A real, green wedding in Vancouver

(photos ans story submission by Blushing Bride Studio wedding photography)

On a sidenote, as a guest, I would like to say that this wedding was so wonderful that I actually came out of it healthier than I did coming in: As there was no alcohol, I came out sober and happy, full and feeling great from the healthy meal, I danced under a full moon, and I actually EXCERSIZED by powering the sound system on a bike!!! What a great feeling to have after a beautiful day of celebrating :)
- Chelsea @ Blushing Bride

We will let James and Eloginy (aka, "the happy couple"!) describe this imaginative and inspiring event in their own words:

Our wedding celebration was meaningful to us because we held it in a special place at UBC Farm in Vancouver. The farm is important to us because it represents our vital connection with food, and is in fact the only working farm in the city. It also feels remote and vast, yet it can easily be accessed from the city without a car.

James's family has been connected with UBC for three generations.

We made sure to minimize the ecological footprint of our wedding while also supporting local businesses. We generated our own electricity by asking our friends to show their support by pedaling on the bike-powered sound system. Lights were mostly powered using a battery that was charged by the sun. We also managed to procure all of our disposable kitchenware from a company that makes these items out of compostable vegetable products.

Most of our food was vegan, catered by Everyone Loves Veggies in Vancouver. Coffee and tea were all fair trade. We also had Gina Grant from the Musqueam Nation provide delicious wild salmon and banek.

The speaker who facilitated our ceremony was also from the Musqueam Nation, and this was important to us because UBC is on Musqueam land.

The work that went into our wedding was almost all by volunteers amongst our wonderful friends, who came together to create such a wonderful celebration. They even brought desserts to share after dinner! We felt truly supported as we began our journey together.

James Griffiths + Eloginy Tharmendran