10 Green Wedding Tips

Most brides dream of their wedding day most their lives. It begins at a very young age when introduced to the fairytale stories of princesses like Cinderella. For years, young girls plan their dream weddings and sift through countless magazines dreaming of the day they find their prince, have their own fairytale wedding, and live happily ever after. While so much energy goes into planning and preparing for the perfect wedding, once it is all said and done the leftovers go in the trash or to guests, the flowers are thrown out, and the decorations are disposed of. Here are 10 tips to help ‘green’ your wedding, and in some areas cut costs. 10. Recycled Paper Use recycled paper for your announcements and invitations. By using recycled papers for your invites, less trees are cut down which means more oxygen can be produced by the trees, not used. Recycled paper will also give your announcements and invitations a softer, more unique look. 9. Organic Foods When planning the menu for the reception look into using organic foods and ingredients. Your food will have richer tastes and have come from local farms cutting down on its travel time and chemicals in your food. By cutting down on the travel time and distance the carbon footprint of the food is greatly decreased. Also, many local farms use natural fertilizers and pesticides that are free from harsh chemicals that can alter the taste of the foods and can cause allergies with different foods. 8. Organic Flowers Same as organic foods, organic flowers have a lower carbon footprint due to their shorter travel times and distances. Organic flowers also have fuller, more pure colors and a rich, robust scent. These fragrant beauties will make a perfect accent to your perfect day without negatively impacting the environment. 7. Smaller Cake While the cake may be the centerpiece of your reception, there is no law saying it needs to be taller than yourself. By ordering a cake proportionate to the number of guests attending your reception you will be throwing out less after the reception and consuming less energy in the production of the cake. Another added bonus by ordering a smaller cake is the smaller cost associated with the smaller cake. 6. Wedding Transportation On your big day make a big entrance. How you arrive your at your wedding sets the tone for the rest of your wedding. There are a number of eco-friendly ways to arrive on your big day: the traditional fairytale entrance, arriving in a horse-drawn carriage; the trendy, earth friendly choice to arrive in a hybrid car; or don’t travel at all, stay at the location of the wedding, either at a hotel room within walking distance of the ceremony or in your own bed for a home wedding. 5. Seating Arrangement Place Markers There are many creative place markers and ways to display the markers, some of which are very eco-friendly. Like your invitations and announcements, using recycled paper for the name cards will add to the unique flair and are better for the environment. You can also make your own place cards, if time permits, that have a personal flare and can be made out of recyclable materials. 4. Center Piece Gifts Those beautiful flower arrangements and centerpieces that you spent hours deciding on and your hard earned money to make them a possibility don’t have to go to waste. Rather than throwing them out at the end of the reception, give them to your wedding party as another thank you for all their commitment and dedication throughout these special times. These center pieces will make wonderful gifts that are a reminder of the special occasion and also make great use of the decorations, as opposed to tossing them when they are still good. 3. Gift Registry When registering for all your fun gifts for the wedding think green. Many of the same items you may ask for have an organic or eco-friendly counterpart. You can register with some exciting green companies and get great gifts that you can feel even better about knowing that they are not harming the environment. 2. Local Honeymoon While running off to far away and exotic places can make for a romantic and adventurous honeymoon it can be exceedingly costly and greatly increases your carbon footprint. By foregoing the honeymoon on the other side of the world and opting for something closer to home you will not only save money, but reduce the carbon footprint of your honeymoon. 1. Outdoor Wedding What could be more breathtaking than a glowing bride walking down the sunlight isle to her soon to be husband. Nature provides such beautiful scenery and is ideal for romantic weddings. If you aren’t set on having an indoor or church ceremony the beautiful outdoors provides an abundance of options, decorations, and can be quite a bit cheaper than renting a building.