one site to accommodate overnight guests, the wedding ceremony
and reception, reducing the need for excessive transportation.
And, although it doesn't offer on-site lodging, the San Geronimo
Golf Course is a green venue that offers a green wedding package.
Other sites may offer conventional wedding package deals, but
"staying within their box gives you less flexibility to tweak things
in the direction of a green wedding," cautions Donaldson. And,
while it may be a temptation to tent an outdoor space in a bid to
be green, trucking in canopies, generators, portable toilets and
lighting can defeat the best green intentions, she says.
Some venues don't offer local, organic, sustainable, or vegetarian (a recent university study concluded that the environmental
footprint of a vegetarian diet is 30 percent lower than non-vegie
diets, by the way), but you can ask if it allows outside caterers, and
then make sure your green caterer is on the approved list.
If the ceremony and reception are held in different locations, or
if the wedding is a multi-day celebration, shuttles for guests will
lower the event's total carbon footprint.
Dinner, Drinks and Dessert
"Food is a big part of the day and choosing a menu that is in
season allows your impact to be greatly reduced," says Twomey,
who recommends choosing vendors who buy from local and orOven Roasted Cherry Tomato Crostini from A Fork Full of Earth Catering.
ganic farmers.
Donaldson agrees and adds
that hiring a green caterer is a
really big step toward a more
sustainable event. "This company
will take care of sourcing local, organic ingredients as well
as composting food waste from
your event and disposing of other
waste responsibly."
Her favorites include Back to
Earth Catering in Berkeley and
Organic Chef Catering in San
Francisco while Twomey suggests
Almond anise pot du crème by
A Fork Full of Earth Catering.
wine country caterers such as
The Gilded Grape in Sonoma and Smoke Open Fire in Napa.
In West Marin, there's KT's Kitchen and in Fairfax, A Fork Full
of Earth. Angela Ginsburg, who operates Fork Full of Earth, and
was once tapped by Mother Nature's Network in 40 Green Chefs
under 40, says the focal point of her catering company goes beyond organic. "It's really about connecting clients to eating food
from their environment," she says. "Our typical menu is California
cuisine with a rustic old world feeling served in a classic wine
Tiered wedding cake by Branching Out Cakes. Photo by Megan Clouse.
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FLOURISH • WINTER 2013
country presentation."
