green wedding (planning) crazy!

i had two things on my wedding list of 'things to organise' that were absolutely essential for me to have organised before i could relax into the creative side of wedding planning (and by that i mean, colour schemes, table settings, all the decorative stuff that personalises a wedding), and they were the venue and the photographer.
i didn't have an exact dream wedding, just a basic idea. i wanted to avoid the traditional ceremony, photos, reception, a set course dinner and finish up at 11:30. i want everyone (all our close friends and family that are invited to the wedding) to feel comfortable, to enjoy the whole day. i want everyone to love the food and the music, and to party with us until late, to really celebrate our love and love in general.
i see the ceremony as being the very personal part of the wedding, where everyone shares in the official commitment of our love, and also adding their own love for us to the mix. where as the reception is the party! so that is my 'theme'.
the good news is that i have found both my venue and my photographer! i am so relieved and excited!
we are having the ceremony and the reception at the same place (no travel between equals being green! ohh and my humor strikes again) and it is also the accommodation for all of my mans family and friends that are traveling to the wedding. we've also booked it for a week, so we have enough time to decorate with all the goodies that i am going to make! and some time left afterwards to relax. plus that also means no time restrictions on the night! i'm so excited i could pop! it's going to be a massive party! (ridiculously excited really, as you can probably tell from the excessive use of exclamation marks). i met with my photographer for the first time last weekend, and really liked her from the beginning. she ticks all the boxes on my 'must haves' list (beautiful work, sense of humor, honesty, easy going, experienced), and as a bonus, she has worked at our venue before, so she knows the good spots, the bad spots, and the ins and outs of it. brilliant!
here's a sneak peak at where we are planning the ceremony (the gazebo will be off to the side, we are having the signing of the documents in there). so pretty! and it looks out over the ocean!

i'm honestly a very natural person in terms of decor (my house is filled with wooden furniture and natural tones), so my wedding decorations and table settings are going to reflect that. which will also be wonderful in keeping with my goal of being as green as possible, as i'm not looking for exotic or extravagant decorations. i'm actually planning on making the majority of the decorations myself (some call me crazy, but it's important to me, so i will find the time and energy). i've got over a year to do it all, and the two major bookings are done! happy days! if anyone else is planning a green wedding, and has any tips, ideas, or experiences that could help me out, please leave a comment.

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