Plan An Earth-Friendly Wedding

From Giftypedia

Saving the planet has become an important issue, and living greener lifestyles has become easier than ever with so many earth-friendly products hitting the market. With so much emphasis on being earth-friendly in any way possible, then is was only customary for wedding planning to go green. Planning a green wedding will not only benefit the environment, but will also show your support for socially-conscious business, or green-wedding planners. As you are faced with planning for the "big day" you may feel joyous, nervous, or over-whelmed. After you have decided the date, and budget is set then you can get ready to plan. Below are a few tips that will make planning your green wedding easier.

Tip #1 Keep the Wedding Party and Guest List Small

By limiting guests to close family and friends, and having a smaller bridal party it will lessen the impact to the environment, and a chance for waste through travel, and food.

Tip #2 Choose the Location

When choosing a venue try to pick a location that is central to most of your guests, to cut back on travel. Choose something that is local, possibly outside to represent your love of nature. If you live near the coast, beach weddings are growing in popularity. If not, consider a themed wedding to represent a location. Also, you could look for a location where you can have the ceremony and the reception, to cut down on travel.

Tip #3 Love the Earth Wedding Rings

There are several ways to be socially conscious when choosing your wedding rings. Recycled rings, by passing down a family heirloom, vintage jewelry, or design your own by having a earth-friendly jeweler melt your old gold then choose your favorite stone. Check out greenKarat they offer socially responsible recycled gold jewelry, and beautiful wedding sets. Consider getting eco-friendly wooden rings that can be carved with special messages or designs. Get inked and get your wedding rings tattooed by an artist that uses earth friendly materials.

Tip #3 Announce the Big Date

Impress your guests with beautiful invitations and save the date cards that represent your love for the planet. Choose a printing service that creates invitations using recycled paper or "treeless" paper, and also uses soy-based or vegetable-based inks. Check out Fine Stationary they offer trendy Wedding Invitations and Thank You Notes from Grey's Greetings, which is a green company that uses 100% recycled paper and soy-based inks. You could also make your own invitations that will express your unique style and love for the planet. If you want to go paper-less do the invites by email, or create a wedding blog then all your pre-wedding and wedding day events can be posted. Also, if you have out-of-town guests inform them of green hotels, and eco-friendly transportation such as hybrid car rentals.

Tip #4 Green Wedding Apparel

If it is a tradition in your family to pass down the wedding gown or if you find a beautiful vintage bridal gown, then you are being earth-friendly and recycling. You could always consider borrowing a gown from a socially conscious friend, or hitting the local consignment or thrift stores for a wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses. There are also many bridal apparel suppliers that offer earth-friendly fabrics such hemp, organic cotton or silk, organic bamboo for the entire wedding party. Threadhead Creations offers beautiful bridal gowns, or custom made gowns, that are made of hemp, organic cotton, peace silk, and bamboo. For the groom and groomsman you can also find earth-friendly formal apparel, but using tuxedo rental is easier and your recycling. Make sure that the tuxedo rental shop uses a dry cleaner that uses cleaners that are environmentally friendly. Jewelry for the bridal party should be vintage or made of recycled materials.

Tip#5 Green Wedding Favors

The favors for your wedding guest can show your passion for living green. You can let everyone know that you made a donation on their behalf to an environmental organization. Many wedding suppliers offer beautiful eco-friendly wedding favors such as Wildflower Bags from American Bridal, or All-Natural and Vegan Chocolate Hearts in pretty sheer bags from Lake Champlain Chocolates. You can use your do-it-yourself skills and make your own Wildflower wedding favors in adorable tiny terra cotta planters, or present them with homemade soap favors.

Tip #6 Eat Green

Choose a caterer that serves organically grown foods, and buys locally grown produce. When considering the menu make plans for some vegetarian choices. Make sure that the venue or caterer recycles any materials left over, and also composts. Make arrangements for any left over food to be donated to a local homeless shelter. Waste not want not.

Tip #7 Document the Big Day

Having the perfect pictures of your wedding day is important, but save your lasting memories and save the planet. Choose a photographer that uses digital proofs, you are not going to buy all the pictures any way. So save the paper for the shots that are the best. Urge guests to use digital cameras and do not place single-use cameras on the tables, it is a waste of paper cause you may end up with 15 pictures of somebodies feet.

Tip #8 Create a Green Gift Registry

Create a gift registry and include all those earth-friendly products that you have been wanting. Support the eco-friendly merchants that you love like Greenfeet and Uncommon Goods. They offer so many great products to keep you living the green life. You can also create a socially-conscious gift registry at I Do Foundation for a gifts that will give back, you can also make charitable donations as wedding favors for your guests.

Tip #9 Eco-Friendly Honeymoon

Try to plan a trip somewhere local, to cut on travel, and stay at "green" hotels. You can also find great romantic cabins and B&B' that are short car trips away. Take a romantic train vacation, enjoy the sights and know that you are traveling eco-friendly since your using mass transit.

Plan An Earth-Friendly Wedding

From Giftypedia

[edit] Related Topics

Views

Personal tools

Navigation

Search

Toolbox

bookmark this page