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Green weddings grow in popularity

CONNECTICUT - A lot of ladies start planning their wedding day long before there's even a proposal, and for one Connecticut bride, the big day has evolved into a career with an emphasis on the color green.

Two years ago, Kate Harrison walked down the aisle in what was the wedding of her dreams. 

"It was the best wedding I've ever been to," Harrison said.  "I think all brides feel that way." 

It was truly a unique affair because the theme was something of great meaning to both Harrison and her future husband.  They wanted a green wedding through and through.  Harrison says it was more of an experiment to see how green the could go.

So, they started with boxed wedding invitations. 

"The box was made of recycled paper" said Harrison. "Inside, we have a scrolled invitation.  This is also recycled paper parchment, and we printed them out at home."

The runner they used at the ceremony is a carpet from her parent's home.  The food was all local and organic and she wore a recycled dress.  The flowers were picked right outside of Harrison's house. 

"They're really lush and they're organic," explained Harrison. "They're local and they're big and they're fluffy and they just look beautiful at weddings. There are really simple substitutions you can make to go green and it doesn't have to look like a potato sack. It can be really beautiful."

However, in the planning process, she had a hard time tracking down the information and green vendors. 

"They're competing in this marketplace against these huge companies and they end up on page 20 or 30 of Google, so I spent a really long time just trying to compile all this information together," she recalled.

After the wedding, Harrison got thinking: How could she help others?  The answer was creating her own book, The Green Bride Guide. 

Now, she also has a website and a full time career dedicated to green weddings. 

"The feedback we're getting is, 'This is something I really wanted to do and I didn't know where to go and here, it's all here.'  People are always emailing me," Harrison said. "I can't believe how comprehensive it is.'"

The site offers suggestions on everything from favors, reducing your carbon footprint, and seasonal décor.  There's even a share your green wedding experience section. so you can read what has worked for other couples. 

"The idea of going green really makes sense at a wedding," said Harrison. "Because it's a day about long term thinking and commitment and about a sustainable future together."

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