A Green Bride Shares Her Story

After publishing Tree Planting as a Symbol of Your New Roots and Growing Love, I was thrilled to receive an email from Rachel, who was one of the brides mentioned in that post.

Rachel was happy to tell us a little more about why she and Derek decided to include a tree planting ceremony as part of their wedding celebration:

Planting trees has been a tradition in my family. When I was born, my parents planted a Buckeye tree on my grandparents farm and I was able to watch it grow with me! I didn't grow quite as fast as it did, but it will always be known as my tree whenever I go back and visit. My husband and I wanted to carry on this tradition and plant a tree for our wedding. Since we don't have a permanent home yet, we decided to plant the tree at the wedding site, which was also a non-profit heritage park. Incorporating it into the wedding ceremony was our way of sharing our environmental passion with our guests. Every child we have will also get their own tree, and the tradition will carry on. If everyone in the world planted just one tree, imagine how much that would help the environment.

The tree planting ceremony wasn't the only eco-friendly aspect of Rachel and Derek's wedding!

During their wedding rehearsal, their flower girl helped them pick up red leaves. They put the leaves into an antique basket they found in Rachel's grandma's basement, and the flower girl scattered them during the ceremony.

They borrowed potted plants from neighbors to use as decorations for the ceremony, and Rachel's mother used flowers from her garden for all of the centerpieces.

Read more of Derek and Rachel's green wedding ideas in their blog, A Green Iowa Wedding.

Photo credit: Sara-Jayne Photography