the country
PHOTOS BY ALICIA OSBORNE PHOTOGRAPHY
» Going Natural something »oldMake into something
new by giving past items a new purpose. Have fun with your fiancé by shopping garage sales and antique stores for glass bottles, vases, décor and more. Select sprigs of wildflowers in glass bottles for sustainable table toppers.
64
NORTHWESTFLORIDAWEDDINGS.NET
Eco-friendly and sustainable weddings By Rebecca Padgett
W
edding trends come and go with the seasons, but one that has sustainable staying power is going green. No, we don’t mean the color. While the popularity of ecofriendly weddings on a large scale has increased only within the past few years, we can credit this to eco-conscious couples that have influenced even more eco-friendly companies to cater to weddings. Society is becoming more sustainable than ever, making going natural evergreen. With eco-friendly weddings becoming all the more relevant, and rightly so, it’s beneficial to know what attributes make a product or service sustainable. Jim Davis is the director of Sustainable
Tallahassee, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting and educating on environmental, economic and social sustainability, and he provides some insight. “It may look pretty, but you have to question what it is doing to your environment,” said Davis. “Can it be recycled? Is it from a recycled product? Could this be harmful to my environment?” Davis pointed to products that are nontoxic, environmentally beneficial, sustainably sourced or grown and often composed from recycled or organic materials. That includes reusing products instead of continuously buying more. When talking with vendors or shopping for products, remember these keywords: organic,