Joy Bryant & Dave Hope
Planning a Green Wedding
This article is for those couples who want to go with a more natural way of celebrating their life together. Planning a Green wedding is a wonderful way of making your ceremony unique and show friends and family how meaningful an Eco-friendly lifestyle can be. For those of you who are very conscious of the environment and seeking cost effective ways of using natural material, please see below for more wedding planning details: 1. Choosing an engagement ring:- Antique or vintage rings: This can be a family heirloom passed down from previous generations or you can search in antique or consignment shops just the right look.
- Blood shed & Conflict free diamonds from Canada can be found at various jewelry stores such as Brilliant Earth.
- Wooden wedding bands.
- When planning a Green wedding, make sure you choose a Green wedding venue that is convenient for friends and family.
- Choose a unique venue; a city park or botanical garden, buildings that incorporate green roofs in the space, a " Not- for- Profit" space or art gallery.
- An outdoor wedding; you can even have a wedding in your backyard and decorate with flowers and plants to bring a more natural environment.
- Renting a hybrid car for you and your wedding party.
- For Green wedding invitations, you can opt for recycled or handmade papers that were processed using chemical free paper printed with natural-based (vegetable or soy) inks
- Invitation stationary made from Hemp, Bamboo or cotton paper. You can also find a printer that uses recycled paper for your invites.
- Email invitations using online services like Evite. You can use this service for save the date notices, Green wedding dinners, etc. For place cards, guest books and thank you cards, make sure you use Eco- friendly products.
- Look in antique or consignment shops to find Green wedding attire for a low cost.
- Organic cotton/ silk dresses or dresses made from hemp or bamboo. Menswear are also made with these fabrics.
- Purchase wedding gown & bridesmaid dresses that you know you will wear again after he event. If you purchase a dress that you know you will not wear again, you can donate the dress to charity.
- Wear recyclable jewelry: jewelry made of metal pieces, plastic or recycled products.
- Dye your wedding shoes with vegetable dyes or if you really want to go with a Bohemian feel; you and your wedding party can also walk barefoot to the alter.
- Ask caterers and bakers if they can do your event organically. If so, choose a caterer that can pick the best Eco- friendly wedding selections for the season.
- Find a local organic restaurant that does off-site catering. Look into vegetarian dishes and organic selections.
- Make sure the venue offers comprehensive recycling facilities.
- Arrange for your cake to be decorated with organically grown flowers, fruits or natural materials.
- Rent real linen; cloths napkins and tableware is a must! No disposables! If you would rather buy, look into thrift stores that sells dishes and glassware for a low cost! If that is not an option, find out if your venue uses biodegradable utensils and dishes made out of cornstarch, wheat or sugarcane. After use of these utensils, find out if your venue can us them for composting.
- Make arrangements with your caterer to have leftover food donated to a local homeless shelter.
- Go to a garden center or farmer's market for organically grown flowers.
- Decorate your venue with live plants, tree branches, grass, or fruits.
- Bridesmaids can carry organic candles or throw rose petals instead of the traditional flowers bouquet.
- Use biodegradable confetti to throw on the bride and groom.
- Look for a photographer who will do digital proofs to save paper and chemicals.
- Ask friends to take pictures and share them online via Flicker or Photobucket.
- Ask guests to donate wedding gifts to a charity. Registering with companies such as the the"I Do Foundation" which gives a percentage of gift purchases to your chosen cause.
- Registering with stores that offer local, handmade and organic, Eco- friendly wedding gifts.
- Plants
- Beeswax or Soy candles
- Download a playlist of your favorite songs
- Organic wine
- Recycled jewelry, or furniture pieces.
- Find a local venue where transportation is convenient for your Bachelor & Bachelorette parties. Example: trains, buses.
- For the ladies, you can plan a organic spa treatment.
- For the fellas, you can plan a camping, sailing or fishing trip.
- Travel by train (and start the party early in the bar car).
- Staying at a Bed and Breakfast Inn or a Eco- friendly hotel that specializes in reducing waste and reusing natural energy.
- For an Eco- friendly honeymoon, taking a trip to national parks like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, or the Great Smoky Mountains.
- Eco tourism companies like TIES ( The International Eco tourism Society), offers travel guides, tourism, lodging and transportation services to their Eco- friendly consumers.
- Taking a trip with environmental or nature preservationists groups.
- Take a train trip instead of using the airplane. You can also rent bikes or take public transportation.
A 'Green' wedding is ecologically beneficial and ideal for those on a small budget.
Planning a wedding takes time and is a big task, but wedding party are what get most of our attention .
Eco- Friendly Honeymoon that cool anyway nice blog