Calamity's reviews

In keeping with our green wedding, we wanted invitations that did not cause the environment undue harm. After much searching I located russet-coloured recycled stationery at The Papery in Toronto. The first location I tried did not have enough, but they called another location and confirmed that I could pick up additional stationery there. I used 100% recycled white paper for the inserts, which printed without a problem on my colour printer. It's unfortunate that it is so difficult to find recycled stationery, but the more of us who request it, the more will become available.

You're probably thinking WHAT? The David Suzuki Foundation? Well, my husband and I had a green wedding at a conservation centre, so the idea of getting individual gifts for each guest -- gifts that would just end up in the landfill eventually -- was unappealing. Instead, in the spirit of green-ness, in lieu of wedding favours we made a generous donation to the David Suzuki Foundation. Others may wish to do something in a similar vein, be it a donation to a charity or a tree-planting. I don't think that our guests felt cheated.

We can't say enough good things about Muirgen. She was the photographer at my brother's wedding, and since then she has been in demand amongst all of our friends! She is a lovely person as well as a wonderful photographer. She offers prints, as traditional wedding photographers do, but she also offers digital packages that are perfect for people who would prefer to handle the printing themselves. Plus, you couldn't ask to have a more reassuring and supportive person with you on your wedding day. Muirgen made it extra special, and she created digital memories to last a lifetime.

We used a wonderful officiant named Gail, who we found through the Humanist Association of Canada. She was so calm and friendly, and I knew our ceremony was in good hands. The sample scripts that she provided allowed us to craft a humanist ceremony that was perfect for us.

One word: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! The two simple slab cakes that we had for our wedding were scrumptious and understated. The pieces that we saved for our first anniversary (which has just passed) were delicious even after a year in the freezer.

If you are interested in having a "green" wedding and you live in the Toronto area, consider Kortright Centre for Conservation. My initial contact person there did not inspire much confidence, but after she left her position I was delighted to meet a woman named Lauren, who was fabulous! She took care of every last detail professionally and courteously. As well, we were welcome to visit Kortright as often as we wanted prior to our wedding day, and we were even permitted to fuss about in the audio/visual room of the theatre to prepare for our wedding-day video presentation.

My wedding day forecast called for rain, so rather than being wed in the forest (our first choice) we wed in Kortright's beautiful "Glass House." I thought I would be disappointed to have a roof over us, but it was a lovely venue with views of the changing fall colours. I can't imagine a time of year when it wouldn't be a wonderful place for a wedding and/or reception.

There were one or two complaints about the food, but most people raved about it. We were able to offer our guests a choice of four entrees. How cool is that!

The best part of all about Kortright was the environmentally friendly aspect. It fit right in with the philosophy of my wedding.

Pom was the tailor/seamstress recommended by the woman from whom I purchased my wedding dress. What a character she is! She made me feel very comfortable (in spite of the room being warm) and she did such a beautiful job on my dress. She added "cookies" and a built-in bra, plus she suggested and execute the most beautiful French bustle, since I did not want to have the dress's train dragging behind me. You can find Pom at:

Olwyn Fleury Haute Couture
88 Charles St E Suite 401, Toronto M4Y 2W7, Ontario
Tel: 416-921-8492

As my wedding party was small and I was striving to have an environmentally friendly wedding, I wanted to find a restaurant near our wedding venue to hold the rehearsal dinner (rather than having every driving their gas-guzzlers long distances). Vilaggios in Woodbridge, ON, was perfect. It has a very unassuming exterior, being situated in a strip mall, but the interior is warm, cozy, attractive and welcoming. The service was courteous and lighthearted, and the food was amazing!

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/136345/restaurant/Toronto/Woodbridge/Villaggio-Bistro-Bar-Vaughan

If you think that you need to spend a fortune on a dress that you will only wear for one single day of your life, think again -- and think used! The Brides Project, located in a big, old house in Toronto, has an abundance of dresses (some used, some in "last year's" styles, and all donated). The organization's philosophy is wonderful, and proceeds go to a camp for childhood cancer patients. It was a unique experience, being left alone to try on as many dresses as I liked in the "Sweet" room (that's the room for non-Twiggy-like brides-to-be). It was July, the house isn't air-conditioned, and the dresses were heavier than I had anticipated, but once I put on the dress that was "me" I couldn't have been happier.

http://www.thebridesproject.com/

I never did meet Scott Graham of EcoFlora, having asked my parents to choose the flowers for my wedding, but I owe him a great big hug! He did a fantastic job creating beautiful bouquets for myself and my bridesmaids as well as lovely boutonnieres for the groom, groomsmen and parents. Most importantly of all, he completely understood my desire for environmentally friendly flowers, as he specializes in organic and local blooms. (Where that is not possible, he strives to obtain fairly traded flowers.) I put total trust in him, as he took my parents' suggestions and ran with them. No one had a clue what the flowers would look like until the very day of the wedding, and I couldn't have been happier.