So excited to share today's wedding {well mock-wedding} with you. It's by Michelle Savin, an organic mom turned eco stylist.  Michelle is known as the organic conscious mom, but shares her love for natural weddings in this piece - as well as her tips and tricks to help you easily include eco-wedding ideas into your special day. I will now turn this post over to Michelle as she explains her ideas behind this absolutely stunning shoot . . .

I created an eco wedding at a home in Naples, California. A wedding at home not only saves money, but it also reduces the carbon footprint. The backdrop of the Naples Canals was the perfect setting for her big eco wedding day.

Abigail De Jesus from Completely Gail created adorable recycled invitations and place cards that set the tone for the eco event.

I styled the wedding with burlap tablecloths, bamboo place settings, sustainable bamboo seating, reclaimed wood, succulent centerpieces, driftwood, and Beeswax votives. I used different shades of burlap to create the perfect setting. 

The cake was simple and was presented on a recycled cake board on a reclaimed wood table. Rossmoor Pastries was used because they are a green company that delivers their cakes using natural gas vehicles.

Nisie's Enchanted Florist in Los Alamitos, CA definitely enchanted the eco wedding. The succulent bridal bouquets and boutonnières were breathtaking. Not only were they strikingly beautiful but also their beauty could live on. They were planted after the shoot.

The Bride Gladys up-cycled a dress and borrowed what she needed. As the night wore on the beeswax votives from Bluecorn naturals glowed in Mason jars. LED lights ran lanterns strung above the dance floor. It was an event where nothing went to waste. Pierce Larick from New Revolution Photography captured the glow and joy in it all.

Vendors:
Eco Wedding Stylist: Michelle Savin
Photographer Pierce Larick of New Revolution Photography 
Eco Wedding Invitations and Paper: Completely Gail
Flowers and centerpieces: Nisie's Enchanted Florist
"Green" Wood Chairs: Classic Party Rentals
Bees Wax candles: Bluecorn Naturals
Wedding Cake: Rossmoor Pastries
Venue: a wedding at a home in Naples, California
Models: Gladys and Gerardo

So happy to announce the 2nd issue of The Best Wedding Sites Magazine is published. Thank you to all the vendors that made this issue possible, you're all amazing to work with and helped make this issue AMAZING!!! And, a special shout-out to Samantha of Papermints for helping me design many of the interior spreads in this issue. This month, the issue focuses on "green" weddings, both in color and eco-friendly. There's so much goodness inside, including real weddings, photo shoots, wedding product showcases, handmade top "green" picks, plus GREAT wedding articles on honeymooning in Africa {an eco-destination}, eco-friendly invitations and green & stylish weddings.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm in love with these unique stiletto planters that come with either succulents or cactus. I think these would make the most unique centerpieces for bridal showers or bachelorette parties. Just imagine your guests reaction when they see the stiletto standing in the center of the table. You could even surround the heel with smaller potted succulents or cactus that could serve as favors for your guests. You can see the entire collection of Stiletto Planters from Giddy Spinster on etsy.

Some of you might remember seeing today's photo shoot in the current issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings. Today I have more photos and all of the details that went into the making of this entirely eco-friendly bridal shower tablescape photo shoot. I had the great pleasure of working with Karine {Seasons of Life Wedding and Event Planning LLC} and Kricia {Kricia Morris Photography} in Hawaii to bring the vision to life. And, the amazing part of this shoot? The approximate cost for the tablescape {not including silverware} was just $75.

Please note: the descriptions in this post are from Karine.I wanted to create an eco-friendly tablescape that incorporated limes. Limes are a cost-effective decoration and their rich green color lends itself perfectly for a luscious table top design. All great tablescapes have dimension and layers. Lemon leaves provided a base to begin the creation. Plants from the garden center were transplanted into biodegradable lime green planters. Mixed among the plants were a variety of herbs. I dressed up the containers they came in with a square of unbleached cotton and a piece of lace. These would then be given as favors to guests.

Part of my goal in creating an eco-friendly tablescape was to repurpose items. A trip to the thrift store yielded the cute yellow plates. The bistro chairs were found on Craigslist for $5 each and with a fresh coat of apple green paint, they became fun and functional accent.

The garden theme was further developed by adding artichokes and succulents-all items that could be used in cooking, baking and planting. The paper flowers that I created were from the pages of old bridal magazines. It seemed like such a waste having them sit around so with a simple flower pattern template, a floral wire and glue gun a bouquet and napkin holders were created.

All wonderful tables are only as good as the food that is served on them. Kricia was formally a caterer and she came up with a delicious menu.

• Farmer’s Market Crudités Tray – Featuring asparagus, sugar snap peas, green beans and yellow bell pepper with a ranch vegetable spread

• Individual Spinach and Bacon Quiche

• Harvest Salad – Featuring spring mix tossed with red onions, green apples, candied walnuts and gorgonzola cheese with raspberry vinaigrette

• Key Lime Dessert Squares

• Marry Me Mojito – A cool and refreshing blend of mint, lime, rum and tonic

Advice to the Bride cards were strung like a garland and clipped with sweet little clothespins.

Thank you so much Karine and Kricia for creating and photographing such a lovely eco-friendly bridal shower table-scape that can easily be used for weddings and any other party event as well.

Wedding Vendors:
Coordination & Design: Karine of Seasons of Life Wedding and Event Planning LLC
Photography: Kricia of Kricia Morris Photography
Invitation Suite: Brenda of Wedding Girl
White Linens and Main Table: Pacific Party Rentals
Lace and Muslin linens: from Karine’s personal supply
Bird Salt and Pepper Shakers: Pier One
Drink Tub and Stand: Target

I just love this idea for a wedding invitation. These Wedding Invitation Tea Towels are the most ingenious idea I think I've come across and they are both eco-friendly and re-usable. Brilliant!!! The Original Wedding Tea Towel was created by Karen and Ben after they created their very own wedding tea towel invitations for their guests. The response turned out to be incredible and since they didn't want to keep the idea to themselves, The Original Wedding Tea Towel company was born. Their tagline sums it up perfectly: "Create an impression your guests can keep forever."