At the age of 29, Nathalie cycles, goes to the market on weekends, sorts her waste with as much conviction as her fiancé. So when Jerome and she decided to get married, they opted for a green wedding. Translate: "The flowers of my grandmother's garden, an excellent organic champagne of the vintage and the party in a guest house" .
The green wedding trend
Eccentricity of bobo cities or genuine movement? In Britain as in the United States, ecologically correct marriages, observed among the peoples like Julia Roberts or Stella McCartney, now try everywhere . Magazines, a pro salon, a television channel are squaring this new market. "In France," explains Cécile Bouchet, designer of the agency Le Rêve en Tête ( www.reve-en-tete.com ) in Chambéry, a few "Zero carbon footprint" weddings were celebrated last year and demand 'accelerated. Three or four agencies now offer quality services. For those who imagine a party worthy of Larzac of the Seventies did not understand the concept. "Ecolo, of course," says Stéphanie, of the agency Besoin d'ailes ( www.besoindailes.com ), leader in the organization of green weddings , but also chic, refined, country-style, a thousand leagues of hippie fashion. For a couple of American origin, Stéphanie imagined buffets where a prairie of wild grass, a dozen different flowerpots in the center of the table, pouches with Marseille soap for the guests and even a thought organic chewable!
But is a ceremony thought in terms of the impact on the environment, does it really make sense? Yes, when you know that a classic celebration with 200 guests, their cars, pantagruelal buffets, the plane for the honeymoon, can produce up to 14.5 tons of CO2 , almost as much as the production of each French for a whole year! Some also see in this commitment a strong symbol to start a couple life ... sustainable. "In my region, lovers reclaim their ceremony," says Cécile Bouchet, who oversees her first organic wedding in June. By choosing local producers, by getting involved in the smallest details, they invent their party, not that of the neighbor! Sometimes at a lower cost. For if the option "wedding planner" (a pro takes care of everything) is expensive ( count from 20 000 to 30 000 € for an organic wedding and its 150 guests ), you can also find yourself on the Net. Recyclable decoration, vintage jewelery, fair trade gifts, energy-efficient appliances ... "We feel the desire to return to more simplicity," says Stephanie, "and also a strong reaction against the waste of recent years. "
The marriage dress, long confined to the category princess or meringue. "My clients do not want to feel disguised that day," says Caroline Lindenlaub, creator of Aranel, who uses fair trade silk and dyes that do not pollute. All my models are transformed so that they can be transferred without any problems. "The designer Marie Garnier even proposes a dress of sementable paper, with seeds of integrated flowers. The day after the festival, the outfit, a real work of art, is disjointed and planted to transform into a garden of white flowers. Flowers as perennial, it is hoped, that the feeling that binds the married. When ecology rhymes with poetry!
Tell me yes zero wasp
The place . You get married close to home to minimize travel, using a farm, a guest house or an organic hotel. We prefer the train, carpooling. The bride and groom arrive by horse-drawn carriage, by bike or in a hybrid car! www.laclefverte.com , to find a place that respects the environment.
The caterer . There are no organic caterers everywhere, but the larger ones are moving. The presence of the AB logo is checked. Many wine growers have an organic range. www.traiteur-ethique.com , for superb and bluffing menus.
The announcements . Very trendy, personalized and on recycled paper. www.kardamome.fr
Flowers . In season, organic or, even better, wild. You can add fruit, greenery or pine cones as centerpieces. The must, natural confetti, grains of lavender, or a release of soap bubbles. www.ethiflora.fr sells fair trade roses.
The outfits . For the creations of Caroline Lindenlaub, go to www.terre-de-mode.com (new collection 2010 available from June).
The list . For equitable gifts, www.mariagedesmondes.fr To support the association of its choice, www.ameliste.fr
The journey . Exceeded, the tropics and their catastrophic carbon footprint. So we choose from among 95 places in the world selected for their commitment to the planet on www.voyagespourlaplanete.com
