Think having a green wedding has to be complicated? It doesn't. Here are ten easy ways you can green your big day.
- Choose a green location to have your wedding and/or reception. This could be a park, a museum, or a local charity venue. You could also look for hotels or restaurants that are green, either by serving organic menus or adopting a code of green business ethics such as recycling, buying local and donating part of their proceeds to charity. Check listings such as Green America’s (formerly Co-op America) National Green Pages.
- Serve an organic and local menu. Supporting local farms and businesses is important and your food will be fresher. Try to find a caterer that uses local and organic ingredients to make dishes. Everything from your cake to your appetizers, even your drinks can be organic but even just a little bit counts.
- Send out invitations printed on recycled or tree free paper. Companies like Twisted Limb offer beautiful wedding invitations made of recycled, handmade paper.
- Wear a gorgeously green gown. Your eco-friendly wedding gown may be something borrowed, a family heirloom, a gently used dress, or a vintage beauty. It could also be made from sustainable eco-friendly fabrics like bamboo, hemp, organic cotton or peace silk. The options keep growing everyday as new eco-designers appear or traditional designers add eco-friendly selections to their lines of wedding gowns.
- Less is more. Opt to cut out all the unnecessary extras like favors, menus, place cards and things that are not needed. This saves resources and money.
- Get creative with your décor. Nature is full of beautiful items that can be sued to decorate then be returned to nature after the wedding; rocks, twigs, flowers, potted plants, trees, leaves…Use the bountiful options nature offers to create stunning decorations, centerpieces and more. Once the wedding is over these pieces of nature can be placed in your yard or garden.
- Ditch the disposables. Forget about disposable plates, napkins, silverware and all that. Opt for rented items that can be washed and reused over and over again. If you are having a small intimate wedding you would even consider purchasing tablecloths, plates and tableware that you could reuse in your home after the wedding.
- Candle light is extremely romantic; make it eco-friendly as well by using natural soy wax or beeswax candles. Regular candles are made with paraffin, a petroleum based product. Not a green choice.
- Green your transportation. Arrive to your destinations in eco-style with hybrid or electric vehicles. You could even provide transportation for your guests with buses that run on biofuels.
- Have a great green honeymoon. After your wedding plan to stay close to home or travel to an eco-resort or hotel to keep the green going after the big day.
Title: The Everything Green Wedding Book: Plan an elegant, affordable, earth-friendly wedding
Author: Wenona Napolitano
Publisher: Adams Media
Release date: December 17, 2008
ISBN: 978-159 8698114
ISBN: 1-59869-811-7
List Price $15.95
The copyright of the article 10 Ways to Green Your Wedding in Wedding Planning is owned by Wenona Napolitano. Permission to republish 10 Ways to Green Your Wedding in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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