Cool Shower Idea! (Cut the Paper Please!)

Hello Me Heartys! (I set my facebook page to pirate yesterday (which was fun for 10 minutes), and I can't stop with the lingo!)

Just thought that I would take a sec to pass along a super cool idea that me sisters-in-law to be did for my shower. They threw me a "Display Shower." Now perhaps you have all heard of this, but I have...ehem...not.

For those of you who, like me, had not heard of one: A Display Shower is a shower where the guests bring their gifts UNWRAPPED and put them out on a table for the duration of the party with a card attached, so you know who it is from. Why do I LOVE this idea? Let me count the ways:

1. We don't waste paper, time, or MONEY on silly wrapping that will be thrown away in two seconds.

2. I don't have to sit in front of 50 people sweating while I open gifts, and worry that they are bored out of their minds, and just want me to open their gift so we can get on with it.

3. I get to spend more time chatting with the folks who came out to celebrate with me on this special day.

4. Everyone can peruse the gift table to see who gave me what, instead of craning their necks, and yelling, "Who is that from?" "What is it?"

5. We don't waste paper, time or MONEY on silly wrapping that will be thrown away in two seconds.

This one was such a no brainer! And everyone came up to me thanking ME for the idea that saved them all time and money! I gave credit to my girls, of course!

Also-they added to the green theme by giving reusable shopping bags as the favor, and by buying recycled thank you cards for me to give everyone! (Check out this cool idea: They had everyone fill out their name and address on an envelope to be entered in a door prize! Someone won a lovely hanging plant, and I got a stack of addressed envelopes! File this under, LOVE IT!)

Oh, and side note: there are sooo many ways to have an eco friendly shower...or to celebrate ANYTHING in an eco friendly way...check out The Green Party Starring Danielle Venokur of dvGreen Events. She is a sustainable event planner here in the city, and she isn't afraid to share some tools of the trade with you. Plus she is really relate-able (not Martha Stewart-ish at all!) and the web show is fun to watch.) Also-check out planet green today for some tips on eco-friendly entertaining...I just love them!

I am totally stealing the "no wrapping paper" idea for the rest of my gift giving during the event. (and possibly for the rest of my life) I am "wrapping" the few things that need to be wrapped in reusable shopping bags (you can find super cute ones for very cheap) everything else we are going to present on a lovely table for all to see! Good for the planet, and good for my wallet. Now that is what I call an eco-win win!

More Registry Ramblings...

Maybe it is just because Earth Day is fast approaching, but I can't seem to stop finding new places to register for an eco-concious bride!!! (And, hey, check these places out, even if you are aren't getting married. A girl can never have a nest that is "too green.")

In Style this month had a whole Earth Day section with their version of the "2009 Green Awards" My favorite tip? Check out this site:

Green Depot! You can register here for table top items home accessories, or use it as a way to get those green items that you always wanted, but can't afford (composting supplies, light bulbs, shower heads, cleaning supplies...you name it!) And not that we are there quite yet...but the baby stuff on this site is to DIE for! (Note to self: "Keep in mind for My Greenlicious Baby Blog"...more to follow. ;-)

Due to my career working for a professional organizer, I get all sorts of "Industry Rags." And this month they are all about the green housewares! In Kitchenware News, (yup, it exists) they have a whole section this month about bridal registries...they mentioned three places in particular that caught my eye:




1. For the perfect "one stop shop" eco-friendly wedding registry try 3r Living Brooklyn (yeah...this is actually in my neighborhood. Jealous? You don't have to be. They have an online wedding registry that is just awesome. (psst...AWESOME!)





2. Macys: In addition to offering a charity registry, (Just like the one that I did with the I Do Foundation! How great is that? All of the benefits to your charity, and one stop shopping!! HELLO!!) Macy's now offers a lot of eco friendly products to fill up your nest! Check out Martha Stewart's EcoCook, and Lenox's "Re-New" Recycled Glass and Stemware lines...not to mention the bunches of options that you will get with organic bedding.

3. Target! I registered at Target. They are partnered with the I Do Foundation, and they have a TON of eco-friendly items...check it out!


A few other places where I found some eco-friendly bedding. (I love bedding...)

Rubie Green

My favorite...not that I pick favorites (by which I mean that I totally pick favorites) Plover Organics

But honestly, you can get some really nice, and super cute, organic bedding at The Pottery Barn!

So that's it...the latest and greatest. And, hey, in case I haven't said it enough...please feel free to let me know if I am missing anything here! I need all the help that I can get!

Registry Revelations

Ok,

So I said that I would do it, and I have! I registered with the I Do Foundation!
For those of you who don't remember, here's what the I Do Foundation has to say about themselves:
The I Do Foundation was created in 2002 by a group of nonprofit leaders dedicated to developing new avenues of support for charitable organizations. A public foundation based in Washington, D.C., the I Do Foundation works closely with some of the most effective and renowned nonprofit organizations in the country. Together with our corporate and nonprofit partners, the I Do Foundation links engaged couples with a host of charitable giving options at their wedding.

It is our vision that, in time, charitable giving will become an integral part of the culture of weddings and other life events. By incorporating a charitable focus into life celebrations, we help families establish a pattern of giving that will last a lifetime.

I dig it. But can it be that easy? I am a big believer that the only way to effect change on a large scale is to make it easy and idiot proof. So is this registry idiot proof? Pretty much. This is how it goes:

You have to register your wedding with them. (Just like you would with any of the wedding websites: The Wedding Channel, etc, etc.) Once you do that, you pick which of the partners you want to register with. They have a list, and for each partner they show you what % of each purchase will be donated to the charity of your choice. (ie. cooking.com is 10%, Target is 5% and so on...) Then you pick which ones you would like to register with, and you create your registries with each site. Lastly, you go back in, and pick which charity you want to donate to. (They have some to pick from, but you can pick your own. You can even set up a fund to put aside for future giving.) There are a few cons that I would share with you:

1. The list of Partners isn't super long. If you want to register at Macy's, Bloomingdales, or Tiffany's...they aren't on there. To be fair, you can register with them-and even have a link to it on their site. These gifts simply won't generate any money for donations. In cases like this, I would recommend making a list of what you want to register for, and trying to find them on the partnered sites. Then filling in the gaps on a site that isn't a partner. That way you do as much as you can. :-)

2. It can be tedious to do what I mentioned above. I managed to find what I was looking for by using only partnered sites; but it meant that I had to create 4 registries: signing up for each site, then creating the registry info for each site, then adding the items that I want from that site. If you are persnickety like me; you will then find the same thing for different prices, and have to keep going back to compare, and make sure that you have the cheaper one on your registry...my eyes were crossed...I can't lie!

3. Only online purchases generate donations. Some of your guests may want to go to the store...so this will mean that their gift will not generate a donation...even if it is from a partnered site. Kind of a bummer.

Those were the main concerns for me, but there is one MAJOR pro: Up to 10% of the cost of our gifts is going to be donated to Share Our Strength. Share Our Strength is a national organization that I have had the pleasure of working with on several events. The organization devotes all of it's efforts to ending child hunger in the United States. I have been touched not only by their message, but also by the people who are working within the organization everyday to truly find an end to child hunger. I cannot pretend for one second that my having to enter my name and address a few extra times is a reason to not go this route. In fact now that you know about this...if you are registering, frankly, I cannot find one reason for you to not do this...just do it.

Step 9-GIFTS!!!

When it comes to the whole gift thing. You will see below that there are a lot of ways to stay green-both by giving to charity, and by asking for environmentally conscious gifts. I feel that the most important thing here, however, is to not get carried away when you are registering. Really sit down with your fiance, and talk about what you want, and what you NEED. What you would buy for yourself if money wasn't an issue. Don't register for crap that you will never use just because someone else is footing the bill. Be realistic. If you don't use it, then it is wasteful...I don't care what it is! (For the record, they don't mention it here, but there is a new trend of asking people for money. I want to address it as an etiquette side note: I really want a house right now, and was seriously thinking of sending one of those poems asking for cash. I did some asking around of my guests-both relatives and friends, and found that not one person thought that it was a good idea. No one. The general thought is-this is a wedding, not a fundraiser. So Jimmy and have a created a small registry of things that we love, and are letting people know that we are saving for a house, so gifts of money are great as well. I am hoping that this is well received, and so far it seems to be going well...end of side note.) So here are some ideas from the sierra club:

~asking for gifts to charity instead of material goods

This is a good idea for those of you out there who have what you need. Perhaps this is your second marriage, or you are both very financially secure, and you don't feel the need to ask for gifts. (LUCKY YOU!) Find a charity that really speaks to who you are as a couple. There are so many wonderful charities out there; local, national, and international. Research your charity, and make sure that they really do what they say they do! Ultimately this is a wonderful idea, if you can afford to do it! (And I imagine that you rack up some pretty good karma points!)

~registering with the I Do Foundation or another site that gives a percentage of gift purchases to your chosen cause.

This is so cool! I have gone to the site, and looks like you need to register your wedding with them, like you would with any wedding site, and then you can set up for 6% of all of your registry purchases to go to charity...could it be that simple? Check it out yourself at: www.idofoundation.org I will too. Let's compare notes. Has anyone done it? I love to hear if it was a good experience! Do tell!

~registering with stores that offer local, fair-trade, handmade, organic, or other eco-friendly products like Branch, Gaiam, Greenfeet, GreenSage, Ten Thousand Villages, UncommonGoods, or VivaTerra.

Love it! Check! This is a great time to get that kitchen composter that you have been dying for!

~registering for outdoor gear or contributions to an eco-friendly honeymoon

Have so much fun with this one...I believe that we have discussed my feelings on camping in step 4. Enough said. (AKA-do not buy me a gift card to REI. It would be wasteful of you. ;-)

~creating a custom wish list of eco-friendly items like a fresh-produce subscription from a local farm, organic gardening supplies, organic linens, park and museum passes, gift certificates to organic restaurants, and subscriptions to green publications or memberships in green causes

This one requires a little more work and imagination on your part, but aren't we all here because we are creative and uniquely minded folks? There are sites all around (such as my registry.com) where you can create a list of items that you would like (as long as you can buy it online, then you can put it on your registry!) If there are items that can't be done that way, then create a special registry for your guests to receive via email, or on your wedding site. For those folks who like to buy gifts the old fashioned way, you can have your Maid of Honor send them a hard copy...just make sure that she does it on recycled paper! ;-)

~For your favors, give something your guests will really use and enjoy, not disposable plastic souvenirs.

Ok, so my mantra about this is as follows: Do your guests a favor, and skip the typical "favor." Because no one likes Jordan Almonds, or a small thing of bubbles, or a key ring with your name on it, and if they told you that they did...they were being nice. Jimmy and I are donating a tree to a local park. (This goes along with our unspoken theme of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Now it will be quite literal.) I am soooooo excited about this idea, I can't tell you. Really you could donate to any charity on behalf of your guests, and make a little announcement, or put a note about it at the top of your menu/or program. Put an announcement on home made paper in a frame at the reception table letting everyone know that you have made a donation in their name. It can be for whatever amount you put aside for your favors. Every little bit counts! And let me tell you...your guests will truely thank you for a gift that they don't have to shove in their purse to be polite, and then leave in the hotel. (with love...this is what they will be doing.)

For arguments sake, let's just say that you really feel that you MUST give them SOMETHING that they can hold...here are a few ideas (Courtesy of the Sierra Club, that I think people will actually like. ;-)

~Gourmet organic chocolates or another organic or local food item. LOCAL FOOD! This is great for welcome bags for out of town guests as well!

~attractive bags of fresh or dried organic herbs

~seeds in a commemorative container

~reusable cloth tote bags

can you ever have enough of these? I am using them to hold my attendants gifts as well! LOVE IT!

~a small plant

These can also go on the dinner tables as lovely decor. Talk about two birds with one stone!

~natural soaps

PS. These are easy to make...and home made gifts are so much more special. (And cheaper. ;-)

~place cards made of seeded paper that can be planted at home

~soy or beeswax candles

ehem...you know my thoughts...soy.

~a compact fluorescent light bulb

ok, so you will look like a bit of a nerd here, but it will bring awareness, it will be a GREAT conversation starter, and it IS dead useful.

~a downloadable playlist of your favorite songs

I got one of these recently, and liked it quite a bit. Cute idea, and very personal. You can even have them done up nicely at a site such as www.ourweddingcd.com Not too hard to remember. lol. I don't think that they use eco-friendly products though, so maybe doing it yourself is a better option. Depending on how crafty you are!

For your helpful, loyal attendants, you'll want to up the ante a little, perhaps with:

~gift baskets of organic skin-care products

~recycled jewelry, wallets, handbags, or drinking glasses

~selections of organic coffees, teas, and chocolates

~recycled paper journals and stationery

~great bottles of organic wine

As always, I recommend to keep it local! Support your local markets and artisans. It is a great way to create a hallmark for the event, and it makes your gifts one of a kind!

Step 6-The Decor...

There are so many ways that you can be eco-friendly when you decorate:

~opt for organic flowers
Ask your florist about this one, and if they don't use them, ask if they know someone who does. Organic can get a little pricey, so you may want to look into complimenting smaller arrangements with reusable items other than flowers (Like candles, etc.)

~find a florist who's diligent about recycling packaging and will source locally raised flowers
This is really just about finding the right vendor for you. Be upfront about what you want, and if they are as passionate as you are about it, then BINGO! And do your research: Find out what flowers are in season locally, and use them! (Again...it will also save you some do-re-mi) And the same goes for your menu BTW!

~have bridesmaids carry matching purses or silk bouquets instead of cut flowers
This is an iteresting idea...I mean after all, those $100+ bouquets usually end up sitting on a table somewhere. And that is economically wasteful too. Talk to your maids about it, and see what they think. (They might like a nice new purse, PS. It can double as your bridesmaid gift. Gosh, sometimes I amaze even myself with these ideas.) There are a LOT of cool places for purses these days. Check out Freddy and Ma. They aren't cheap, but they are about the same as a bouquet, when you think of it. You can design them yourself, and they are so bright and funky that you won't even miss the flowers!

~decorate with branches, dried grasses, grains, greens, berries, or live plants (potted or dried arrangements can double as favors)
~use leaves or other natural objects as place cards
These are sort of the same, so I will address them together, and I am going to address them with two words: Martha Stewart. And I don't just mean Martha Stewart Weddings. The craft ideas on her website are off the hook, and can be searched by season. I am getting married in the fall, and MOST of my decor ideas have come from the last three years of Martha Stewart Living (Sept, Oct and Nov issues) Poke around over there...there are truely some Good Things. DIY does not have to be Crafty Grandma and her Patchwork Quilt...channel your inner Martha! She will not let you down.

~choose beeswax or soy-based candles over those made with paraffin, a petroleum byproduct
I am about to sound off, so get ready. I am taking this one step further, and saying: JUST DO SOY! Why? I heard that bees are endangered...um, yeah, did you guys know this? Bees are endangered. And here is something that you might not know about me, but should probably know: I really love honey. Not a little bit, either. I am like freakin' Winnie the Poo. I eat it every morning in my yogurt...yum yum yum. It makes me super happy, and I would be wicked bummed if it wasn't around anymore, so guys, do me a favor, and buy your honey from responsible local companies. It isn't that hard. FOR THE LOVE OF BEES, BUY YOUR HONEY LOCAL!!! and...this brings me to my former point......buy soy candles. Which I am doing for my wedding! I found this website called etsy.com. It is a website where artisans can sell their stuff. (Pretty cool by the way, and an awesome way to buy local handmade gifts and such.) So I went to "Brooklyn/Soy/Candles" and found this cool guy named Marty who has a shop called Dew On A Petal Home. (Hippy much?) But seriously he makes all kinds of soy candles. All sizes and colors and scents that you can think of. They are not more expensive than regular candles, and get this: he has a buy back policy! He will buy back any candles that I don't use. He will even buy back the soy "wax" from the candles that I DO use, and repurpose them into new candles! I love this guy! And because he is in Brooklyn, I get to pick them up! My carbon foot print is getting smaller even faster than my waistline! ahem...So as soon as I know what I am getting, I am calling him to set it up! You guys should check out his webstore as well, if you need to buy any candles...think of the bees...for me. For my honey.


~arrange to have decorations moved from the ceremony to the reception (if you opt for separate sites)
This is a nice idea, and it saves you money. If money isn't an issue, maybe you could just make sure that you purchase decor that will be used for a while at the ceremony site. (If it is a church, for example, they may be able to use them for a few weeks as the altar decor...)

~throw biodegradable confetti or organic rose petals instead of releasing butterflies
huh? Is releasing butterflies some kind of new trend? Who is releasing butterflies? I have never heard of or seen anything like this. Am I behind the times on this one? I will say, that at the last wedding that I was at, there was some kind of bird seed/confetti that smelled like sugar cookies that I really liked. (Of course the time between the ceremony and the reception was so long that I got hungry, and tried to eat a piece of...yeah, bad idea. It did not taste as good as it smelled. But I think that the birds liked it...)

~donate the flowers to a hospital or rest home at the end of the day

I love Love LOVE this one. Donating anything that is unused, and repurposing anything that can be repurposed is the whole point. So this is the first time of many that I am going to mention a website called: The Special E. They will recycle, and repurose just about anything. (See the link) I am seriously considering using them for my wedding (depending on budget), and I will DEFINITELY be letting you all know how it goes. According to the site, they do what we would all do if we had the time:

"Toward the end of your event, we'll send out our "Rescue Squad" to pick up all the excess items that are leftover. We have an extensive list of food banks, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, hospitals, nursing homes, and charities across the country. Prior to each program, we'll identify the recipient organizations that will be receiving the leftovers, and take the necessary steps to coordinate all the delivery arrangements."

Um, can you give me a break? HOW AWESOME IS THAT??? I can't wait to speak with them further, and will keep you all updated.