You are getting married! This is the most important day of your life, but did you know that your wedding can cause social and ecological damage? This is the day to make a difference by sending a message to the ones you love about your passion for the environment.
Don’t think that having an “eco-friendly” or “green” wedding means that you will have to sacrifice style. Here are some alternatives for creating an environmentally sound wedding celebration…
Location
Honor our planet by using an outdoor setting for your ceremony backdrop. Taking your vows at a beach, zoo, horse ranch, nature preserve, botanical garden, national or state park will reflect your love of nature and will serve as a reminder of the beauty that must be preserved.
Choose a venue that maximizes the use of natural lighting, which will reduce the need for electrical lighting. Consider museums, historic buildings or recreation halls. If you prefer a resort meeting or convention room, be sure it's a hotel with a commitment to eco-friendly practices.
Wedding Rings
Protect the environment from hazardous gold mining. Choose silver instead of gold. Buy jewelry that is made with recycled precious metals and stones.
Include birthstones and other gemstones instead of diamonds. If diamonds are a must, incorporate family tradition by using a relative’s diamond. Shop at vintage jewelry stores.
Remember that jewelry can be repaired and resized, while stones can be reset.
Attire
Purchase a recycled or “once worn” wedding dress from BRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER, where proceeds benefit women with breast cancer. Visit “second hand” stores and buy vintage. Wear your Mother’s wedding gown. Don’t forget, alterations can always be made.
If you are planning a beach wedding, choose an organic cotton sun dress. Look for wedding gowns made from organic hemp, silk or linen blends. Find natural fabrics on-line that can be made into a wedding dress.
If wearing a new dress is important, consider donating your dress to a charitable organization.
Transportation
Minimize the amount of travel for you and your guests. If your family and friends live oceans apart, having two celebrations in two different locations is the greener option. If they prefer to fly, you can offset the carbon emissions by sponsoring a tree planting program.
Arrange for your guests to stay in one place. Host the ceremony and reception at the same location or within walking distance of each other. If this is not an option, ask your guests to carpool or provide a bus to transport them from the ceremony to the reception.
If you can not walk to your wedding ceremony, drive or rent a hybrid car. Arrive on horseback or make a statement in a horse drawn carriage or rickshaw.
Food and Beverage
Choose a caterer that provides organic options and uses locally sourced ingredients. You will support local farmers and reduce the carbon emissions generated in transporting the food long distances. From organic wines to organic wedding cakes made with free-range eggs, you will sacrifice nothing in taste.
Try to keep waste to a minimum. Donate left over food to shelters and food banks.
Flowers and Décor
Choose organic and locally grown. Buy flowers from a local farmer’s market to reduce the transportation costs and emissions. You’ll have to start several months before the wedding, but you can grow your own flowers.
Decorate with dried or silk flowers. Reuse flowers from the ceremony by transforming them into table centerpieces at the reception.
After the reception, donate the flowers to a local hospital or senior center or send them home with your guests to enjoy. Incorporate small perennials or baby bushes as centerpieces that can later be planted by your guests.
Consider using other items instead of flowers. Use eco-friendly candles made of pure beeswax or vegetable oil. Accent recycled glass containers with sea shells or colored rocks.
Rent from linen companies that use daily eco-friendly business practices.
Photography
Eliminate disposable cameras from the dinner tables.
Choose a photographer that shoots digital and presents your wedding photos on-line instead of printing them on photo paper. Opt out of the traditional wedding album and have your wedding photos arranged as a slide show on CD or DVD.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…
Although going completely “green” can be difficult, each environmentally sound action that you take can make a difference.
Have fun planning your eco-friendly wedding and don’t let your efforts end with the last dance.
Start your new life together by making choices to create a healthier, more beautiful world in which
to raise your children. Invest in socially responsible companies when planning for your future and
continue to inspire others to change the world.
…and they lived NATURALLY ever after.