One of the latest trends, in wedding planning, is to create a socially conscious wedding.  But what is a socially conscious wedding?  Anything that benefits or creates less of an impact on the environment  and humankind is considered socially conscious. 

    My lovely clients Meghan and Stevan, both grad students at UCSD, talked to me about their desire to create such a wedding even before we began looking at venues.  I remember Meghan saying specifically that she wanted a venue that enriched the natural beauty of San Diego.  As we looked at venues, we therefore considered places that featured native Cali-fornia drought-tolerant vegetation and further that had an architectural design that fit with southern California.  When Meghan and Stevan viewed the Estancia Hotel and Spa, in La Jolla, CA, they knew right away that it was a perfect fit.  The Estancia had filled its grounds with indigenous plants and had further even incorporated recycled materials and buildings previously on the property into the new structure of the hotel.  Additionally, the Estancia would also be able to host both the ceremony and the reception so guests would not have to drive during the course of the festivities.  This too was important to Meghan and Stevan as eliminating driving would lessen their carbon impact.

    In addition to having an environmentally friendly venue, Meghan and Stevan also decided to use only locally grown flowers and plants that were in season for their decor.  We solicited The Magic Flower to create such a look for them.  The humorous part about such a decision was that Meghan could not do a true centerpiece preview until just weeks before the ceremony since she had to wait for her choice in flowers to become in season and therefore available.

    When it came to the menu, Meghan and Stevan also desired to be socially conscious.  By choice, Meghan is a vegetarian and Stevan a pescetarian.  They therefore asked the Estancia to create a menu for them that would be vegetarian with just a few fish accents.  The menu created for them was fantastic and the couple felt that they were being true to their values.

    Finally, in lieu of giving favors to their guests, Meghan and Stevan decided to instead make a donation to the AIDS foundation in honor of their guests.  They mentioned this gift in their programs and received very positive feedback.  Meghan had said that she didn't want to give her guests something that would immediately end up in landfills but something that would impact the world positively.

    It was such a pleasure to work with Meghan and Stevan and to help them realize their dream of a socially conscious wedding.  The choices they made felt good to them personally and positively impacted the world as well.

Meghan & Stevan showing off the native vegetation of the Estancia

One of the locally grown in-season centerpieces & their cake, reflecting the local decor of the hotel