Somewhere in the midst of addressing my sister's wedding invitations, perusing the online registry of friends at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and bidding on a vintage bridesmaid dress on eBay, I came upon a great idea for engaged couples to go green! What if, instead of picking out the pattern du jour at a department or box store, couples picked out wonderful, vintage household items to fill their cupboards?

 As someone who spends a lot of time shopping at estate sales and antique malls, I am amazed at the vast amount of gorgeous crystal, china and silver that is available for purchase. These pieces are not only readily available; they are usually of a higher quality than what is being produced today and much less expensive than buying new. In fact, earlier this year I picked up a 60 piece English bone china dinner service from the 1950s, most pieces unused and still in the original plastic wrappers, for less than $50!

Okay, so I have you convinced to not to pick up that scanning gun, but how do you find these great pieces and how do you get your guests to buy them? The easiest method would be to register for gift certificates at a large antique mall. These malls display the products of hundreds of different vendors, in every style and price range imaginable. If this is information overload, try taking a designer or a friend who knows your taste and have them help you assemble a gorgeous collection of tableware and home accessories. Your friends will be green with envy of your unique wedding gifts, and you will simple be doing your part to go green!

(Two antique malls that I love in the Los Angeles area are Wertz Brothers http://www.wertzbrothers.com/and the Pasadena Antique Center http://www.pasadenaantiquecenter.com/ .)