The Conversation: Couple Goes Green for Love
Clever pair from Spokane, Wash., paid for wedding with aluminum cans.
July 5, 2010— -- You might think that the only place for aluminum cans at a wedding is hitched behind the bride and groom's car, clanging away as the two drive off to their honeymoon.
But you haven't met Andrea Parrish and Peter Geyer.
The Spokane, Wash., couple is paying for their wedding ceremony and reception entirely with proceeds they've made by recycling aluminum cans.
Parrish and Geyer recycled some 400,000 cans and raked in $3,800, but they're not done. They're still collecting cans to pay for their honeymoon.
"There are people who say we're crazy. There are people who say we're clever," said Parrish.
Parrish came up with the idea for the can-funded wedding in the middle of a restless night as she worried about how to pay for their ceremony without going into debt. She had seen her fiance melt down cans for art projects in the past, and she knew that trashed cans could turn into real money.
The couple launched a website, and called on friends and family to help them collect the cans, which they piled into an aluminum mountain in their front yard. Alcoa Aluminum and United Recycling Services also helped, kicking in cans to help them meet their goal.
After 197 days of collecting, Parrish and Geyer reached their 400,000-can milestone late last month, and the local recycler came to haul off the pile of trash that had definitely become the couple's treasure.
They're delighted to have paid for their wedding in this unusual way, but they also hope to spread a message about the value and importance of recycling.
"Americans each year throw away enough aluminum that we could rebuild our entire commercial air fleet four times over," said Geyer.
The couple spoke with ABC's Linsey Davis about their unusual love story in today's Conversation, a funny dialogue that reminds us that weddings are about a whole lot more than white dresses and flowers. We hope you'll watch.
