Green weddings are moving mainstream and are among the top five new wedding trends, according to Kate Harrison of the Green Bride Guide.  In a webinar last night, Harrison shared some of the latest ways for making your wedding more eco-friendly:

1. Paperless Invitations: Brides and grooms are using paperlesspost.com to send fine stationery over the Internet.

2. Green favors are the rage, especially tree and seed favors, organic and artisanal/Fair Trade products (jams, candy, syrup) and carbon offsets.
3. Do-it-yourself aisle runners, including flower petals, chalkboards, or avoiding disposable materials.
4. Local Flavor – hiring food-trucks or serving local microbrews, pastries, etc.
5. Vintage or DIY cake toppers, instead of those throwaway kind.
6. Wedding dresses that are two-in-one (for ceremony and reception)
7. Vintage accessories and hats.
8. Flower arrangements that mix in fruits or vegetables, or non-flower alternatives.
9. Green venues – staging weddings at farms, museums, vineyards or historic buildings  (i.e. Twenty Mile House) that cut down on the need to decorate and provide lush backdrops for photography.
10. Eco-friendly gift registry: To help steer your guests to buy green gifts!

Preferred vendor Pangaea Café works closely with local farmers to shape their catering menu to incorporate whatever is seasonally available. “Small town, world flavor” appropriately describes their eclectic organic fare which appeals to both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Their menu spans the range of grilled sustainably harvested wild salmon and local grass-fed tri-tip to Thai curry, Indian dishes, Mexican and sushi trays.
Preferred vendor Grizzly Grill serves innovative cuisine using the talents of Chef Lyn Hagen, who trained at the California Culinary Academy and enhanced her talents in the Napa Valley before opening her own restaurant in nearby Graeagle. Grizzly’s menu features an inventive combination of diverse flavors featuring fresh seafood, prime meat, chicken and pastas. Her wedding buffet choices include roasted Sierra Nevada grown grass-fed New York strip, beef bourgignon, grilled mahi mahi, wild Alaskan salmon, rainbow trout, and organic free-range chicken with choices of delicious salads and fresh locally-grown vegetables.

Preferred vendor Southern Accent Catering in Quincy specializes in Southern cuisine but also works with wedding parties to provide individualized menu planning. The company has a mobile commercial kitchen for cooking onsite, along with an antique Victorian potato oven for preparing artisan pizzas, roasted potatoes and corn. Wedding buffet choices include smoked prime rib, tri-tip, chicken with an array of sauces, smoked leg of lamb, shrimp and scallops, grilled salmon and numerous vegetarian options including lasagnas, polentas and ragouts. Bayou favorites on their menu include a Southern catfish fry with hushpuppies, a Cajun crawfish boil, and a spit roasted whole pig. There’s a plethora of soups, salads, breads and side dishes to choose from, and Southern Accent also caters full breakfasts/brunches and late night sandwiches.

Twenty Mile House is proud to partner with Traci’s Sweet Surprises, a Quincy bakery that specializes in organic professionally designed wedding cakes. Traci’s imaginative cakes are individualized works of art featuring fresh, organic ingredients.

You can choose from 16 delicious wedding cake flavors, fillings and frostings, or opt for cupcakes, pies or other specialty desserts. Your guests will be wowed by the eye-popping designs and delectable flavor of your wedding meal finale presented by this passionate and talented baker! Be sure to check out Traci’s website for some photos of her creations.