We invited Maria Finn aka citydirt to share some insights into incorporating plants and flowers into your Handmade Weddings. Maria has written about nature for the New York Times and Audobon, and has also published travel books and taught writing to college students. In addition to being an award-winning author, Maria runs a hands-on, eco-friendly gardening company called Prospect & Refuge, and blogs about the experience at CityDirt.net.

Nobody wants to think of herself as a Bridezilla, but all the details can be daunting — especially if you’re someone who considers her or himself eco-sensitive. Are your wedding flowers filled with pesticides that are polluting the rivers and exploiting workers in Colombia? Does rice thrown for good luck really explode in the stomachs of songbirds? Ahhh, the horror of unintended consequences. Etsy has asked me to make these details a little easier. And since you’re here, reading this, I’m assuming you like things creative and a little funky, so let’s make this wedding planning fun.

Carry an elegant bouquet of white calla lilies wrapped in your grandmother’s handkerchief, or mix together chartreuse and romantic sunset roses, both available from Organic Bouquet. (Remember, you’ll need a few days to let them open, so timing is everything here. And there aren't really any organic fillers, so just go outside and pick some ornamental grass or ivy vines and bind them all together with floral tape and then cover that with ribbon.) To find other Fair Trade flowers vendors click transfairusa.org/content/flowers/index.php.

Centerpieces at the reception don’t even need to be flowers. If you’re Buddhists, you can find statues and incense burners; for bird lovers, place  botanicraft's bird houses on the table and scatter dried flowers or petals around them.


Terrariums are glass containers filled with tropical or desert eco-systems, and tres chic these days. Here's a good size: vintage Crushed Fruit Jar.

You can create a natural look by adding pieces of driftwood, shells, or pebbles, or you can add a kitschy bride and groom figurine and mulch with turquoise marbles or red lentils if you’d like. These can really keep a conversation flowing at the in-law table. Go to my blog for a guide to making a terrarium—and what to avoid.

You can also use live plants that can be given away to guests or can be replanted in your yard. Small bonsai trees make elegant centerpieces and will live for years — decades even. Scour your local China Town for ones already in ceramic dishes. Add a few of  gamiworks's Japanese Candle Votives for a touch of color.

Also, OrganicBouquet.com sells California grapevine bonsai’s — so post nuptials, the Newlyweds can start their own vineyard.

If you must have cut flowers — and often we must — go seasonal or go native.  WhatsInBloom sells a planning kit to help you know which flowers are available the month of your wedding. For natives, check out the Local Harvest Site to find wildflower venues near you and support growers of native wildflowers. Native plants are heartier, use less water, require fewer pesticides, and they provide food and shelter for our birds, bees, and butterflies. Although, I must admit, I love lavender.

It’s not a native to my Brooklyn area, but lavender is certainly hard to resist. In the Middle Ages, lavender was considered “the herb of love” and lavender bouquets were given to newly-married couples to bring good luck; as well, sprinkling dried lavender flowers in the home was said to bring peacefulness. So plant some live lavender in reclaimed redwood flowerpots from barwood.

For larger bouquets, mix miniature cascading red roses with lavender. Later, turn these into planted pots on your front porch or replant them into window boxes.

As for what to toss at the bride and groom, I’ve got you covered. At my Etsy store here, I sell native wildflower seeds in hand stamped small envelopes. By tossing these, you’re doing all sorts of great stuff for the environment, and seeds are symbolic; there’s something, well, fertile, so to speak.

For more eco-friendly and DIY wedding tips, see Portovert's post, ecochicwedding's post, Craftmagazine's DIY post, plus many others. 

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