Love Me Do Photography

Courtney and Justin were a great couple to photograph. Everything about their personalities was so genuine, it made us think that we’ve been friends all along! Even when it started to downpour in the middle of their outdoor ceremony, Courtney and Justin laughed and made the most of it.

Courtney has graciously written out a detailed description of how they kept their wedding eco-friendly and their creative ideas. Thanks Courtney and Justin for having us shoot your wedding and being such an amazing couple!

Courtney and Justin’s Green Wedding

Background
Courtney is an environmental planner specializing in water resource management, and Justin is a recent graduate of Temple University and works as a freelance journalist. We have been dating for 4 years when Justin proposed in August, 2008 at the restaurant where we first met. Since we both were in our best friend’s weddings that year, our own wedding planning did not start until November, 2008.

We knew early on in our wedding planning process that we wanted a wedding that was unique and a reflection of our ideals. Having a ‘green’ wedding that was still special and stylish was important, but we also hoped to share ideas about a green lifestyle with our family and friends.

The Old Mill in Rose Valley
We always wanted to get married outside near water, but also wanted a venue that had an indoor option in case of rain. When we discovered the Old Mill in Rose Valley, we were amazed with the subtle natural aesthetic and the charming vintage vibe. It is a historic mill that sits in a rhododendron-lined woodland valley right alongside Ridley Creek. We really did luck into booking the site, because the only Saturday available in the summer of 2009 was August 29th – and it was only available because another couple had canceled!!

Early Green Actions
For the first 3 months of wedding planning, I scoured the internet looking to purchase for anything wedding related – used dresses, used décor, you name it! I hit the jackpot when a bride from Philadelphia posted an ad on Craigslist selling all the décor used in her “Rustic Vintage” wedding. I bought all of her wedding decorations, including:
• Vintage mason jars, antique medicine bottles, and painted metal charger plates used for the table centerpieces.
• Green and brown ribbon boards (a DIY project) which were used to hold the place cards
• Metal lanterns which our florist used to create an amazing display of artistic genius (see Flowers, below)
• Hand crafted table numbers made from framed wooden numbers on a fabric backing
I loved the glass and metal and DIY spirit of the décor – it fit our style perfectly, it fit our color scheme perfectly, and it was an eco-friendly reuse of someone else’s wedding items! In fact, we are planning to sell the décor items so that another eco-conscious bride can reuse it all for her own wedding. It’s exciting to think that those items will create happiness for another bride!

The Dress
I saw an advertisement for Adele Wechsler’s line of eco-friendly dresses in a magazine and started doing some research. I learned that only 2 stores in the Philly region sell her gowns; one of which was located in Phoenixville, the town where Justin grew up. I stopped into Earth Mart on whim, after spending the morning trying on traditional gowns in a traditional shop and not having any luck at all, and I immediately fell in love with every single dress in Adele Wechsler’s green line. The dresses fit comfortably, were constructed of natural and organic materials, and they were crafted using fair trade labor. Unfortunately, I went home pretty bummed out once I learned that the dresses were totally out of my budget.

Unbridaled
While doing all of my early internet research, I discovered an anti-bridal expo going on in Philadelphia. Unbridaled was a bridal show aimed at non-traditional and eco-friendly brides. I learned that Earth Mart was going to be a vendor and that Adele Wechsler was donating a Gift Certificate for any of her dresses as a door prize. Needless to say, we bought at least $75 of raffle tickets, and wouldn’t you know it, I won the gift certificate for the dress! It was the most exciting days because that gift certificate allowed me to buy the wedding dress of my dreams.

While looking at the vendor list for Unbridaled, I started to look for photographers with a photojournalistic and artistic style, and was sooooo impressed by Carina and Amanda’s photography work (both of Love Me Do). I also met my day-of wedding planner, Corrie of Amore Weddings, at the Unbridaled Expo. Turns out Corrie had also gotten married at the Old Mill, so it was an easy decision to hire her to help with the day-of details.

Flowers
The flowers were constructed using moss taken off a friend’s rooftop, succulents purchased at a local greenhouse, and various natural items harvested from friend’s yards and gardens (pine cones, nuts, and seed pods). The vision was to use flowers that could be replanted rather than thrown away, and to make it stylish and wild and natural at the same time. Joyce Wilder, along with her husband Branden Sharpley, working out of Katie Mac Floral Design created a stunning display of artistic brilliance, and took our vision far far beyond our original expectations. The flowers were absolutely perfect.

Other Green Actions
Some other green elements to our wedding include:
• We purchased a ream of FSC Certified 100% recycled paper and a box of matching envelopes from a local paper supply company and used it for our custom-designed invitations.
• We created a wedding website (weddingwindow.com) where our guests could read about how Justin and I met, get directions to the Old Mill, and of course, RSVP for the wedding.
• We asked everyone to carpool – and some did! My co-workers borrowed a van and all 6 of them drove together!
• We booked our guests at a local boutique hotel that specialized in earth-friendly features
• We bought small baskets made of recycled newspaper and filled them with as many natural products as possible to use as bathroom baskets.
• The cake was made of organic seasonal ingredients
• We served beer from our favorite local microbrewery, Victory Brewpub
• We donated to our two favorite charities in lieu of favors
• For the out of towner gift bags, we bought these amazing green colored reusable shopping bags online (reusablebags.com) and then filled them with chocolate, candy, granola bars, and other treats purchased from Trader Joes.

Tags: courtney and justin, eco friendly wedding, green wedding

This entry was posted on Monday, September 14th, 2009 at 10:18 am and is filed under carina and amanda.
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