Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Eco-Friendly Wedding Tip

Of all the eco wedding tips that I have read, my favourite is this: have the wedding ceremony and reception at the same location. Last summer, I went to the weddings of two friends that did this:

Char & Aaron got married in June 2007 at the Evergreen Village near Niverville. Char walked from this beautiful old house (ordered from an Eaton's catalogue many, many years ago!) across the lawn to meet Aaron on the stage.


After the "I do's" Char and Aaron had an opportunity to take pictures with friends and family on the property, which was well-landscaped for pictures, including having a beauiful fountain and grouping of trees. This shot is Char and Aaron in front of one of Aaron's engines, which he set up for the wedding. In the left corner, you can see the edge of the tent where the reception was held. During the photo shoot, guests mingled on the lawn.




After a receiving line just outside of the tent, the reception started. Here is the first dance...




By having their ceremony and reception in the same location, Char and the wedding party were able to come and spend the day before the wedding onsite, have the rehearsal outside and finalize the decor details. The staff at Evergreen Village were accomodating and even made one of the bride's family recipe's as part of the main course! Char and Aaron had guests from such places as Steinbach, Brandon, and North Dakota, so having the ceremony and reception at the same location minimized confusion for those who are not familiar with the area. The wedding was beautiful, both the ceremony outside and the reception in the tent.


Heather & Corey were married in April 2007, at a church in Steinbach. They had their pictures done before the ceremony. Guests sat at round tables on either side of the beautifully decorated aisle.


Immediately following the ceremony, the backdrop on the stage was pulled aside and the head table was brought to the front of the stage. Here are Heather and Corey, at the head table:




This set up allowed for a quick movement between ceremony and reception, without guests even leaving their seats! Sitting at the round tables during the ceremony felt like guests were participants in the ceremony, and not spectators. The centrepieces on guests tables were decorations for the ceremony and reception, and never had to be moved!
And even though everything in Steinbach is five minutes away from everything else in Steinbach, having 100 guests drive 5 miles is 500 miles of fuel consumption saved by having the ceremony and reception in the same location!
Char, Aaron, Heather and Corey: Thanks for allowing the use of your wedding pictures on this blog! I am glad to have been part of your weddings, and happy to be your friend.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great tips! I love the Evergreen Village - it's gorgeous, especially that old house.