My Website is Carbon Neutral!

From the Machs Grun website: According to a study by Alexander Wissner-Gross, PhD, physicist at Harvard University and environmental activist, an average website causes about 0.02g (0,0008oz.) of carbon dioxide for each visit. Assuming an average blog gets 15,000 visits a month, it has yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 3,6kg (8lb.). This can mainly be tracked back to the immense energy usage from (mainframe) computers, servers, and their cooling systems.

The company has paired up with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant a tree for each blog that writes a short entry about being carbon neutral, for free! One tree can neutralize the carbon emissions from one blog for 50 years. Thanks to Machs Grun and the Arbor Day Foundation for making this website carbon neutral.

Lavender Inspired Color Palette

I love love love lavender. It is by far my favorite herb. The smell, the color, the blooms, everything about it is perfect. And I particularly love seeing it in wedding details. Here is a color scheme inspired by the beautiful herb. I used Martha Stewart paint chips for this one (grape jelly bean, lavender verbena, and plum wine).

Here are some lavender wedding details I found over on Etsy.

I am in love with these rosemary and lavender wedding invitations from VO handmade.

Lavender sachets would make a lovely gift for bridesmaids. Hand-stamped sachets available from pinkcherrymomma.

Of course, any lavender-inspired wedding needs real lavender. You can use these bundles as favors or simple centerpieces at each table. Organic lavender bunches available from FayeMarie.

More organic lavender from FayeMarie's shop in the shape of a wreath, perfect for hanging on the church house doors.

I'm in love with silk florals and this bouquet is absolutely incredible. Made with roses, freesia and orchids, you can't go wrong with this stunning arrangement. Available through WaterMeNot's shop.

These beautiful microfiber ties would make an amazing addition to your groomsmen's attire. These hand-screened neckties available through toybreaker.

Road Trip Honeymoon

I have to be honest and tell you that thinking about the honeymoon has been the least exciting part of the wedding planning process for me. I have no idea why this is. We thought of several exciting places to visit but the idea of the honeymoon never got all that entertaining. Until recently that is :) We finally figured out the perfect place. My husband's favorite vacation spot is Tybee Island, GA. Why this place never occurred to us is beyond me. I've always wanted to go with him because this place means something very special to him. Since we plan on getting married on June 27th, we will be honeymooning on one of my favorite holidays, Independence Day. We plan on checking out the fireworks show while on Tybee Island. However, we quickly realized how expensive an extensive vacation on Tybee would be (more than our actual wedding budget, yikes!) So how could we maximize our honeymoon in terms of days, limit our time on Tybee Island but also be there for the 4th of July show? A honeymoon road trip of course! My husband and I love road trips. We decided to take several days to drive to Georgia and back, stopping at towns we'd never been to, checking out sites we both enjoy. Below is our itinerary for the trip there and back.

June 28th: Independence, MO to St. Louis, MO (4 hrs, 6 mins) - lunch
St. Louis, MO to Nashville, TN (5 hrs, 30 mins) - overnight
June 29th: Nashville, TN - zoo, Hard Rock Cafe
Nashville, TN to Knoxville, TN (2 hrs, 54 mins) - overnight
June 30th: Knoxville, TN - lunch cruise
Knoxville, TN to Charleston, SC (5 hrs, 54 mins) - overnight
July 1st: Charleston, SC - aquarium
Charleston, SC to Tybee Island, GA (2 hrs, 41 mins) - honeymoon

July 7th: Tybee Island, GA to Atlanta, GA (4 hrs, 36 mins) - lunch
Atlanta, GA to Birmingham, AL (2 hrs, 45 mins) - overnight
July 8th: Birmingham, AL - Vulcan museum
Birmingham, AL to Memphis, TN (4 hrs, 3 mins) - lunch
Memphis, TN to Eureka Springs, AR (3 hrs, 9 mins) - overnight
July 9th: Eureka Springs, AR - ghost tour, spa, overnight
July 10th: Eureka Springs, AR to Independence, MO (4 hrs, 17 mins) - home!

What do you plan to do for your honeymoon? How did you decide on something you'd both enjoy?