Green Weddings
Green is the new white for today's bride...
Green weddings, which only a few years ago were on the fringe, have gone mainstream. Whether it's sourcing local products and resources or using vintage or recycled items, todays bridal couple is eco-conscious. Savvy couples today are looking to reduce environmental impact and openly display their 'GREEN' philosophies.
By putting your money where your heart is, you are not just exchanging one fad for another, but actually changing the world with your shopping power. Move beyond the usual decadence, expensive pomp, and consumption to create a truly personal, moving and sustainable celebration that people will remember for years. You may even open a few eyes in the process!
Green weddings, which only a few years ago were on the fringe, have gone mainstream. Whether it's sourcing local products and resources or using vintage or recycled items, todays bridal couple is eco-conscious. Savvy couples today are looking to reduce environmental impact and openly display their 'GREEN' philosophies.
By putting your money where your heart is, you are not just exchanging one fad for another, but actually changing the world with your shopping power. Move beyond the usual decadence, expensive pomp, and consumption to create a truly personal, moving and sustainable celebration that people will remember for years. You may even open a few eyes in the process!
10 Great Ideas to Incorporate 'Green' into your Wedding Planning
- Go Small. No matter what other choices you make, the biggest factor in the ecological and financial impact of your wedding will be its size. Each additional person you invite means more fossil fuel miles traveled, more food consumed, a bigger venue, and more waste when it's all over.
- Source Locally. Almost anything can be found locally. Start with the biggest things first: Food, Drink, Flowers. Find local caterers that are conscious and willing to use locally sourced food utilizing organic & sustainable farmers in the near vicinity. If there's a good micro-brewery down the road, or local winery, support them! If you are lucky enough to have an organic flower grower in your area, buy their flowers! The cost of buying locally grown flowers in season will be considerably less than the toxic, commercial florist alternative.
- Source Green. Everything you buy or rent for your wedding will have an environmental and social impact, so keep this in mind when planning. Think thrift stores for vintage or pre-loved wedding attire and ball jars for vases, use local party rentals for things like linens, china and glasses; they provide the perfect means for getting the most use out of minimal resources. Ditch the disposables, say no to confetti and balloons; go for herbal and rose petal wedding toss and/or birdseed.
- Pick your Venue Wisely. Have your ceremony and reception in the same place to minimize travel. Chose a location that is close to as many as your guests as possible.
- Green your Transportation. Try to provide as much information on transport options as possible. Let your guests know that you'd love them to carpool. If your wedding is on the island, why not provide a shuttle service from the ferry at certain times?
- Make it Personal. While you've definitely got to throw a good party, it doesn't need to be excessive. What you lack in material decadence, you can make up for in personal touches. Ask friends to get involved and create ways for guests to contribute in meaningful ways. How about collecting shared stories, poems, pictures, drawings and well wishes in scrapbooks or on home-made paper later to be made into a book? How about creating a huge circle for sharing a 'bright moment' friends or relatives might have had with you? These are the things that friends remember most fondly, not the chocolate fountain or disco lighting.
- Eco-Invites. A beautiful invitation definitely sets the scene for the wedding, so you don't want to look cheap or tacky, but you also don't want to compromise your principles. Fortunately, there are numerous recycled, hand-made, and tree-free invitations out there, do the homework and use the green papers. Electronic invitations are also getting fancier and more sophisticated each year, they are worth considering too.
- Gifts of Conscious. Be very clear with your guests about your needs. Ask specifically for what you need utilizing green retailer gift registries and alternative energy/living catalogs such as Real Goods, Viva Terra or Gaiam. Alternatively, if you really have all you need; why not create an online donation registry to a worthy cause instead? When it comes to wedding favours, buy or make consumable ones! Edibles like homemade jam or eco-chocolate, locally produced products like beeswax candles wrapped with raffia and fresh herbs, homemade soaps or lotions, herb plants or how about a cloth shopping bag?
- Giving Back. Donate your leftovers to the homeless or needy family in your area. Donate your flowers to a local retirement home. This is something a friend could contribute and feel double good about. Instead of favours for your guests, let them know you have donated to your favorite non-profit in their name.
- Communicate your Green Message. Whatever you do to green your wedding, make sure you tell people about it! Creating a magical celebration that treads a little lighter on the planet is an amazing thing to be witness to; take the time to do a little friendly educating about how you decided as a couple to 'Green' your wedding; share your values and thank your guests for their contributions.
