The Five Biggest Green Wedding Cliches: Stop Saying That!

ckane — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:00:00 -0400

Speaking as someone who reads a lot about green weddings, I'd say we are beyond the saturation point of green websites, articles, issues, news reports, and TV shows. As Duran Duran might say in their comeback single, it's too much information. And after referring in a recent post to overused phrases in coverage of sustainable weddings, I decided to do a little research. By Googling the first five green wedding cliches that came to my mind, I present you with my very scientific list of the most overused phrases in eco-wedding coverage, from least to most.

1. My big fat green wedding.This phrase was my biggest disappointment a few months back--I thought I coined, it but did a quick search to make sure. Unfortunately, Google says about 129 writers thought the same thing.

2. It's a nice day for a green wedding. This Billy Idol reference hath wrought 583 results.

3. The bride wore green. Something like 970 articles use this phrase.

4. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something green. Maybe you're the editor of Supermarket Lady Magazine, you're planning your green issue, and you want to use this clever title for your wedding article. If you don't mind that somewhere in the neighborhood of 1330 other articles have used it already, go right ahead.

5. Green is the new white. Searching this term on Google gets you about 4,260 results! And backing up what I said above about general green information overload, when you just search "Green is the new" it yields around 297,000 results.

Don't get me wrong, I think this is a great trend. I'll be interested to see how the current rage of green weddings plays out over time; what sticks, what changes get incorporated even into mainstream weddings and event planning.

Can anyone suggest cliches I missed?

Five Ways to Use eBay for Your Green Wedding

ckane — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:00:00 -0400

1. Your dress. eBay can be used to find not just your dress, but your bridesmaids' dresses, your flower girl's dress, the groom's suit, shoes, and accessories. And often, they are CHEAP! You can go vintage or modern here.

2. Vintage touches. Why buy new save-the-date postcards or magnets when you can find vintage postcards in lots on eBay? Look for them in batches themed to your wedding-- As I write this, I'm the lead bidder on a lot of 29 vintage postcards for Lake Tahoe, where our wedding will take place. (Auction ends today! Fingers crossed!) Or you could pick up a vintage cake topper, old vases for your floral centerpieces, etc.

3. Fabric. Don't buy new fabric for dresses, sashes, bridesmaid wraps, or for making/dressing up your wedding favors when eBay has plenty of remnant material, unused dead stock, or plain old fabric stashes that some old lady had packed away.

4. Gifts for the wedding party. Again, why buy new when you can give a cool vintage flask, jewelry, or whatever gifts specially suit your favorite guys and girls?

5. Ceremony and reception decor. Do a search under Wedding & Party Supplies for "used" or "like new" and you'll find garlands, cake plates, chair covers (if you care about such things; I don't think anyone will complain if you do without chair covers), and much more.

And that's just the beginning. Whatever it is you're looking for, you can set up saved searches on eBay, and you'll get automatic email notifications whenever your desired object is put up for auction. Now log on, do a search for wedding, bridal, organic, or whatever and get ready for the hours to melt away.

Image: '70s cake topper from eBay

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The Five Biggest Green Wedding Cliches: Stop Saying That!

Five Ways to Use eBay for Your Green Wedding