Country Lore: Eco-friendly Wedding

I am a small-scale farmer and my husband is a beer brewer who also loves to work in the garden and cook. We’re both passionate about supporting local, sustainable businesses. We wanted our wedding to be beautiful, meaningful and in accordance with our belief system.

We avoided the controversy of purchasing rings with precious metals and gems, and opted instead for an antique ring and custom-made wooden wedding bands. Our friend helped us design lovely invitations, printed on recycled paper. We used a caterer who purchases primarily local and organic food. She even cooked with some food from my garden and served some of my husband’s beer.

Our close friends, excellent farmers, provided the most beautiful flower arrangements and the bridal bouquet. For party favors, my dear friend and I dried a bunch of homegrown flowers (strawflowers, amaranth and broom corn), and made pretty swatches to decorate tables.

The people we love most really participated in this day — artists, musicians and growers — and it was such a rewarding and beautiful experience.

Mira Kilpatrick
Rockledge, Pennsylvania