The Recycled Wedding: It's nothing new...

The Recycled Wedding: It's Nothing New... 

~Tips for Conscious Peacock Brides~

People have been recycling things since the beginning of time; however, since the industrial revolution, we've seen the growth of consumerism. That then produces waste. When things become common, we forget how much energy was put into creating them. We cast things into the trash that are 100% reusable  The fact that you want to hug Mother Earth while getting hitched is nothing new. And you shouldn't feel bad about wanting to reuse items that were trash-bound. You can buy stuff new and use old things as well. Either way, being a conscious bride is a good thing. Don't be ashamed of it! 

I'm not a hipster. I'm not a hippie. I don't really know what you'd label me these days...but there is one thing I know for sure: I am very concerned about is the health of the planet. Weddings are wonderful parties...but those parties last one day. How much of our hard-earned money is going to the trash, then the landfill, then into our waters after our wedding day? You can have so much more if you reuse things that you can find for free. Abundance is hidden sometimes. 

The "Mason Jar" Phenomenon in weddings has taken over Pintrest, Etsy, and all corners of the wedding internets. The most appealing part of jars is that they are made of glass. Glass is strong and durable, while being fragile and simple--Just like a relationship. Nothing is more dynamic than watching light hit glass. That is the ambiance of romance...that's the stuff that dreams and babies are made of; but you know what's not so sexy? Garbage patches in the ocean. 

I decided that I want to use a lot of recycled materials in my wedding. Not only are they free, but they are still usable. I've been saving glass jars for over a year. I work in a place where we "demo" food items. Most of these jars are cast into the trash. No one recycles them because they don't get a return value like cans and bottles for beverages. So I decided to adopt over 100 jars of various sizes. I didn't turn a jar away! 

Here is a jar that I first frosted with glass frosting and then applied muti-colored rhinestones by hand. I took some pictures before they are finished so you can see what it looks like in-progress. 

Here are some ombre drip-painted mason jars. Look how beautifully the light blue ombre plays off of the peacock feather!! 

We are going to be doing all different types of jars in the blue ombre color scheme and the peacock color scheme. They will match because they will all be different. So far, when I put everything together, I am so happy that it is going so well!! 

The main thing you'll have to get over about using recycled materials is: Not everything is going to match!! However, if everything is a little mismatched, then a new pattern is created. There is beauty in imperfection!! We need to embrace that. I plan on keeping or selling the jars I have created. Now things that we once landfill-bound will now grace the shelves of homes as treasured lanterns. These might be donated to another bride who cannot afford to make this many lanterns for herself. These things are beautiful and have purpose now. 

Be conscious...