When speaking to your caterers, it is a good idea to interview them about their sustainable practices, and where they source their food from.  Many caterers claim to have eco-friendly practices, however when it comes down to it, I have found that few actually follow through.  There are two in LA that I do recommend:

Large Marge Sustainables

Eco-Caterers

The Monterrey Bay Aquarium has a great guide on their website:  Seafood Watch

They break seafood down into 3 categories:

• Best Choices: Seafood in this category is abundant, well-managed and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways.
• Good Alternatives: These items are an option, but there are concerns with how they’re caught or farmed – or with the health of their habitat due to other human impacts.
• Avoid: Take a pass on these items for now. They are caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment.

According to the January 2011 West Coast pocket guide the following seafood falls under their “Best Choices” catagory.

• Abalone (US farmed)
• Arctic Char (farmed)
• Barramundi (US farmed)
• Catfish (US farmed)
• Clams, Mussels, Oysters (farmed)
• Cod: Pacific (US bottom longline)
• Crab: Dungeness
• Halibut:  Pacific (US)
• Lobster: Spiny (US)
• Rockfish: Black (CA, OR, WA, hook & line)
• Sablefish/Black Cod (Alaska, BC)
• Salmon (Alaska wild)
• Sardines: Pacific (US)
• Scallops (farmed off-bottom)
• Shrimp: Pink (OR)
• Striped Bass (farmed or wild*)
• Tilapia (US farmed)
• Trout: Rainbow (US farmed)
• Tuna: Albacore including canned white tuna (troll/pole, US and BC)
• Tuna: Skipjack including canned light tuna (troll/pole)
• White Seabass

The next list is from the “Avoid” catagory:

• Caviar, Sturgeon* (imported wild)
• Chilean Seabass/Toothfish*
• Cod: Atlantic and imported Pacific Cobia (imported farmed)
• Crab: King (imported)
• Dogfish (US)*
• Lobster: Spiny (Brazil)
• Mahi Mahi/Dolphinfish (imported)
• Marlin: Blue*, Striped*
• Monkfish Orange Roughy*
• Rockfish (trawled)
• Salmon (farmed, including Atlantic)*
• Sharks*
• Shrimp (imported)
• Swordfish (imported)*
• Tilapia (Asia farmed)
• Tuna: Albacore, Bigeye, Yellowfin (longline)*
• Tuna: Bluefin*
• Tongol Tuna: Canned (except troll/pole)*

A common misconception is that being eco-friendly can cost you more, however in my experience this is not the case.  I have thrown many weddings that were “green”, and every time it ended up saving my clients money.  As a bride or groom, you can ask your planner to consider the environment when working with you on your wedding, particularly when choosing a caterer.

I love the idea of having custom cake toppers made to truley represent the bride and groom…and no one that I’ve seen does it better than HellinaHandbag.  I found her on etsy while searching for off beat wedding ideas, and I just love them, it is exactly what I would want on my own wedding cake.  She takes vintage cake toppers and re-vamps them with your style, hair color, dress details, and even your tattoos and makeup!  Prices range from $50 – $150.  Visit http://www.hellinahandbag.net and click on “custom orders” for ordering information.

Another idea I came across for all you Steampunk guys and gals are these really awesome robot cake toppers by The Builder’s Studio on Esty.com.  They start at about $100 an go up from there.

Of course, these will set you back $3,000 – $10,000, ballpark…so they are understandably not in everyone’s budget.  But my goodness, if you can afford it, go for it!