Celebrate Your Wedding in Eco Style
by Blake Frino
I recently went to a wedding in Colorado that encompassed eco-friendly elements. The wedding ceremony took place outside requiring no electricity, and while held in the same place as the reception, no extra driving was needed. Also, some of the hors d’ oeuvres were served on bamboo sticks, which is a renewable material.
There are many other ways to incorporate green into your wedding. Starting with the rings, one way to offset purchasing conflict-free diamonds (for info, visit www.amnestyusa.org/diamonds) is with family heirlooms or antique finds.
Having one location for both the ceremony and reception, perhaps a unique and local setting (i.e. art gallery, garden, organic restaurant) is a good way to compensate any environmental impact.
Choose recycled paper or handmade, plantable, chlorine-free invitations printed with vegetable- or soy-based inks (greenerprinter.com). You may also be able to find hemp, banana stalks, and kenaf invitations. Or make them yourself with a printer using paper with a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content or send online invitations.
For the attire, go vintage, borrow, pick clothes made from hemp, bamboo and organic cotton, or find a dressmaker who will make a one-of-a-kind item out of these sustainable fabrics (the groom’s suit too). Another idea is to choose something you will wear again (the same goes for the bridesmaids). Donate later to an organization such as bridesagainstbreastcancer.org. Accessorize with a recycled purse and recycled jewelry, natural make-up and shoes with vegetable dyes (or go barefoot).
For the bachelor/bachelorette parties, stay local or carpool. Indulge in an organic wine/beer tasting or an organic spa treatment. Take a class (make your own wedding flowers or jewelry) or surf, kayak, or go camping.
Include flowers from organicbouquet.com, live potted plants, or choose locally grown flowers and donate to a hospital afterwards. Light the event up with soy-based or beeswax candles, and use leaves as the place cards.
Instead of throwing rice, have biodegradable confetti or rose petals.
Ask the venue’s caterers and bakers if they can create a seasonal fare or find a local organic restaurant that does catering, accompanied by organic alcohol and fair-trade coffee and tea. Consider vegetarian selections or choose hormone and cruelty-free meats and wild fish. Have your cake decorated with organic flowers instead of plastic toppers.
Make arrangements to donate leftovers to a local food bank (secondharvest.org/how_to help/donate_food) or homeless shelter.
Rent glassware and dishware, or mix and match with thrift-store items (donating them back), or you can use biodegradable utensils and dishes made out of cornstarch and potatoes, wheat, or sugar cane.
Find a photographer who will do digital proofs to save paper and chemicals. Friends can share their photos online by setting up an account through one of the numerous websites.
Register for handmade and organic products at greenthislife.com, or create a custom wish list of eco-friendly items like a fresh-produce subscription.
Contributions to your honeymoon can be made through sendusoff.com/ecofriendly.htm. And by registering with the I Do Foundation (idofoundation.org), a percentage of gift purchases will go to your desired cause.
If you decide to have favors, pick organic chocolates, fresh/dried organic herbs, candles, downloadable playlist of favorite songs, or charitable donation in each guest’s name.
Go green with your honeymoon and hotel too (greenhotels.com).
You can also make your wedding carbon neutral by going to nativeenergy.com/Splash/Portovert/portovert_wedding_calc.html. Input your wedding information into the site’s calculator to see its total global warming impact and purchase your offsets.
However you choose to celebrate your wedding, make it green - you, your new spouse, and your guests will be glad you did!