“A truly green economy means living lightly on the Earth with simple, joyful elegance.” (From Co-op America, first principle)
I really love the “simple, joyful elegance” part. Really says love, really says a gathering of friends and family : really says Weddings. (Sorry bridezilla!)
Let’s talk about ‘simple’ for a while. What is simple? What does simple really mean? Simple can mean unsophisticated — but it can also mean the essential — something that cannot be divided further.
So — when planning your green wedding, ask yourselves : What is our essence? What are our core values and beliefs? I think that that is what comes across in elegant people: their essentialness comes right through so gracefully. They can have a great richness about them, but fundamentally, they are simple. So — being conscious of your essential values and nature, will help throughout your selection process.
Joyful. Oh my. I study Energy Medicine, and in EM, there are two very simple energetic states: fear (protection mode) and joy (or health and growth). In Donna Eden’s version of Energy Medicine, these are called the radiant circuits. We share these energetic states with single cell creatures. These states are communicative : we all notice when a fearful/angry person comes into a room. We find happy people contagious. So, joy can be a very communal, sharing state. How do we help create the joyful state among our guests, and prevent the fearful state? (Some people call this skill having good manners.)
Awareness of these human conditions will help you create a simple, joyfully elegant celebration.