A Burnless Flame

Candles add an extremely elegant touch to your wedding. In low light, the gentle flicker of candles sets the stage for a romantic evening. But, unfortunately, due to safety concerns, many wedding facilities do not allow candles to be used on site. So what are you to do if you had your heart set on a hundred flickering lights?

Meet Ashley Danae Designs. Ashley Danae Designs creates flameless candles that are made of wax and have a deliciously light vanilla scent. The candle’s "flame" flickers like a real candle, but instead of burning down to the wick, you need only a fresh pair of batteries to recharge their light. Unless you walk right up to the candle and pick it up, you have no idea the candle is not real and the best part is you'll never have to replace it.

Ashley Danae's candles also come in a wide variety of colors, patterns and styles. Just check out some of the samples below.

Lucky Tip: Use Lucky Crow Gift Bags

We found a really amazing company located in Portland, OR called Lucky Crow (great name) that creates the most charming and reusable gift bags we've ever seen. At banquetevent.com we are all about recycling and doing our small part to preserve the environment. So when we hear about a company in the industry also doing their part, we just have to share them with you. Check out the many options Lucky Crow offers from tiny to large in fun and funky colors.


Choose from tons of different fabric selections. Lucky Crow even offers organic options.


Order yours online at LuckyCrow.com

We Think You'll Love...

We think you'll love these charming, and eco-friendly kitchen and house ware products from a company called Blossom Creations. Blossom Creations is dedicated to environmental sustainability and reducing the impact we have on the environment. To achieve this, we are dedicated to doing the following:

• Using only 100% recycled paper and card (with the highest post-consumer waste content available)
• Using hemp, organically grown cotton, and other alternative fibres
• Printing with water and vegetable based inks
• Using Environmentally Sustainable Design, Manufacture, and General Business Practices

Check out their eco-friendly products below including an apron (top left), napkins (bottom left) and kitchen towels (right).

You Won't Believe What These Are Made Of

Getting married is such an exciting time in a couple's life. Not only are you vowing to love and cherish, but you are also committing to join two personalities together in one household. Now is the time for you as a couple to create your own personal style together. This is your clean slate to start fresh with a whole new home and interior design and we've found some wonderful, albeit unique, home decor items we think you just might like. After all, you pride yourself on being unique as a couple and are all about setting trends among your group of friends.

We'd like to introduce you to some everyday home decor items with a twist. Below we'll post some images of these items. See if you can guess what they are made of. Find the answers below the image.

Item #1: The Placemat

You may not believe it, but this intricately woven placemat is made of recycled candy wrappers. That's right, if you look closely you'll see the familiar logos of the tasty treats you've been eating for years. This placemat is fun, playful, totally recycled, and calorie-free, to boot! Pick yours up for $26 at VivaTerra.com.

Item#2: Decorative Bowls


You'll never guess what these handcrafted decorative bowls are formed from. Inventive natural sculptor Margaret Dorfman brilliantly transforms edibles into luminescent vessels. Building her bowls slice by slice from fresh produce, Dorfman presses each one into durable parchment, which she hand-shapes to resemble large, bright undulating flowers with vivid repeating patterns. Invisibly coated to maintain their vibrant translucent colors, the bowls comfortably hold a votive candle in a cup. The bowls above are made from Zucchini, Papaya and Beets. Retails for $42 and available at VivaTerra.com

Item #3: Glassware


These may not be as difficult to figure out, but boy are they innovative. Chalk one up for originality for this fun glassware. Comes with white chalk to write on, then erase and re-label as often as you like. The wine and beer glasses are great for a party as guests can write their names on their glass. You can also write expiration dates on the labels for the storage containers. Retails for $6-$12 and available at Cost Plus World Market.

Toast of the Gowns

On May 18th, we will be having a Toast of the Gowns Fashion Show at the Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington to benefit Women's Cancer Research.

La Belle Reve will be donating 25 gowns to our Toast of the Gowns Fashion Show.

John Curley of Evening Magazine will be the emcee and auctioneer. There will be a silent auction and wine tasting reception followed by a live auction fashion show. La Belle Reve Bridal in Bellevue has donated 25 evening gowns to be auctioned off and our models include Christine Chen and Miss Emerald City.

$200 per guest
$250 for preferred seating

Visit www.dldfoundation.org for more information.

Recycled Gold

We'd like to introduce you to a company impacting the awareness of eco-friendly alternatives in the wedding industry. Meet greenKarat whose mission is to provide consumers with an ecologically and socially responsible jewelry alternative to those who are concerned about the effect of gold and gem mining on the earth's eco-system. greenKarat sells recycled gold jewelry and offers tons of choices in wedding bands. greenKarat states that there is enough unused gold above ground to satisfy the jewelry industry for the next 50 years.

greenKarat even offers you a trade-in for your unused gold jewelry. All you have to do is contact greenKarat and they will provide you with shipping instructions. Then once they receive your gold piece, they will let you know its worth and tell you how much store credit you will receive. Just make sure the gold you send is pure 10k, 14k or 18k gold. And remember, these recycled pieces will be melted down, so don't send anything with sentimental value.

Earth Day Style!

We all want to do our part to preserve the planet for future generations. In fact, our generation has the potential to make the greatest impact on preserving the Earth in all of history. What better day than on Earth Day (April 22, 2008) to step out and make a difference. One voice can change the perspective of thousands.

We found these great graphic tee shirts that express the values we represent and happen to be rather stylish. You've heard of wearing your heart on your sleeve....well, now its time to wear your cause on your chest.

Get your graphic-t's at Forever 21

A Green Newlywed Home?

Enter to win HGTV's Green Home Giveaway. One lucky person will win a new GMC Yukon Hybrid and this beautifully furnished eco-friendly home in Tradition Hilton Head, S.C. It could be you!

So what does a Green Home look like?





Enter to win here!

Living the Life of a Vegan

Many women and men in today's society are vegans. Being a vegan is a lifestyle for most and not just a small part of one's day. So when it comes to high fashion, especially with shoes, its extremely difficult to find designer clothes made of alternative synthetic materials without compromising style. After all, many shoes are made of animal products such as leather, suede, crocodile skin, etc. That is until now. A new line through shoe designer, Te Casan, developed by actress Natalie Portman, offers high fashion shoewear made from entirely synthetic products.

And boy are they cute! Check out two of our favorites...

Green Wedding Gowns

Planning a Green Wedding?

Deborah Lindquist has been in the eco-fashion industry for over 20 years, she is the godmother of eco-fashion and uses materials like hemp, recycled kimonos and cashmere and organic cotton lace. Deborah features a Green Wedding fashion line with eco-friendly options for brides wishing to plan a green wedding. Her gowns range from $800-$3000.


Deborah has dressed Sharon Stone, Gwen Stefani, Keyshia Cole, Demi Moore, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson and Charlize Theron.

We Think You'll Love...

We think you'll love this charming designer clothing line called Beau Soleil. They create a 100% eco-friendly clothing line that looks and feels incredible. The company's focus is on sustainability, fair trade and labor, as well as organic raw materials with the end goal to offer consumers environmentally healthy clothing choices without sacrificing fashion. They have some adorable sun dresses for spring and summer honeymoon attire that will have you wishing all your clothes fit and felt so great. And how good will you feel knowing you made a socially conscious fashion choice.

The above dress is actually made of bamboo. You won't believe how soft and flowing it feels. Bamboo is bamboo a sustainable material. Their other fabrics include vegetable-dyed organic cottons and vintage, tencel, which is made from eucalyptus tress, as well as recycled leather trims. The dress above includes the recycled leather strap that is also removable for easy cleaning. Price $275

Love Diamonds

If you saw the movie Blood Diamond with Leonardo DiCaprio you may have thought twice about the procurement of your own engagement diamond. The terms “conflict diamond” and “blood diamond” only entered the public consciousness recently, as the funds used to conduct devastating civil wars in Africa that ended millions of lives were traced back to diamonds. It is a sad truth that many diamonds are obtained through conflict in many parts of the world, which is why we are so impressed with the company called Brilliant Earth. Based in San Francisco, Brilliant Earth grew out of a marriage proposal. After Beth's fiance could not find a reliable source that could guarantee conflict free diamonds, Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg created Brilliant Earth to provide certified conflict free diamonds as an alternative to current diamond industry practices. Their diamonds come from Canadian mines that follow socially sustainable practices in the supplying of high quality gems. Brilliant Earth also donates 5% of its profits to African communities harmed by the diamond industry.
Take a stand: Ask your local jeweler about where their diamonds came from and if they can guarantee they were obtained ethically.

Pump Got You Pumped Too?

If gas prices have got you in a tizzy as of late, maybe you should take a cue from this recent cartoon...

Cause-metics

PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics is the first cosmetic line to give all of its after tax distributable profits to women's health advocacy & human rights issues. We especially love their natural mineral based nail polishes because they are attractive and good for your nails all at the same time. Plus you can feel good about contributing to an organization that supports women's issues.

For your wedding day, we recommend their French Manicure Kit. The kit includes...
Nail Renewal Oil with sweet almond oil, ginseng root extract, myrrha extract, and vitamin E for instant revitalization of cuticles and nail surface.
Paint Me Eternal Top/Bottom Coat nail polish with amino acids, vitamin A & E and seaweed to nurture the nails.
Paint Me Tranquil, a soft, subtle pink nail polish made with Botanical Argan Oil which is rich in amino acids.
Paint Me Tender, an opaque white nail polish for nail tips made with Botanical Argan Oil.
Price: $34.00

Register for Generosity

Many couples these days are getting married after they have already lived on their own for some time. That means, often times couples do not need to register for dishes, pots and pans, flatware or other household items at the time of their wedding. Yet, wedding guests still want to give a gift to the bride and groom. The I Do Foundation offers a solution. Couples can choose from a variety of charitable organizations, start a registry, and encourage wedding guests to make a donation in lieu of a wedding present. Using their simple system, your guests can make secure online donations in support of the organization of your choice. After you create a Charity Registry, you can make your registry immediately available to your guests through your personal wedding website. When guests visit your wedding website to learn more about your celebration, they can also access your Charity Registry to make their tax-deductible gift directly online.

Interested? Learn more.

We Think You'll Love...

We think you'll love these eco-friendly wedding favors and gifts from ecoparti.


Ecoparti offers biodegradable confetti in many colors. The confetti dissolves in water making it a smart choice for a fun and earth friendly bridal toss.

Other items available include rice paper napkins, rose petals, seed favors, milk soaps, and much more.

Are You Inspi(RED) this Valentine's Day?

This Valentine's Day, choose your gift wisely. Hallmark, has partnered with (PRODUCT) RED™ to help people living with AIDS in Africa. The contributions to Global Fund comes right out of Hallmark's profits. Now when you send a card or give a gift, you help people living with AIDS in Africa. 8% of Hallmark (PRODUCT) RED™ net wholesale sales will go to the Global Fund. Other companies have joined in the effort to raise funds for this cause including GAP, Converse, Emporio Armani, Apple, American Express and Motorola.

The (PRODUCT) RED™ items available at Hallmark include cards, gifts, gift wrap and more and are available online or in the store.