Manhattan Bride New York & New Jersey Green Weddings

Create a "Green Wedding"

Share your earth-friendly outlook with family and friends.

All Your Bridal Resources / Vendor Selection Guide

Creating your wedding with an awareness of the environment is simply another way of expressing yourselves, just as you are doing with your invitations, décor, menu, music, and bridal fashions. An ever-increasing number of bridal vendors are adapting their operations and offerings to help you also express your environmental awareness, and here are some of their thoughts for you.

GREENING THE VENUE ... Tarrytown House Estate has implemented numerous “green” initiatives. “We’ve achieved a 35 percent energy savings on our 26-acre property,” says Steve Sackman, who notes they created most of their savings by updating old air conditioners with new energy-saving units and also replacing 5,000 light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescents.

“We also use regional food products, sourcing fresh ingredients from the Hudson Valley, which minimizes our transportation. Then, during the summer months, our executive chef even uses herbs and apples from his own garden.”

They offer several choices that comply with the Monterrey Bay Seafood Watch guidelines. “That means our fish are from sources that are ecologically friendly,” say Steve.

Partnering with companies that share the same commitment enhances the environmental impact. “For example, our preferred limo service, The Metropolitan Transportation Company, offsets 100 percent of its vehicle emissions from its business operations, and also has a complete line of flex-fuel and hybrid vehicles.”

They work with local associations, like the Hudson Valley Bio-Fuel Coop. “With them, we donate vegetable oil waste for community purposes.”

They’ve also installed motion-sensitive thermostats in their guest rooms, to keep rooms at an even temperature while guests are out of the room, and now, like other Destination Hotels & Resorts properties, they’re working to replace guest room cleaning products with all green products.

“Compact fluorescent lighting will eventually give way to LCD lighting, and as technology continues to change, we will steadily move toward even more efficient resources.”

Tarrytown House Estate
800.553.8118, www.WeddingsAtTarrytown.com

GREEN PLANNING ... “Holding a Green wedding does not mean you have to sacrifice sophistication or style,” says Candice Benson of The Finishing Touch, Wedding & Event Planning. “Even a few Green touches can add tasteful elegance to your décor and create a meaningful message for your guests.”

Candice has a number of tips. “You can use invitations, programs, and menu cards made from recycled paper. You also can make your wedding ceremony or reception an elegant outdoor affair, which cuts energy used for lighting, heating, and air conditioning.”

If you hold your ceremony and reception indoors, you can use natural daylight to fill the room with sunshine, “or use LED’s versus traditional lighting, which can save more energy.

“Many caterers also now specialize in organic foods and wines and can design a menu using local, seasonal, and organic ingredients,” says Candice. “Then, after your reception, you also can donate the leftover food to a shelter.”

The Finishing Touch
973.525.5884, www.thefinishingtouchevents.com

A GREEN WEDDING THEME ... “We now offer a ‘Naturalist’ themed wedding, with event design and décor inspired by nature and infused with ‘Green’ elements,” says Diane Carr, general manager of The Bernards Inn.

Part of their “Signature Style” wedding series created by Jeffrey Haines exclusively for the venue, “The stunning organic theme flows with layering textures and herbal and earth tones. It becomes a relaxed yet elegant atmosphere, perfect for couples who want to include ‘Green’ elements.”

The linens are burlap, the invitations are printed on recycled paper, and dishes are served without containers wherever possible. “For example, soup is served in a brioche cup, while our popular brownie dessert is served on an edible pretzel stick.”

The Bernards Inn also has donated natural elements from weddings, such as pumpkins and gourds used as fall décor, to local farms. “To save energy and reduce electricity usage, we might rely on the warm glow from candlelight and lanterns, which also creates romance naturally.

“Even the smallest efforts add up to make a difference for the environment,” says Diane, “and we are proud to work with couples to help them create a more environmentally-conscious wedding."

The Bernards Inn, 908.766.0002, www.bernardsinn.com

SUSTAINABLE CUISINE & MORE ... Like Tarrytown House, Hamilton Park Hotel is also a member of Destination Hotels & Resorts, and is likewise making efforts to be green. One major innovation was installing a “Rooftop Economizer.”

“The Rooftop Economizer uses outside air to cool meeting rooms. For example, 200 people in a meeting room can generate enough heat to warrant air conditioning the room, even if it’s cool outside. But using the Economizer instead, we can pull the outdoor air into the room and get it cooler.”

They’ve also switched to bath products made with organic natural ingredients, and like Tarrytown House, they’ve replaced light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescents. “Each one saves 450 pounds of emissions.”

To help employees get to work efficiently, they’ve participated in a shared ride service. “Our involvement in this program won us state-wide recognition by New Jersey Transit as one of the premier companies in the state.”

Their culinary team is passionate about sustainable cuisine, and ensures that each day’s menu features the best of local items, from Jersey’s famous tomatoes and corn, to delicacies like fiddlehead ferns. “New Jersey has some of the finest artisan bread makers and other food purveyors, and they fill out the rest of the offerings for our superior meals.”

Hamilton Park Hotel, 800.321.6000, www.wedathamilton.com

ECOLOGICALLY SPIRITUAL ... “Acting in an ‘ecologically correct’ way is biblical,” says wedding officiant Rabbi Mordecai Genn of Bet Halevi. “Recall how Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, with the instruction, ‘To work it and guard it,’ or consider the Talmudic rule ‘B’al Tash-cheet,’ of refraining from destroying useful things wantonly.

“In short, working to make our world healthier and greener is a legitimate and worthy religious act.”
In addition to considering potted plants and donating the cut flowers from your wedding, Rabbi Genn also suggests making arrangements to have your leftover food donated to a local food kitchen.

“Wedding canopies offer another way to be innovative. The Talmud describes how, when a baby was born, a tree was planted in their honor, a living thing to celebrate a new life!

“When the little boy and girl grew, met, fell in love, and decided to marry, the two trees were hewn and used to make their chuppah, the wedding canopy. What a fine organic way to join humanity to nature’s cycle of life!”

When he meets with his wedding couples, Rabbi Genn typically encourages them to consider any green possibilities that might enhance their day. “Come, let us meet and help make ourselves and the world better!”

Rabbi Mordecai Genn of Bet Halevi
914.668.8987, mordecaigenn@msn.com

ECO GOWN COLLECTION ... Noted gown designer Adele Wechsler has created a new ecologically responsible collection, “For the bride who cares about the world in which she lives,” says Adele.

“I think it is essential for each of us to make individual efforts on this earth, no matter how small, in order make an overall difference.

“The Eco Couture Collection is my way of offering the bride an option of doing something for the world on her special day.”

The collection features simple, modern silhouettes made of fabrics which are certified organic hemp and silk, and are then vegetable-dyed. “We’ve also incorporated remnant fabrics and lace, and every piece is produced with Fair Trade Labor in Toronto, Canada.

“For me it is not just about designing another gown and a new collection,” says Adele. “It’s about designing a gown with heart and soul. For our bride, it’s about finding a dress that speaks to her personality and inner beauty, while also letting her express her concern for the environment.

“It is always an honor to play a role in a woman’s special day,” says Adele, who now has two eco collections. “Eco Couture I is breezy, windswept, and free-flowing. Eco Couture II reflects an uncluttered, clean mood, with a romantic modernist in mind.

“We hope these collections help reinforce this new trend, and that ‘Green’ becomes a new tradition that’s here to stay.”

Gown styles include Amira, which is made of 100 percent vegetable-dyed silk and offered in colors of claystone, alabaster, or limestone. Cassia is made of certified organic hemp and silk blend in a flax color, and there are a variety of other styles, also in natural materials and colors.

Adele Wechsler, www.adelewechsler.com
Adele Wechsler gowns are available at Designer Loft in Manhattan, 212.944.9013, www.DesignerLoftNYC.com

INNOVATIVE RECYCLING ... “We have implemented a full recycling program, including bottles, paper, and plastic, in each of our venues, including Bridgewaters, Twenty Four Fifth, and Westminster,” says Chrissann Gasparro. “We’ve also reduced our administrative paper needs by restructuring our paper usage in the office.”

Brides have been rethinking items that in the past were thrown away at the end of the evening, such as favors and centerpieces. “They’ve had their bridesmaids deliver centerpieces to hospitals and nursing homes after the wedding, for example.”

Favors have become more eco-conscious too, and have included plant seeds and donations to earth-friendly causes. Paper products also have gone “Green,” with many programs, place cards, and invitations being printed on post-consumer, recycled paper.

“Many brides also have used Bridgewaters To Go, our eco-friendly, sustainable organic catering and delivery division, to host events on their wedding weekends, such as Sunday brunches.” The service features 100 percent green catering details, such as biodegradable serveware and reusable refuse bags. “BridgewatersTo Go offers the quality of food and service our brides expect, paired with eco-conscious materials.”

At the Westminster Hotel, they’ve added a new water softener and energy-efficient light bulbs to reduce energy usage, and now have organic in-room amenities and produce, along with a full recycling program for glass, plastic, and cardboard.

“Many brides have selected our facility because of our comprehensive ‘Green’ program,” says Chris Gikas, who also tells us that more brides are donating their floral arrangements to local hospitals, rather than discarding them after the reception.

“They’re also donating food to local soup kitchens, and to organizations like City Harvest.”

Bridgewaters
Bridgewaters (press photo)

Bridgewaters, Twenty Four Fifth, Westminster, www.theglaziergroup.com