She Wanted More Than a Beautiful Wedding. She Wanted a Meaningful One.

How climate coach Katie Vason made sustainability the heart of her Georgia wedding.

What Made Katie Plan a Sustainable Wedding

Katie and her partner Greg live in vibrant Brooklyn, NY, but she grew up in Georgia. Visiting her family's farm in Godfrey, Morgan County, only nurtured her love for nature. That's how she always knew she wanted to get married in charming Madison, GA, setting a date for June 2024.

As a climate coach, Katie helps others live in alignment with their values. So, planning a sustainable wedding was a natural extension of her life philosophy.

The Story Behind Her Sustainably Stunning Wedding Gown

During Katie's first week of gown hunting, she struck gold at Chris Hudson Couture's studio. The talented Madison designer displayed a stunning dress made of a Belgian tablecloth. The delicate gown wasn't just very reasonably priced, it also looked fabulous on her.

Another huge benefit? Wearing an upcycled wedding dress saves up to 10,000 liters of water. That's enough drinking water to hydrate one person for seven years!

Katie’s Imperfectly Sustainable Choice

Finding a suitable rental option for bridesmaid dresses was a hard quest. Katie was adamant about skipping an expensive, one-time-worn dress for her bridesmaids. But her friends' traveling schedules didn't work out with any of the stores' return times. For sanity's sake, Katie opted to shop at Bella Bridesmaids.

Katie felt this was a small defeat in her thorough sustainable plan. Instead, we value her perseverance and encourage these examples of imperfect sustainability. This approach is all about making the best choices possible.

Perfection isn't the goal, but progress is.

It's worth mentioning that their choice had an empowering community impact. In contrast, fast and disposable online purchases come with an enormous carbon footprint. Vendors like Shein and Temu distance us from the real people and places behind what we consume.

A Bloom-Filled Moment to Embrace Sustainability

Katie chose florists who sourced seasonal blooms from local farms at her request. An excellent sustainable decision that reduces transportation emissions and supports small-scale growers.

When she walked into her reception, she was wowed! The arrangements were lush and breathtaking. It was evident how much care and creativity had gone into every petal.

Katie deeply appreciated the artistry that both Zeb Grant and Rick Crown poured into her day. Their floral vision brought her celebration to life in an unforgettable way.

At Earthical Events, we love it when couples choose local flowers. This eco choice is more than a win for the environment and a boost for regional farms. It's the greatest gift to pollinators who keep our food systems thriving.

That’s right: when you support local flower farms, you’re also helping out fruit and veggie crops.

Yet, sustainability in florals isn’t just about where flowers come from. It’s also about how they’re arranged and what materials are used behind the scenes.

One common material in floral design is floral foam. The problem? Floral foam is a single-use product made from microplastics. Those microplastics don’t break down. They linger in our soil, our oceans, even our bodies.

The good news? More and more florists are exploring stunning foam-free techniques.

Also, we love to equip our Earthical couples with simple, meaningful ways to green it up:

• Ask about foam-free options. Many florists now offer innovative alternatives that don’t rely on floral foam.
• Request a floral volume estimate or visual mockup. This will ensure the scale feels aligned with your values and vision.
• Repurpose with purpose. Reuse ceremony florals for the reception to save resources and costs.
• Share the love. Turn leftover blooms into favors or donate them to a local hospital, shelter, or senior home. One bouquet can carry a whole ripple of kindness.

What Katie Wishes Every Couple Knew About Sustainable & Eco Wedding Planning

Katie encourages sharing your vision with everyone involved in your big day. She also advocates for requesting venues and vendors to align with your values.

For instance, Empire Mills was Katie’s stylish reception venue. This venue already recycled and composted, and was open to avoiding single-use plastic. Katie noticed in their contract that the staff would get plasticware with their food. She reached out and asked if it could be reusable instead, and they were happy to oblige.

The venue for Katie's bridal party was The Farmhouse Inn. This idyllic rustic lodge commits to leaving a low carbon footprint by being low waste. They also use solar energy and assist with land conservation and restoration.

Progress, Not Perfection: The Sustainable Swaps That Still Counted

Katie's mom insisted on having programs printed and offering welcome gifts. So Katie agreed to print programs, only a few of them, not one for each guest.

As welcome gifts, she served cheese straws, a popular savory snack in Georgia.

Thus, her clever decision avoided gifts that people rarely need and saved her money.

If you can't (or won't) go digital, seed paper is a great option for sustainable invitations and save-the-dates. Katie and her friend, Katie Rotio of Glow Paper Co., designed the invitations using cotton scrap fibers.

A major ethical choice was opting for rings with conflict-free diamonds. These are gems mined and traded in a way that doesn't finance or contribute to civil wars. These precious stones prevent human rights abuse and don’t cause environmental damage.

Love for Place: The Most Meaningful Gift

Katie and Greg asked for no material presents. Instead, they requested their guests donate money to the Madison-Morgan Conservancy.

Twenty-five years ago, teenage Katie and her dad started this non-profit. To this day, Morgan County's natural, agricultural, and historic resources remain protected.

The altruistic fundraiser raised more than $8,000 and kept growing after the wedding to $10,000!

It was a beautiful, full-circle moment to honor the place that helped shape Katie’s values.

Should YOU Plan a Sustainable Wedding?

BIG YES! Katie’s story shows that Earth-friendly weddings are stunning, joyful, and deeply personal. But getting there took hours of vendor research and decision-making.

Want the easiest way to plan a zero-waste, eco-conscious wedding? That’s where Earthical comes in. Let’s break it down.

We make sustainability the easy choice with Earthical-certified vendors, so your celebration reflects your values without stress.

Our certified vendors are committed to sustainability through practices like:

• Composting during prep and cleanup
• Offering thoughtful plant-based menu options
• Sourcing over 80% of their ingredients locally
• Minimizing waste, emissions, and single-use plastics at every turn

And it’s not just for weddings. Whether you’re planning a birthday, baby shower, or any milestone, we’re here to help you fall in love with your Happily Eco After.

We loved getting to walk alongside Katie and Greg’s wedding planning adventure. But no one tells it better than the bride herself!

Read Katie’s Wedding Story →