Earth Mother
Okay, so you want to keep your wedding enviro-friendly but you don’t want to sacrifice anything from your special day. Check out some of the great tips for keeping your wedding green without losing any of the exceptional qualities you want for your wedding day.
One of the biggest ways you can keep your wedding day on the green side is to consider travel in all aspects of your planning. Try choosing a bridal shop close to home or public transit, as you will probably have multiple visits for fittings. Choose vendors and services that are close to home and/or your chosen locations. If possible, have the ceremony and the reception in the same place to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This type of planning also makes it convenient for multiple trips during the planning phases and makes logistics on the day of the event much simpler.
When it comes to your favours the possibilities are endless. Try organic treats like chocolate or coffee, and forgo the extensive packaging which usually ends up in the garbage. Make your own jam (or buy some from local vendors) or provide a seedling for your guests to plant. Keep them simple.
Venues – so many choices! Does the venue offer non-disposable cutlery and linens? Will they be able to handle an organic menu? Can you serve local wine and beer? Try using items your family and friends have had at their weddings. Things like multiple tea light holders are simple, cute and don’t need to be matchy, lending an eclectic air to your reception décor. Use candles that are made from a natural source like beeswax. If you are using name-tags at your tables, use recycled paper and find a way to re-use them. Your guests can write you a note on the back of their name card, and then place it in a photo album or scrapbook after the wedding.
Taking small steps like these can keep your wedding green and save you money! It’s a fun way to put your beliefs into action.
Earth Mother
Everyone wants to reduce their ecological footprint on the earth. With global warming and pollution becoming more apparent everyday, there are some simple ways you can do your part with your wedding.
When choosing your invitations, use a paper that has a high recycled content or is made from an alternative source. Try combining as much of the information as possible onto one card versus printing several different cards for each invitation.
Electronic invites are becoming incresingly popular. For the eco-conscious bride, this helps save on paper and the environment. For the modern brides, this is a great way to invite your friends and family to your special day in a trendy and chic way. E-vites can also save you a lot on postage depending on the avenue you choose. They can be DVD invites you send out - including a slideshow of your favourite pics of the two of you, a brief re-enactment of how you met - your options are unlimited. Another e-vite idea is to send out an email version of your invitations, which can include a picture of the happy couple and all the information your guests will need.
Have your wedding guests email their responses to you. You can set up a special email address like janeandjohnswedding@hotmail.com for all your wedding needs and once your special day is over, you can close the account so no more worries about spam! Or you can set up a save-the-date website foryour guests to visit. They can post their replies, little notes and see the progress on your planning. They can alose leave a cute little note for you.
Use internet marketing tools like Facebook or MySpace to create events for the parties that surround the wedding like the bachelorette party or the rehearsal dinner. This gives everyone all the information in a paper-free way! You can also send out emails/e-vites to guests to keep them updated on all the latest happenings in your wedding.
Earth Mother
So how can you still be ecologically conscious when choosing out your wedding gown or the formalwear for the groom? By doing a little bit of research and checking out some options!
When choosing your gown, why not say no to white? Get a dress in your best colour and truly dazzle with your unique flair. Most of those super-white wedding dresses get that way from a toxic chemical process. Opt for not-quite-white and get a wedding dress made from non-chemically treated, natural, earth-friendly fabric. Examples of these earth friendly fabrics are soy, hemp silk, organic silk, organic cotton, organic wool, tencel and bamboo.
Purchase your gown from a company that supports fair trade and try to buy locally. Some local design programs have students who would be able to make your wedding gown for you at a fraction of the cost – and you can be sure no one else will have the same dress as you.
Don’t buy any one-time use items. Get a cute pair of strappy shoes and dress them up with accessories. After the wedding you’ll have a nice pair of shoes to wear regularly. Bags, wraps and any other accessories for yourself and the wedding party should be able to be worn or used again.
For the groom, incorporate some linen into his outfit. He can wear a linen shirt or even an entire linen outfit. If you are renting tuxes, check into the company and look into their dry cleaning processes. Is it an environmentally friendly process? What about any chemicals they may use?
By asking questions and doing a little research you can greatly reduce your ecological footprint on your wedding day.
Earth Mother
The reception – one of the best parts of the wedding day. When planning your décor and menu try to keep some of these ideas in mind.
Grow your own flowers – try potted asters, impatiens, mums, dahlias, daisies, tulips, hyacinths, and miniature roses, which are all replantable. Paint some cute pots in your wedding colours and use them as centerpieces. Then your guests can take them home as a wedding favour! Look at using bamboo as a decorating feature or wedding favour – it is one of the most sustainable materials on earth and considered very lucky in a lot of cultures. Or use shells, pretty rocks and candles (made from natural sources like soy) to decorate your tables.
Re-use your decorations. By decorating the reception site with items from the ceremony site you can save a lot of money and waste. After the day is over, take your flowers and décor and see if there is a hospital or nursing home you can donate them to.
Choose a caterer that uses organic ingredients and locally grown foods which reduces pollution and the costs of transportation of goods. Serve local and/or organic wines and beers. You can donate your leftovers to a food bank or compost the food waste. Choose in-season fruits and vegetables, and try serving 25% less meat. For the meat you do serve, use free-range organic meats and wild fish with a low mercury content. Don’t forget about your wedding cake. Ask your baker to use organic ingredients.
Organic food is food that is grown without the use of pesticides, chemicals, antibiotics and isn’t genetically modified. By using an organic menu, you will probably increase your catering costs but the food will taste so much better.
