Eco-Chic Santa Barbara Green Weddings
by Merryl Brown, President
of Merryl Brown Events
Published December 11, 2009
ISanta Barbara is the place to go to for green and glamorous eco-chic weddings! With venues such as the Four Seasons Biltmore overlooking the gorgeous Pacific Ocean, San Ysidro Ranch nestled into the Montecito foothills, or the elegant Bacara Resort and Spa, you need look no further for the perfect venue. Each location caters to brides seeking elegant, upscale events, and each provides a fabulous venue that is both environmentally friendly and exquisitely memorable. Santa Barbara also offers several beachside locations and private estates suitable for weddings. In the nearby Santa Ynez Valley, there are several wineries offering different styles and choices. Once you locate a beautiful site for your wedding, the remainder of your planning is literally a piece of cake!
One of the most important aspects of any wedding is the meal. Local sourcing of organic produce is easy in Santa Barbara. There are always organic options always in season, and one visit to a Saturday Farmers' Market will give you a sense of the bounty available for local chefs. There are several excellent options for humane sourcing of meat and poultry, as well as well as local, sustainably-fished seafood options. Santa Barbara offers many choices of caterers with discriminating palates that will enable you and your guests to eat well, healthy and organic. We've produced events where even the wedding cake was baked with organic flour!
Create gorgeous, custom paperless invitations are easy on the wallet and on the earth. You can use them for your "save the date" cards as well. For paper invitations, take a look at this terrific website: twistedlimb.com. Here you will find many environmentally friendly, handmade papers. The website offers helpful suggestions for green parties and weddings.
Use a florist that works with local, organic plants and flowers. The greenest option is to use locally grown, live plants that can be rented for the evening or planted into your garden. Or, you may donate them to a local school to plant after your wedding. We recently planned an event where the wheatgrass centerpieces were donated after the event to a turtle and tortoise rescue foundation called Turtle Dreams, providing food for many rescued reptiles.
A lovely option for party favors are locally produced food items such as Santa Barbara honey, olive oil, pistachios, locally roasted coffees from Green Star, hand dipped candles or dried lavender from the farmers’ market. Bridesmaid's gifts can include jewelry made by Montecito jewelry designer Samantha Goldstone made of interesting beads and stones.
Local Montecito based event planner Merryl Brown, President of Merryl Brown Events, specializes in creating elegant, classic events that are both environmentally sensitive and beautiful. We look at every aspect of your event through a prism of sustainability to determine how to create an event that is both gracious and green, simultaneously. We offer everything from event consulting to sustainability advising to complete event production. We plan social, corporate, and fundraising events as well as weddings.
Elegance with Intelligence® is our motto!
For additional information or to inquire about sustainable event planning, call (805) 455-3112 or visit: www.merrylbrownevents.com
