Wedding Themes

Ways to Create a Green Wedding

It’s now become hip to be eco-friendly when it comes to planning and orchestrating your wedding, much to the earth’s advantage. Now, we can have a beautiful wedding without putting a toll on our environment. Through a green wedding, you can celebrate the love between you and your partner while raising environmental awareness. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to turn your wedding into a campaign to lower carbon emission. So how do you have the wedding of your dreams while promoting the welfare of the environment? Here are simple tips for your wedding to go green!

 green-wedding-1

Jewellery

If your fiancé wasn’t able to consider green alternatives to the traditional diamond engagement ring, it’s all good. You can make up for it by purchasing wedding bands from eco-conscious jewellers. You can also choose jewellery that is made of recycled stones and metals. As much as possible, choose those with its gems or diamonds sourced ethically. If you love vintage, a better, more affordable and sustainable option is to re-use a family heirloom or an antique piece.

Stationery

The stationery requirement of the whole wedding – from save-the-dates to thank you cards – is largely still made of highly-processed specialty papers. But these materials require a tedious, energy-intensive process to make and they create an enormous amount of waste, including harsh chemical residues. Recycled paper or tree-free paper with the use of soy inks or even digital correspondence are smart ways to decrease resource consumption. You can opt to have an all-digital correspondence by creating a wedding website right here in Perfect Weddings. Your website can have all the pertinent details of your wedding to lessen your need for paper invitations. As a compromise, you can also use both stationery and Web, just as long as you can decrease your use of paper.

Bridal Attire, Hair, and Makeup

You can still be stylish in your gown even when it’s made from sustainable materials. You just need to patronise designers who offer “eco-couture gowns” and bridesmaid dresses. An even better idea is to make sure that you and your bridesmaids will be able to wear your dresses again.

 green-wedding-2

If you can’t find an eco-couture gown, you can use a vintage gown as an alternative. You can even wear the one your mother wore on her own wedding. If these aren’t viable options, you can donate your gown after your wedding so that it can be reused and not just end up hidden in your closet.

Flowers and Décor

When you go for locally and organically grown flowers, you do not contribute to the chemical contamination of waterways and drinking sources that result from massive production of decorative flowers. Choose flowers that are not only local and organic, but seasonal as well. These are a far more affordable option compared to imported exotic species that cost a lot because of their shipping cost. Simple arrangements of succulents can look great while being environmentally sound as it minimizes the demand for shipping imported flowers that are often grown with harmful pesticides and fungicides. As for your décor, find ways to use only the same materials for both your wedding ceremony and reception. You can also choose a beautiful outdoor setting to lessen you décor needs. Reuse your décor, such as the potted plants and flowers, by transferring them from the ceremony to the reception area.

Photography

The green way is to go digital and paperless for most of your photos. Of course it’s OK to print a few, but do choose carefully which photos you’ll print. As much as possible, use 100% post-consumer waste paper and non-toxic inks. Talk to your photographer and inquire if he could take any other eco-friendly measures, such as using LED and CFL bulbs, rechargeable batteries, and other equipment that can be reused. Although instant print is a hot trend, think twice about getting it. You might want to do away with it completely for your environment-friendly wedding. You can just share your photos online through your own wedding website or through social media sites.

 green-wedding-3

Food and Beverage

Similar to your approach with your flowers, you want your food to be locally and organically produced to lessen your carbon footprint and support the local economy. Some smart thinking on that menu will let you hit some good notes for flavour and the environment. Opt for caterers and restaurants who outsource fresh, local produce that they use to cook mouth-watering dishes and delicacies. If you already have a caterer, you may simply ask him or her to use seasonal and organic ingredients for your wedding. Likewise, it’s also a good idea to serve beverages produced locally.

Gifts and Favours

Register with an eco-friendly sustainable company so that you can help raise awareness among your guests regarding environmental and social responsibilities. Another way to heighten your eco-friendly theme is to ask your guests to donate to charity instead of buying you presents for your wedding. For your favours, give out organic products as well, such as edibles or small plants. Even in a small way, this will help increase your guests’ awareness on making important consumer choices.

Transportation

 green-wedding-4

Minimize emissions by lessening the transportation needed for your wedding. One way to do this is by holding your ceremony and reception in one centralized venue where your guests can just take a short stroll from one area to another. If you’re booking separate venues for your ceremony and reception, you can rent an alternative energy bus to carpool your guests and lessen the use of vehicles. Planning a green wedding is really just about making conscious choices that have a positive impact on the environment. Your wedding is an opportune time to share your passion for the environment with your loved ones. Now, you have a myriad of options on how you can show this by incorporating the above measures into your earth-friendly wedding.
SHARE:
You may also like: