With the increased media scrutiny and bizarre weather patterns we’ve witnessed this year, many of us are taking a closer look at our environmental footprints – and socially-conscious couples headed for the altar are no exception. Many newly engaged couples are planning their weddings with the environment in mind, and wedding service providers are taking note. The growing trend toward so called “green weddings” is yielding environmentally conscious wedding products and ideas to accommodate the new world-view.
If you’re planning a green wedding, you’ve got a unique opportunity to educate guests about issues that are important to you as a couple while doing something good for the planet. Here are a few tips for going green at your wedding:
Getting the word out
Since it’s a fairly new concept, many of your guests probably won’t have heard of green weddings. In your invitations, it’s a good idea to spell it out for them. Explain why you’re having a green wedding and what they can expect. You’ll want your guests to be comfortable, so giving them advance notice of how your wedding will be different will help.
Your invitations are the perfect way to spread the news about your green wedding. Choose invitations printed on recycled or tree-free paper. Many stationery stores offer both of these eco-friendly options. Tree-free stationery is made from other plant fibers like hemp, banana stalks or recycled cotton. Invitations made from tree-free and recycled papers help reduce the demand for logging, divert waste from overworked landfills and eliminate the need for harmful chlorine bleaching.
Reception connection
At your reception, offer lots of delicious vegan and vegetarian options. This is the perfect time for meat-eating guests to try something new! If you want to make sure you please everyone, opt for positive meat options like free-range chicken or organic beef. Be sure your vegetable options are organic too. Choosing locally grown foods is both socially and environmentally responsible. Shorter distances for transportation mean fewer pollutants. Be sure to arrange for your leftovers to be donated to local shelters and food kitchens.
Save electricity by having a daytime of romantic candlelit reception. Soy candles are an environmentally-friendly choice that uses vegetable-based wax instead of petroleum based-waxes. Choose a string quartet instead of a DJ for even more energy savings. Use homegrown, wild and pesticide-free flowers for decorations and in your own bouquet.
Give your guests earth-friendly favors like saplings or seeds. You can also opt to give a donation to the charity of your choice in their honor. Include a card explaining the gift at each place setting. Most guests toss their favors after a day or two anyway, so why not choose options that will better the planet or that can help someone less fortunate? Instead of accepting wedding gifts, ask for donations to environmental-based charities like the World Wildlife Fund, the Sierra Club or a local not for profit in your area. Provide guests with information about your charity of choice and have a wishing well on the gift table with a note explaining how the money will be used.
Earth-friendly fashion
Even your wedding dress can be environmentally-friendly. Have a local seamstress make your dress made from natural fabrics like hemp, silk or cotton. Synthetic fibers are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Choose natural dyes for your bridesmaid dresses and avoid heavily bleached fabrics for your own gown. Another alternative is to wear your mother’s dress or a gown you already own.
Helpful honeymoons
Enjoy peaceful eco-travel during your honeymoon. Ecotourism prevents negative impact to the host country’s environment and citizens and guarantees a low consumption of non-renewable resources. Look online for green hotels and resorts that focus on saving water and energy and minimizing the production of solid waste. Plant a few trees when you return to neutralize your travel emissions.
Planning a green wedding is a fabulous way to help the planet – all it takes is a little creativity and consideration. Use your wedding as an example to others of easy ways to care for the planet and how to reduce our effect on it. Your green wedding gives you a captive audience, with whom you can share your belief on earth-friendly alternatives. Weddings are about love. Make yours about both the love between you and your partner and your love for the earth.
