By TreeLiving
Everybody wants their wedding day to be as special and memorable as possible. Of course you’re going to push the boat out to make it the best day ever. But are you going to mark your wedding day with a huge spike in your carbon footprint? You don’t have to make it a day where your consumption contributes unnecessarily to global warming. With eco-sensitive planning you can hav e a green wedding that’s as good for the planet as it is for you and your guests.
It all starts with the wedding invitations. Eco-friendly wedding invitations will be made from recycled paper, but why not go one step further, with chemical-free, hand-made paper? It’s attractive and offers great possibilities for personalization while being green. Don’t forget the eco-friendly envelopes! If you’re serious about saving paper you could even send e-cards.
The next step is to think about green wedding venues. Do you want flowers for the place where you’ll actually tie the knot? Do some research on them. Lots of flowers are flown in from hundreds or thousands of miles away, which isn’t the greenest way to go. Also think about reusing the floral decorations (even if it’s just composting them) or donating them to a hospital or nursing home to cheer patients’ rooms. Alternatively use potted flowers and foliage instead of short-lived cut blooms. If you use trees you can plant them afterwards to offset the carbon emissions that any celebration is bound to generate. Another option is to look for an outdoor location that might not need much decorating so there’s no need to buy too many flowers and other items that will be thrown out later.
To maintain your green credentials you’ll also need to check out the reception venue to see that theirs are up to speed. If you opt for an out of the way location for your reception, why not consider arranging transportation or car pooling to avoid lots of people travelling only two per car to the celebrations?
Now souvenirs can either create lots of waste or be a great way to help the planet. Why not skip the candy and other common items and give each guest a small tree or seed packets they can plant! Even better, make a donation to an environmental or animal welfare organization in their name instead.
The wedding feast is a vital part of the big day as well. For the best tasting, most eco-friendly wedding food, make sure the produce is local. If it’s organic too, so much the better. Make it a celebration of the best pesticide-free food around. These days organic produce isn’t just confined to fruit, vegetables and meat. Cooking oils, spices and even wines are produced organically, with less environmental impact.
There’s one other vital ingredient on a wedding day – the dress. Natural materials always feel best to wear, so think cotton, linen, wool and silk. Luxurious, sensual silk is the perfect fabric for a fabulous wedding dress and the ideal choice for the bride and the bridesmaids for a green wedding. You can also find eco-friendly dresses nowadays!
Being green is easy if you think through the details. If you want to live in ways that will ensure the planet stays healthy for your children and their children, then a green wedding day that also celebrates those principles is a great start to married life.