Anne Chertoff, writer of From "I Will" to "I Do" suggests these simple guidelines for deciding whether or not to allow "+1".
If someone is married both the husband and wife are invited, even if you don’t like the spouse.
If a couple is living together, because they are dating—not just roommates— then you invite both of them and you put both of their names on the invitation.
You can decide your own “rule” regarding friends who are dating someone. Many couples use the six-month rule: If a couple has been dating (not living together) for six months or more they both get invited to the wedding.
Last week, at the bridal show, I met the owners of Green Field Paper Company, Rick and Shari Smith. Their products were amazing and fit perfectly into the theme of being green. Lucky for me, they allowed me to come and take a tour of the company and see how their tree-free paper is made!
They are located on Clairemont Mesa Blvd, right next to the Arby's!
They have a machine that turns these giant stacks of recycled paper into the "pulp" that they use to make the sheets. The paper comes from a company on the East coast that recycles paper and applies a process to get all the ink out of it. This mixture is basically cotton and water. Yes, that is my hand. Yes, cotton and water pretty much feels like it sounds.
The pulp mixture gets scooped up by these wooden palate things and excess water is shaken off. Here's a video clip of the pros at work:
And here's me! Yeah, I even got to make a sheet of paper! It was heavier than I thought it would be but I only took two tries to get a sheet that Tanner pronounced fit for pressing.
While we were browsing the office, Tanner pointed out all the awards the company has won. I told him I'd make sure and say that Green Field Paper Company is an award-winning company!
How cute are these boxes? They are made with the paper at Green Field Paper Company and sent to one of their partners for cutting. Wouldn't this make a great favor?
Obviously, this isn't a bookmark but this is a sign they made to go with the bookmark. It's great that local companies are going green and making good use of their discarded products. I believe SeaWorld is also doing this or has done this with this company.
In case you thought recycled paper was that boring, drab, gray stuff they sell in the office supply stores, think again! Look at this colorful blend of red and blue!
Now THAT'S a flier.
They also feature many products with embedded seeds in the paper, like this bookmark. You can't barely see the seeds, even when you have it in your hand! But yes, you can just stick this in the ground and a flower type of your choosing (from their selection) will sprout eventually.
And I don't know why I didn't get any pictures of this in the store front but here are their popular all-in-one invitations. They don't require an envelope because they fold into themselves and the bottom part is a RSVP postcard guests can tear off and send back. These also come in a seeded version.
What a great experience to go behind the scenes and see this tree-less paper being made. It really inspired me to think green. This company is all kinds of green -- the ink that is used on everything is soy-based and the company is powered by wind turbines! I'm so glad there is a company like this right here in San Diego.
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