"I do" beauty: A green wedding

I've been a floral designer in Baltimore for thirteen years. I have met thousands of brides and families, visited numerous reception sites and experienced too many behind the scene situations that are better left unmentioned.

The wedding business here is huge-- brides come from all over to take advantage of the many reasonably priced venues and highly experienced vendors. If I had to rate Baltimore on a scale of one to ten for its professionalism and talent in this industry, I would give it a twelve. But the stress we encounter is off the chart. Weddings are supposed to be wonderful events, but something has changed in the past five years that worries me couples have lost sight of what it really means to say “I do.” Talk about neglected beauty.


My dear friend, Hope, asked me to help with her wedding in Vermont. I was elated with the prospect, I needed a break from the house sale woes (which is fast becoming a joke) and the dizzying local wedding season in my own town. Little did I know this jaunt up north would change the way I look at all of this.


Hope came to Baltimore to look for a dress. She was going for a vintage look and needed help. She really lucked out when I took her to Retropolitan, a vintage store in Ellicott City, it was also our first stop. Cindy, the owner, brought out a beautiful dress from the 1920's that fit her like a glove. It didn't end there; she also found lovely shoes, a purse and lace gloves, giving her three era's worth of gorgeous style. Her purchases were not local to Vermont, but they were recycled, so she earned herself some “green” points.


When I arrived in Burlington to find Hope and Charles (the groom) relaxed and accepting of whatever came their way, I knew it was going to be a nice experience for me. Both bride and groom acted like adults the entire time; they focused on the positive contributions of guest and vendor, rather than worry about unexpected details and delays that were bound to pop up, like cake filling and inclimate weather.


Hope wanted locally grown flowers in her bouquet, so I took her mother in law for an adventure to Fox Run Flower Farm where we found more than we expected with the help of cool owner, Chris. When I needed some greens for a garland which she did not have, she suggested some cascading tendrils from her curly willow tree. The cost: $1.25 per stem, per very, very long stem. And the greatest part? I never went to the wholesaler, I got every single flower blossom from her farm.


If frolicking through fields of flowers wasn’t enough of a treat, designing them al fresco would have to be one of the best experiences of my life. On a broken, little table under a shady tree in Hope’s backyard, I created her perfect bouquet in near perfect temperatures. And I recycled them… immediately putting the conditioned flowers into her personal vases for that night’s backyard cook out/rehearsal dinner, then transporting them in boxes for the wedding the next day.


The location of the ceremony was in a rented beach house in Shelburne, VT, across from Lake Champlain. Hope and Charles picked the backyard for the ceremony. A work colleague performed the ceremony in a story telling format—it was intimate and very telling of both Hope and Charles’ personality. Theirs was a journey with many special stops, and all of us listened with love from a tight circle of garden chairs.


As for the rest of the reception, the organic theme continued in the menu and wine selections. Everything served was locally grown and organic. The food was indescribably delicious, all healthy and fresh. And the cost of feeding thirteen people was unthinkable: $345.00. That would be less than $30.00 a person.


The whole wedding from start to finish focused on nature, family and sustainability. We recycled everything we used and composted the rest. Hope's ring was sea-glass, another example of finding beauty in nature.


While not everyone can get married outside, there are other ways of making a wedding green. But that doesn’t include money… the couples who max out their credit cards to pay for a wedding they hope will out-do their best friend’s need to restructure their thinking. More can be great, but it is a terrible way to start a new life. To think of beginning with less after spending more seems like a dreadful start. Or is it end?


After this weekend, I realized organic, locally grown weddings are where it’s at for me. This is my fourth all green wedding and I am hoping the word will spread to other couples. As far as the flowers go, many of us floral people are ready for a change as we worry weekly about our product shipments not arriving due to natural disasters, like earthquakes and floods.


Kudos to Hope and Charles for returning to nature and doing it right. There is nothing like a backyard to get your green on.



Flowers used:
Solomon's Seal
Forget me Nots
Lilies of the Valley
Hellebores
Ajuga
Lilac-purple, lavender and white
Crab Apple blossom
Hosta leaves (thank you Luke Skywalker)
Curly Willow

Some Menu samples:
Fresh cucumber with salmon swirled pate
Asparagus wrapped in phyllo with chile paste
Prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe
Mixed green salad with pistachio crusted goat cheese balls
Breaded chicken fillets
Thinly cut sirloin with béarnaise
Mustard greens with sweet potatoes
Strawberry rhubarb crisp
Wedding cake- yellow with strawberry filling, butter cream icing that was the best I’ve EVER had

ALL PHOTOS TAKEN AND PROPERTY OF C. LANGRALL