Resolution in green

Literally speaking, the bride wore green.

So did the groom.

Although the attendants were the only ones required to don sage-toned dresses, Mary Macdonald and Josiah Strauss vowed, even before they marched the promenade at Naples Botanical Gardens last Sunday, that their wedding would be an environmentally responsible “green” one.

“We’re just trying to make a little less of an impact on the planet with our event,” said Macdonald before the ceremony. Strauss haunted antique stores to find his fiancée’s heirloom engagement ring and the couple bought their wedding rings from greenKarat, a Magnolia, Texas, company that creates jewelry from recycled gold. The couple printed their own “tree-free” invitations on milkweed paper. They also researched, but rejected because of the cost, a soy-based ink for printing their invitations.

The two Naples residents are among a growing number of people who are trying to make their celebrations environmentally responsible. There’s even a Boston-based Web resource directory built up around Janet Kozin’s book, “Organic Weddings: Balancing Ecology, Style and Tradition” (New Society Publishers; $24.95 new, discounted at Kozin’s Web site). It offers resources for organically grown bouquets, a natural silk-hemp wedding dress fabric and “tree-free” favors such as place cards of recycled paper. The place cards are impregnated with wildflower seeds that guests can take home and plant.

Angila Harvey, customer service supervisor for a “green” bridal registry at Gaiam Inc. in Broomfield, Colo., says that, even without publicity, its sales of gifts such as eco-friendly housewares, sheets, towels and duvet covers are up. Sales rose between 32 and 35 percent from last year, she said.

Macdonald is a Naples High School and Florida Atlantic University graduate who worked as an environmental educator and for Natural Awakenings magazine in Naples. Strauss, a Fort Lauderdale native, was a county environmental compliance officer before the wedding; the two are resettling in Texas while he pursues a doctorate in geology.

When the couple started planning their wedding last August, they wanted it to be an event that was environmentally and socially reponsible, MacDonald said. One of their gift options was for contributions to Oxfam, the agricultural/humanitarian aid organization.

The two agreed that going entirely green was too costly, so they would pick and choose a few splurges. Macdonald’s wedding dress was created by a Bonita Springs bridal shop and her wedding cake was traditional; the flower girls were costumed identically as blue butterflies. At the reception, the wine was donated and a mainstream brand of beer was served in recyclable glass.

The two worked with Linda Resch, owner of Carolina Catering/Event Design in Naples, to create a menu of sustainable seafood and free-range chickens, organic vegetables and basmati rice. Resch came up with another side dish of stone-ground grits flavored with an organic Vermont cheddar and herbs. The six various hors d’oeuvres she created were downright fun, to hear her discuss it.

“One we did was a goat cheese and rosemary on organic wheat bread with pure unfiltered honey. It was delicious,” Resch recalled. Resch said the unfiltered jams and honeys were “great to cook with.” Oils from organically grown sources were hard to find, however.

“It’s not something I typically do. But now that I’ve done it once, I’d definitely be willing to tackle it again,” she declared.

Resch estimated the food cost increase for an organically dominant reception was about 25 percent.” Sulfite-free, organically produced wines and beers would cost nearly 50 percent more than standards if they’re chosen. The cost of rentals barely increased for the Macdonald-Strauss wedding, however; a 2.5 percent increase in the cost of environmentally balanced detergents was the only addition to the bill.

The fact that the wedding was outdoors at the Naples Botanical Garden saved the environmental cost of air conditioning and provided a lush ambience for the event.

“I really wanted to promote the gardens, too. They really promote protection the ecosystem and native planting. I know a lot of people living here who didn’t even know about it and I wanted to expose them to it,” Macdonald explained. “Our whole wedding was taking the opportunity to have friends and family together — and perhaps educate them just a bit while they’re having a good time.”

That’s why the Pacific Coast halibut course dish at the couple’s reception was flanked by a stack of wallet-size cards from Seafood Watch listing the names of fish that are endangered or suspected of containing chemicals. Guests could take the cards home for use future shopping or dining. Wildflower seed packets were favors at each guest’s place.

Macdonald said she and her fiance were able to save for the higher-cost items by finding low-cost resources for others. The bill for 100 of their raffia-tied, leaf-print, home-finished invitations was only $250. There also was family help for the event: Macdonald’s mother, Renee Macdonald, is a rental agent who was able to find short-term homes in which to put up guests arriving from out of town. Her father, Bruce Macdonald, owns Naples Smokehouse & Provisions, and provided smoked cheese appetizers.

The couple suggested to guests that they carpool to the wedding and told their groomsmen to simply wear suits they already owned. Macdonald told her bridesmaids to purchase or wear a sage-green dress they already owned that they liked.

“That way they weren’t wasting money buying a dress they would wear once,” she said. Her bridesmaids took the economic marching orders seriously; one shopped a Dillard’s after-prom sale; another found her dress on eBay.

The men’s suits, different colors all, weren’t quite in sync, but the bride took it in stride.

“We have the rainbow thing going on,” she said, laughing.

To plan for special events:

Resources

Carolina Catering/ Event Design, Naples: 566-2665; owner Linda Resch, former owner of Bin 58, says she is open to organic catering requests

www.organicweddings.com: a Boston, Mass., site offering resources for organic gifts and accessories around the country, as well as “Wow” nuggets of information on standard wedding practices

www.greenKarat.com: jewelry, including wedding and engagement rings, from recycled gold

www.nearlynewbridal.com: A site with classified ads for once-used or unused bridal dresses — one even advertised itself as from a “runaway bride” — and sets of bridesmaids’ dresses

www.thegreenguide.com: A national resource for organic foods and beverages such as beer and wine, as well as other products

Gift registry sites:

www.bedbathandbeyond.com — online site for the store chain that offers a gift registry; those who want “green” gifts can ask their guests to use the keyword “organic”

www.greenfeet.com — a Chico, Calif., household goods store specializing in recycled wares, such as 78 rpm chip dishes, that offers a gift registry

www.gaiam.com/retail/default.asp — Gaiam Inc., a natural goods and equipment company that offers a wedding gift registry