Andrea and Matthew's Hubbards Barn wedding was one of my favourites this year for so many reasons. Most of all, I was thrilled to be at a wedding with family and friends from my community who I grew up with. It was a beautiful day and every detail was perfect. Andrea and Matthew really dedicated themselves to planning a DIY wedding that was meaningful to them and the personal values they share. This wedding supported local business and was as environmentally friendly as possible. I wanted to share these ideas to inspire others. With a little research and planning, a green and locally sourced wedding is an amazing experience for everyone involved.
Thank you to Andrea and Matthew for sharing this information!
The location: Anchorage House & Cottages and Hubbards Barn
The Dress: Andrea's beautiful dress was found on Etsy from Jennifer Serr who does an amazing job of making old dresses modern. Instead of buying a brand new dress, Andrea decided to wear this dress which suited her perfectly. After the wedding, she washed it by hand and avoided the harmful chemicals of dry cleaning.
The shoes: These Toms shoes were perfect for Andrea and her country wedding at the Hubbards Barn. Comfy and cute, every pair purchased provides a pair of shoes for a child in need. You can dance all night in these shoes!
The jewellery: Andrea and Matthew's rings were made the local artist Allyson Simmie who sells her jewellery at the Hubbards Barn Market. It was important to Andrea that the engagement ring was designed without a diamond. She was deeply affected by visiting a diamond mine and seeing the environmental damage it caused. Allyson designed the wedding ring to fit under the engagement ring and Matthew’s ring was designed to match.
The gifts for the bridesmaids and flower girl were necklaces made by Rita Laidlaw of Sea Glass Designs at the Halifax Seaport Market and handmade soap from Simply Sublime Soaps at the Hubbards Market.
The flowers: Andrea's wedding bouquet was the most unique I have ever seen. By special request, Svenja Dee of Tulipwood creatively incorporated broccoli, carrots, eggplant, cauliflower and peppers into the bouquet along with flowers and delicious smelling herbs. She also created the boutonnieres and the headpieces that the bride and flower-girl wore. Everything was in season and grown locally. This was important to Andrea and Matthew because foreign flower producers are not always good for the environment and the transport of these flowers can be costly as well.
The ceremony: What a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding! Chalkboards (reusable) guided the guests to the back of the barn for the main event. A special part of the ceremony was the planting of a small red oak which started as a seedling from their yard. Bridesmaid Daun read a reading about how the elements of the Earth relate to love and their relationship. Two other pines, and a few shrubs used for for decoration, were purchased from Bloom Greenhouse and Garden Center and later planted in Andrea and Matthew's yard after the wedding.
The decorations: I loved the simplicity and natural feel of the decorations at this wedding. The table runners were burlap and the tables were marked by beautiful bouquets of different trees, bushes and flowers. Andrea's mom made the little bags that the favours came in and Matthew's mom helped make the spice mixes that went in them. Also included in the bags were favourite recipes as a representation of the couple's love for food and cooking.
The food: Andrea and Matthew LOVE food! They are amazing cooks (check out their engagement shoot blog) and the food at the wedding was a big deal for them. Certainly Cinnamon catered the event and did a fantastic job. They support local food vendors as much as possible and provided an amazing vegetarian option for the wedding. At the rehearsal dinner the night before, everyone enjoyed the pulled pork that Matthew and his mom made from meat they purchased from Getaway Farms at the Halifax Seaport Market. Even the champagne Matthew and Andrea enjoyed after the ceremony was from L’Acadie Winery in the valley. The cupcakes were home-made and the stands were made by the bride and groom's fathers from wood which was locally sourced and served a double purpose as fuel in the woodstove after the wedding. Everyone certainly enjoyed the food and drinks!
Congratulations to Andrea and Matthew on a beautiful locally-sourced wedding. I hope this inspires others to think "green" when planning a wedding.