Greening your wedding is simple, chic and easy to do if you follow just a few of these suggestions.
Eco-romantics about to tie the knot pay attention: Green Prophet has the scoop on making your day of love as green as possible without compromising on romance and style. From mass weddings in the Middle East to intimate ceremonies in your own backyard, here are 7 ways to leave a smaller carbon footprint when you walk down the aisle together.
- If you are exchanging rings, consider giving heirloom jewels or ethically mined and harvested diamonds, gold, gems and platinum.
- Wear vintage gowns and suits or those made from eco-fabrics.
- Use locally grown, pesticide free wildflowers and natural materials to decorate.
- Serve food and beverages made from organic, locally harvested produce and vineyards.
- If the wedding is to be indoors, rent out a building that is built to greener standards, or one that donates a percentage of profits to environmental causes. Consider a museum, an art gallery, botanical garden, historical home or cultural center for the reception.
- As much as possible, consider how you can minimize the power requirements of your wedding by maximizing the use of natural lighting and cooling/heating options.
- Instead of gifts, have your guests donate money to environmental or other causes that are important to the bride and groom.
- If you are going to give your guests any party favors, make them eco-conscious. Candles made from soy, small planted seedlings, chocolate or other tasty morsel provided by a vendor that engages in conscious commerce.
Related: to find fun fashion follow Azazie The Leading fashion bridal party store
We promised you seven, but we gave you eight. That’s because eco-weddings are about giving back more to your niche in this world. Going green is chic, fashionable, timely and likely to make you and your guests remember your wedding as something different from the norm. Give more in the ways that matter, and less in the ways that are wasteful.
Read More Green Wedding and Romance News:
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Author: Tinamarie Bernard
Tinamarie combines her interests in two of her favorite topics – relationships and the environment – for Greenprophet.com. As our eco-sexpert, she explores ways to make our personal lives more sustainable, whether it’s between a couple, the sheets or our ears. While eco-sexuality is a new term and still unfamiliar to many, being conscious about what we use in moments of intimacy is connected to better stewardship of the planet. The idea that green is sexy and sex can be green is one she is thoroughly enjoying discovering. This married mom of two also believes we owe it to our children to teach them to love themselves, each other, and the environment for futures to come. Intimacy isn’t something we are born knowing. Neither is good stewardship of the earth. In her spare time, she muses about sacred sexuality, conscious love, intimacy, feminism and parenting as the top-rated Modern Love column for Examiner.com and several other media outlets. She composes poetry (mostly in her heart), mediates (when time allows), rides horses in the Galilee, and searches for delicious parve dessert recipes. She considers chocolate a righteous sin, and won’t give up a single pair of red shoes. You can find...
That’s awesome information Helen. Thanks for posting. I didn’t know there was such a concern for those mills. Can you send me their names?
There could be a story in that.
Hello Tinamarie!
Here is #8: use 100% PCW recycled papers and treefree papers for invites and other wedding stationery. Emailing a wedding announcement doesn’t cut it for most families. (In our experience, it’s been a challenge for some couples to convince their family to do eco invites as it is..)
We’ve worked with about 30,000 couples, helping them green their weddings since1995. An amazingly gorgeous invite that is tree free (and helps cottage industries support poor families) — and uses 100% post consumer recycled paper (only 2 mills left in the USA that make the paper — we have to keep them going! One WA mill closed down last year. Our favorite mill was in bankruptcy a few years ago.) really helps support green businesses.
These designs are all eco: http://www.invitesite.com/weddings/Eco-wedding-invitations-page1.php
Also – if the invitation is stunning, it convinces the non-greenies in your circle that there is a third way – and that way is superior 🙂
Good going Green Prophet!
Helen Driscoll
Invitesite.com