Today, more and more people are becoming aware and opting for a more eco-conscious and eco-friendly weddings. Weddings like those of Al Gore’s daughter and Maya Karin have demonstrated to the world that one can manage to leave a smaller footprint on the earth while still having a stylish wedding. If you feel like having a green wedding, these tips may come in handy!
1. Location
When choosing a venue, opt for a natural, open-air venue as opposed to a closed banquet space. It could be a lush green garden or a well kept lawn or even a beach wedding, surrounded by natural beauty and plenty of natural light. This saves loads of electricity used for décor and lighting. Also photographs taken under natural lighting are look even better!!
2. Stationery
The list of wedding stationery is endless with invites, save the dates, RSVP cards, name tags, thank you cards, place cards, programme booklets and more. There are many varieties of eco friendly or recycled paper available in the market today, which could be used for your wedding stationery. The packaging, gifts with invites and even the type of ink used can be switched for greener options. Another even better idea is the use of E-Invites, which saves your money and also a lot of paper!!
3. Choose Eco-Friendly Rings / Jewelry
Many popular jewelry brands have now launched a green bridal collection using sustainable diamonds, fair-labor gemstones and recycled platinum and gold. Remodeling and reusing existing heritage jewelry is also a good idea.
4. Photos
There may be thousands of photographs of your wedding day, all capturing various important moments of the day. Instead of storing a hardcopy of these photographs, you can opt for digital images which can easily be stored on your computer and shared on your website with your friends and family, to download as they please.
5. Flowers
It is advisable to use organic local plants instead of imported plants and flowers, which involve a lot of transportation and sourcing costs. If you cannot find the flowers you want locally, you can try to use flowers that are in season. Instead of cut flowers, you can use potted plants, which can be reused in your gardens or homes after the big event.
6. Car pooling
Having your ceremony and reception in the same venue or within walking distance of each other will help save on transport. You can arrange for a common bus to take your guests to and from the venue. This not only solves the problem of traffic congestion at your wedding venue but also allows your guests to relax and enjoy a glass of wine or two.
Remember, having a green wedding doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your dream wedding ideas. Your wedding can be as phenomenal as you want, without causing harm to the planet in the process!
