eco friendly non-flowers

carouselandsold

hello everyone

the FI and i decided against using commercial flowers for any part of our wedding, due to all the unfair labor conditions. while the jury is still out on us using locally grown flowers, i think it makes more sense economically to not bother with flowers in general. i've been looking at a lot of flower alternatives for bouquets and centerpieces. i looked at wooden roses at first, but a lot of them are imported from china/southeast asia - so i'm back at square one with the potential human rights issue.  

in case anyone else is in the same boat, i found these gorgeous satin origami flowers on Etsy (of course!) that i might go with. they are reasonable priced  & handmade by a lady in NY, so i wanted to share them with the eco gals on here! another bonus - you can keep them for years to come as a keepsake. also a pretty little vase might be a nice bridesmaids gift tie-in so your girls can display theirs in their homes. here is the seller's link: http://www.etsy.com/listing/19704829/origami-vintage-victorian-rose-bouquet-1 
and here's a pic:




what are you doing in regard to flowers and/or traditionally flower based items for wedding decor? i'd love to hear what everyone else is doing!

xo rach

shigaites

I'm making felt flower bouquets for myself and my bridesmaids.  For the reception, we just plan on having a lot of candles/lighting/etc for the decorations and no flowers.  Flowers are a ripoff anyway.

emilyasiegel

We are doing a ton of live plants. We are doing potted herbs for our placecards, our centerpieces are live plants that we planted in re-used wood boxes. It has been a lot of work since we have been growing them ourselves, but I definitely think it is worth it, and these are items we will keep around the house after the wedding and give to guests if they want some.

I am still completely on the fence about my bouquet and bouts, I was thinking about doing some small branches with moss or something. I was also considering cut wildflowers from our yard, however trying to avoid cut flowers thats not my first choice, so I am totally watching this post for ideas!

Anna_Emig

I am knitting flowers and we are using flowers from our garden. Here are the Calla Lilys that I sinished so far:

carouselandsold

awesome ideas, everyone! the felt and knitted flowers sound and look amazing! we are going with lots of candles and vases with twigs (my massive trees drop a lot in the fall, so no problem there), and i'm flea marketing this summer for most everything. i have some pics on my planning bio of my ideas so far.

also, martha stewart had some pictures in the spring issue of teacups and saucers stacked in place of flowers, that would be cute for candles as well:

zenjenn

i'm using chainmaille flowers interspersed with leather roses.   

Cecelie86

Wow. Thank you so much for posting this. I was going crazy trying to find an eco friendly and non silk aternative to flowers. This is wonderful! 

ShellLillian

Succulents are more eco friendly because they don't require the water, chemicals, and care of flowers. Just a thought.

sovawanea

I got lucky and there is a local, sustainable flower shop down the street from me. My bouquet is going to include some non-flowers like kale and succulents and twig balls and the bouts will be succulents. Instead of baskets with petals for the flower girls, the florist is making them wands.

OnceUponSnow

I'll be using living centerpieces (fresh herbs that I'll grow myself in my mother's garden: basil, rosemary, thyme...). They will be in small pots and can be used as favors for guests after the event. Fresh herb can be frozen ''as it is'' without losing any of its flavor. Plus, guests can literally pick leaves from the centerpieces as they eat, if they want to add extra flavor to their food. My favorite flowers are pansies, I'll add a few (against, grown in my mother's garden) and they're also edible !

michellef2014

I love the idea of going with origami flowers. I had never heard of it before.