I knew when I went into this industry that the hardest part for me would be seeing all of the waste. Whether its food, one time use items or décor- I see it being thrown into the garbage, like its garbage- it’s not garbage! This article is intended for you to realize that your one wedding, amongst the millions each year in our country, can make a difference and give you tips on how you can make that difference. Please keep Mother Nature in mind while planning your event. In the wise words of Chief Seattle, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

Here are some tips for an environmentally friendly wedding:

· Bring to go containers for food (either compostable or reusable)

· Putting food away at proper time to ensure it is still safe and doesn’t need thrown away “just in case”

· Don’t buy too much of anything

· Recycle, donate or sell any décor leftover from your wedding

· Use biodegradable plates, utensils and glasses or rent real dishes, glasses and cutlery

· Consider local vendors (who use local products- food, flowers, etc.)

· Support vendors who do care about the environment

· Have recycling bins clearly visible

· Skip balloons (and do not release them into the sky-ever)

· Don’t use any plastic

· Choose your registry wisely, consider products made with the environment in mind, products made to last a lifetime and only register for items you really need

· Use recycled materials or sustainably sourced paper for items like invitations, name cards, etc.

· Utilize electronics- you can send your invitations and receive your RSVPs via email

· Purchase ethical and conflict- free wedding rings

· Get a keg instead of bottled or canned beer

· If you are going to have favors, make sure they are quality products that won’t be tossed out. Edible favors are usually a huge hit, make sure the vessel to take the favor home in is environmentally friendly

· Rent or buy used wedding attire. There are wedding dress consignment stores for brides and bridesmaids (then they will rebuy your dresses back after). Men can rent their tuxes at many places

· Resist big chain store sales, just because it’s low priced doesn’t mean you need it. Utilize your venues décor and consider booking a venue that doesn’t need much decorating done to it. Remember, less is more in the right space

· Utilize nature for décor- branches can be used as décor, make confetti punches from leaves, and use small wood rounds for name cards. For the sendoff consider lavender, rosemary and eucalyptus. Look online, there are tons of ideas out there

· Just say no to bottles of water and glitter

· Have guests use the same reusable glass all night for their beverages. Check with your caterer, they may provide these

· Consider a vegetarian or vegan menu

Even if you incorporate a few eco-friendly things into your wedding you will be making a difference.

If you can think of any other tips please share!

Remember, always and forever should be applied to your marriage, not garbage in a landfill from your wedding.

Hi dear followers and fans of the Saltbox. I want to start off by thanking each and every one of your for your continued support. It means the world to us. We started this journey for a few reasons. To share this magical place and its history with others, to use all of the inherited knowledge/ interest in hosting, events, gardening, entertaining, design, etc. from my mother-in-law and to be our own bosses and make our career doing something we enjoy and are fulfilled by. It is because of you (and a TON of hard work on our end) that this is possible. Grateful hearts club here.

We say goodbye to our first wedding season and summer with gratitude and fulfillment. Our non-wedding season means more time to make additions and upgrades to the property. Since we are both currently working full time jobs Monday through Friday, in addition to the venue, this time is important for us to relax a tiny bit too. Nearly every wedding we have people tell us they are going to start a wedding venue and inside I am thinking to myself “you have no idea what you are getting into!” Albeit, we do EVERYTHING on our own, marketing, advertising, taxes, contracts, cleaning, maintenance, showings, etc. Built it all from scratch. It is very expensive and time consuming to get going and there are so many bases you need to cover before opening any business. And although we enjoy it, it is a lot of work. Many Washingtonians feel depression looming over them when fall comes knocking on the door but right now, it is sounding pretty good to us. That being said, we will miss seeing all the new faces, happy couples, smiling people and all of the fun party things people bring in for their event. Spring will be here before we know it and we are already booking up again.

The first year for a business is always a little scary. You don’t know exactly what to expect. You learn a ton of things you never could’ve imagined, you have good & bad experiences and you get a pretty good indication of whether or not you made the right choice by opening a business, in our case, a venue. We exceeded our desired amount of bookings, we only had one wedding rainout and we have had overwhelming support, interest and compliments. I think I updated our contract about a million times throughout the year after learning lesson by lesson when unexpected things happened. Although we have learned as much as we can from Brock’s mom and his Aunt and Uncle who also run a venue, there always unexpected things that can happen that you learn from.

Our starting year proved to be a success, we know that even with inevitable competition popping up each season we will always stand out because we do everything the right way with care and quality. We know that the history, acreage, wildlife, and unique touches to our property are priceless and those are things that our client cares about. We know that we will continue to grow, upgrade, thrive and succeed in this business as we branch out and continue to utilize the property for beyond just weddings….stay tuned.

What can clients expect for 2019?

We have already added Friday and Sunday availability to the table.
We have a few upgrades we are working on this fall- again stay tuned.
I may offer photography services as an a la carte option for our clients as well. Are you interested? See my work on all of our social media, website and my photography Instagram @clementhymephotos. I spent the year taking complimentary photos for our clients and had a blast doing so! I wouldn’t want to be the full time photographer but would be able to use my eye for the property to give additional shots to the clients for a small fair fee if they are interested.
We now offer studio rental rates for professional, insured photographers. Perfect for those mini photoshoots!
Now that we have a year under our belt, we are able to give better advice and refer more vendors to our clients.
I will continue to write blog posts with stories and tips.
We now offer off season rates for non-weddings (farm to table dinners, floral workshops, craft workshops, small luncheons, small Christmas parties, etc.)
We are networking with lots of similar styled/ tasted and unique vendors to help make your wedding more unique and personalized.

In closing, thank you so much again for your interest in our venue! If you are a client, extra hugs to you for trusting us as a new venue with your big day. We love our clients, they aren’t just a number or a date to us. We remember your names, your faces and all the details about your special day! Please keep in touch with us!

Cheers to a great 2018 wedding season!

- Katie and Brock Clements