“LET’S GO GREEN FOR OUR WEDDING!!!”

Planning a wedding is a long and hard (and at times a painful) undertaking for both parties involved. Many people spend a great deal of time and effort to plan for the big day, yet they seem to forget other areas of planning that can equally be as painful and hard on our environment.  Have you considered a Green Wedding? would you care to implement aspects to help keep our global environment safe for years to come?

In hopes to decrease the global footprint of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas within the manufacturing and production of new products, going Green has quickly taken the trend in many industries. As such, many individuals have either opted to plan their entire wedding as a “Green Wedding” , or they have implemented aspects to help cut down on production of items that can be reused.

SOME GREEN WEDDING IDEA’S

Wedding Stationary (wedding cards) – What a great way to start the planning process in having a Green Wedding. You can create beautiful cards with 100% recycled paper, or  you can design an email blast or even a website. Using paper that is 100% recycled can be a great way to reuse a product that in normal production, releases about 212 million tons of hazardous substances into the air and water. If you are having your invites created for you, make sure to ask for the products that have been recycled certified. There are also completely tree free papers to help in your green wedding invitation journey (example: Banana,Mango, Bamboo, Sisal, and wild grasses to name a few).

Many individuals have started to utilize the Internet to reach their intended audience.  This has created a great opportunity to increase not only the awareness of Greenhouse Gasses to the general public, but it can help lessen its impact of production with the ease of communication at a click of a button. If you care to use your computer to send out messages to your contacts to keep them abreast to your bridal needs, you will be saving much more then just time and money.  There are a few ways you can do this; first, you can create a simple email message with all the pertinent information your potential guests/audience will need to know.  If you are computer savoy and understand HTML, the next option would be to design an email blast that was set up more like a Wedding Card.  With all the design elements within the html coding, you would send that off embedded or as an attachment in the email.

The last option you can have would be designing or implementing your own website. This could be great as it would not only serve as a point of information to your friends and family. It can also serve as a step by step journey throughout the wedding planning process and the final stages of your big day.  Thus creating a virtual wedding album filled with Bridal Photos, Wedding Videos, information, and so much more.  If you are not technically savoy and do not know where to begin… no worries.  There are companies already out there in the Internet waiting to help you, such as wedding window (or you can find a designer) and have them help you create your perfect site.

You can have this list below created through recycled paper, tree free paper or from the many technical aspects mentioned above.

(engagement announcements, save the date cards, shower invitations, shower thank you notes, wedding invitations, ceremony programs, place cards, menu cards, wedding announcements, thank you notes)

Favors – How many weddings have you been in, gone to, or in fact had where the gifts that were given to guests were plastic, or crystal in nature? How many of those cute little trinkets do you have displayed throughout your home? Not only do those trinkets create huge amounts of pollution while  being manufactured, but those trinkets come from other countries thus creating more use on oil, and gas that has even more potential for disrupting aquatic life. So what alternatives do you have for creating a Green wedding through Wedding Favors? For starters you can search for products that have been made from recycled goods. Another great alternative is to create your gifts by hand using materials that do not hurt our environment. Another great idea is to plant seeds for tree’s and offer those as a symbol of your new union.  As it takes time and patients and love to see your new union blossom so too will it take time, patients and the love to help grow the newly planted seed into a beautiful tree. Once the tree has grown to a great healthy height within your care you can then return it to the earth outside so that it can help sustain our environment.

Centerpieces - In continuing with the theme mentioned above, you can use plants as a centerpiece that can be replanted once the event has ended.  You can also use materials such as Bamboo, and recycled glass that was made into vases or bowls to hold items such as floating candles, colorful rocks, or shells from the local beach.

Wedding Flowers - Making a decision to work with local vendors that have access to local organically grown in season flowers is a big step indeed. But, it helps cut back on, poor working conditions, pesticides and overseas transport.  You can take this a step farther and use different alternatives like, recycled paper.

Engagement Ring / Wedding Rings – This can be fun yet emotional at times. What I say might have you or your mother cringe at the thought of it but here goes….

So, you were handed down a lovely piece of jewelry that is something you would NEVER wear as it looks dated, or there might be missing stones, or the precious metal its self has a flaw or two. You contemplate storing it away for your child, but you decide that the meaning behind this gift was a thought and emotion not so much the actual piece.  With further contemplation you decide it would be best if you had the piece melted and redesigned into a wearable work of art.

ok-ok- so maybe you won’t do that to an heirloom, but if you have items in your personal jewelery box that you no longer wear why not melt those down to recreate a new piece? you can also take the items you currently wear and add to the melting thus saving the environment from a larger scale manufacturing of precious metals.  There are many alternatives to metals such as bamboo, coconuts, and drift wood. You can create your rings from these resources or you can have them handed down to you from generation to generation. You can even spend some time looking for antique rings. With jewelry, the key is not to buy newly mass manufactured items.

In a quick search through google, I found a young man who creates hand made rings and other types of jewelry that are very ECO friendly… This search was done within  minutes and if he is a quick search away for me, I can only imagine what type of great finds awaits you.

Wedding Dress / Bridal Gowns – Picking out the wedding dress of your dreams can be the best, or worst part of the planning process… But have you considered choosing a ECO friendly Wedding Dress? you can start your search for your “Green” Gown by simply looking at the fabrics involved in the construction of it.  Some alternatives are, Raw and Organic silk wedding dresses, Cotton wedding dresses, and Hemp wedding dresses to name a few.

Some brides are also taking moms old gown out of the closet and having it totally redesigned to match their sense of style. If your looking for a great way to be Green, look for gowns already used. This cuts down on production thus having a positive impact on our environment.

-GREEN WEDDING CONCLUSION-

If you are considering to have an ECO freindly wedding, the tips above should help get you on a great path to start your journey in the Green wedding planning adventure.  Remember a great way to have a positive impact is to reuse & re-purpose already existing items or materials. When your Planning your wedding, or once the day is over, come to the website looking to make the greatest difference in the world MyWeddingIsOver.com.