, she'll give you a 15 percent discount if you recycle your old or broken jewelry at the event!


 

Grassroots Wedding Fair

Saturday, January 30, 2010; 10:30–6 p.m.

Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St, Vancouver

www.thegrassrootsweddingfair.com

Tickets are $15 each, with $2.50 from every entrant benefitting the Environmental Youth Alliance's Seed Project. Reserve your tickets via email.