Throughout the Hudson Valley, the month of June is typically packed with storybook weddings unfolding in a variety of settings. Rich in clusters of tropical flowers, elaborately decorated cakes, and exotic menus, the ceremonies certainly create places where dreams take hold and root, and no one can dismiss the romance or magic of these elements. But this is, after all, a tradition that often results in a lot of waste. Long after the happy couple and guests have departed, mounds of disposable plates, uneaten entrees, and plastic wineglasses all head to the landfill. Concerned with the environmental impact of their weddings, some brides- and grooms-to-be are planning celebrations of the greener variety. So before you take the first step down the aisle, take a moment to consider the ways your wedding can make a statement past its date. With a little information and planning, you can have an event with the extra-positive aspect of a minimized environmental impact.
Where to start
Luckily for those soon to be wed in the area, the Hudson Valley is overflowing with creative, enthusiastic, and environmentally conscious vendors and artisans who strive to surpass expectations while maintaining a commitment to their own ecophilosophies. A great place to start searching for such providers is Hudson Valley Weddings (www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com), a huge online resource of vendors, services, and products covering every considerable aspect of wedding planning—and even those you haven’t thought of yet. Judy Lewis, the Kingston resident who manages the site, says this area is chock-full of eco-friendly businesses—which also means it’s much easier than it has been in the past to plan such an event. So stop worrying about tofu cake and dandelion wine—thinking green doesn’t mean skimping on style or taste. In fact, the most important aspect of planning a green wedding is communication. “The toughest thing is when the couple interviews professionals, “ Lewis explains. “They need to communicate, immediately and from the start, their desire for a green, ecofriendly wedding.” Don’t be shy about speaking up—it is, after all, your day.
The elements
Every wedding begins with an invitation, and what better way to put your greenest foot forward than with an ecofriendly invite to your wedding. “It sets the tone for the wedding,” says Maureen Missner, who, along with Serine Hastings, owns the Paper Trail stationery shop in Rhinebeck. “[Invitations are] the first thing people are going to see.” Options abound for environmentally friendly invitations, announcements, and thank-you notes. Recycled and handmade paper and soy-based inks are readily available. And while it would be easy to think that larger companies are less environmentally responsible, Missner points out that the stationery giant Crane’s has always used cotton to make paper, fitting the bill for both green thinking and presentation. This addresses the concerns of many environmentally aware couples, she says, since most are requesting recycled or nonwood pulp invites because of worries over deforestation.
Once the invitations are sent, couples turn their attention to the ceremony and reception. Food is an important part of any celebration, and especially so for weddings. But is it more difficult to create an ecofriendly menu? Lewis predicts that most caterers in the area will accommodate requests for menus featuring local and organically grown ingredients. Bruce Kazan, executive chef and proprietor of Main Course Catering & Restaurant (www.maincoursecatering.com) in New Paltz, agrees. “Organic is totally in,” he says. “Everyone knows it’s better for you.” As ecoawareness has moved to the mainstream, it’s become that much easier for couples to plan organic, vegetarian, or vegan menus. Kazan estimates that approximately 55 percent of the couples he speaks with want organically grown food as the focus of their menus. It can be more expensive than traditional fare, he says, but it’s easy to create environmentally aware menus to fit smaller budgets. And in addition to produce and meats, it’s possible to take things a step further with organic wine and beer.
Many couples have a set menu in mind when they approach a chef, which may make planning easier in terms of narrowing options, but it also ignores the bounty of local and in-season fruits, vegetables, and meats that can be most easily (and deliciously) accessed. Flexibility is important, and a chef is always happy to hear the phrase “Use what’s in season.” Indeed, one important element of a green wedding is recognizing the environmental cost of shipping nonlocal or nonseasonal produce and flowers. Local organic and natural ingredients are more affordable than the Californian variety, especially when transportation is factored in. Plus, says Kazan, there’s so much available locally, it’s often unnecessary to go too far afield. “The source is right here,” he points out. Which assures the dishes will be as fresh and flavorful as possible.
This philosophy is echoed by Essell Hoenshell-Watson, owner of The Alternative Baker (www.lemoncakes.com) in Kingston, which uses local ingredients as much as possible. When it comes to wedding cakes, Hoenshell-Watson’s view is substance over style. Slabs of uneaten, tasteless cake are simply wasted effort—a wedding cake should be a joy-filled, epicurean treat, he says, whether it’s made with traditional ingredients such as white flour, eggs, and sugar, or is vegan or wheat-free. Some clients request vegan cakes for health reasons, and others out of environmental concern. One of his most memorable creations was a completely organic cake, covered in organically grown flowers, which proved that environmental consciousness and elegant simplicity are often natural partners.
The at-the-source approach applies to floral bouquets as well. Purple orchids from Singapore are certainly beautiful, says Melissa Bruce of Stem Life by Stephen Bruce Designs (www.stephenbrucedesign.com), a Stone Ridge-based floral art company. As with the menu, it’s important to consider not only the shipping costs, but also whether nonlocal flowers are truly a necessity when there are so many wonderful options just down the road. Bruce says the company always tries to encourage couples to consider more environmentally friendly options. Instead of a rigid floral checklist, Bruce says, for green weddings it’s ideal when a couple says, “Give us what you can get.” Melissa and her husband, Steve Bruce, strive to combine their innate creativity with the environment in order to sculpt centerpieces, bouquets, and decorative arrangements that bring the beauty of the Hudson Valley area into the ceremony and reception. Their goal is to “work with nature, not against it.”
For example, when working on a Tuscan-themed wedding, the pair designed vegetable-filled arrangements of edamame, scallions, green tomatoes, squash, and grapes, and incorporated organically grown sunflowers from a friend’s farm in Roxbury. And for a recent wedding, they filled metal tubs with succulent plants, ferns, lavender, herbs, and river rocks to create a lush, forest-rich effect, like “cutting a square from a stream,” says Bruce. Favors can also be environmentally friendly. For several weddings, Bruce created potpourri from local woodland flora, so that “guests could take a little of the Hudson Valley home with them.”
Waste not
What about afterward, when those hormone-free filets and organically grown roasted asparagus have been gobbled up, and all that’s left are dirty plates and smudged silverware? Yes, china, crystal, and silver may be more ecofriendly than toss-away paper plates and plastic forks, but it takes a lot of hot water (and effort) to wash all the dishes. A more casual option, Kazan suggests, are disposable plates made of paper pulp, and “silverware” crafted from potato pulp. Both are quick biodegraders that can be easily composted, fitting perfectly in line with the philosophy behind green weddings. As Hudson Valley Weddings’ Lewis says, “Ideally, the trash bin in the back of the catering hall needs to be empty.”
Kazan’s group recycles as well, and couples can always inquire into donating leftover food to local charitable organizations. And consider the business’s commitment to recycling as well—Hoenshell-Watson’s bakery generates only one bag of garbage a week.
Locale
Many couples planning a green wedding in the area envision an outdoor ceremony, with the Hudson River or Catskill Mountains as a backdrop. One gorgeous site to consider is the Wilderstein Preservation (www.wilderstein.org), a private nonprofit historic site in Rhinebeck. “It’s a very naturalistic, romantic landscape,” says Gregory J. Sokaris, executive director of the preservation. Steeped in history (renown American Romantic landscape designer Calvert Vaux designed the grounds, and Joseph Burr Tiffany designed the interior of the mansion), the pathways and lawns are arranged to guarantee maximum appreciation of the river views. But what makes this site an even greener location for an ecofriendly wedding is the fact that all money raised by the organization of 200 volunteers goes directly into maintenance and restoration. “A little money goes a long way for us,” says Sokaris.
So booking a wedding ceremony and reception on the property is a way to take advantage of the Hudson Valley’s picturesque scenery while creating a social impact that will last long past the ceremony. And it eliminates the transportation pollution generated by traveling between two sites.
Other resources and ideas
There are, of course, other things to consider. The digital age has made wedding photography much more Earth-friendly, says Lewis. Instead of multiple paper proofs that will be discarded after the perfect shots are chosen, couples can now view prints online and select their favorites that way. And while there’s no arguing their convenience, it’s probably best to forego the disposable cameras, she says, as they go directly into the landfill after processing.
In the end
What it comes down to is not just ensuring that your wedding has less of an environmental impact, but that it also encourages the growth of area businesses with Earth-friendly philosophies. If there’s a typical couple that plans a green wedding, says Lewis, it’s people who are looking toward the future, and considering their effect on the world today and tomorrow. So as you plan for the main event, consider inserting a little green into the program. By taking fuller advantage of what the Hudson Valley can offer, the day after your big day can contribute to more than just the landfill.
This article appears in June 2007.
