I want to preface by saying that you probably won't want to undertake all the ideas put forth in this article, and no reason why you should. Instead, I suggest taking as many ideas as you feel you can work with to make your wedding "greener". Going green should not be hard and should not be about going without some of the things you most desire.
- Limit. Before anything you need to know that the greenest weddings are going to be the ones with fewer guests. Plan on limiting your number of guests.
- The Invitation. E-mails and phone calls are going to be the greenest of all invitation possibilities, however they are impersonal. Select a recycled paper and keep the invitations small.
- Timing. It is ideal to have your wedding at a time of year that is warm enough to be outdoors, thus saving on heat, but not too hot you need to be in an air conditioned building. Day time weddings and receptions will require less lighting, and therefore less electricity use.
- Convenient Location. If you pick a venue that requires a lot of travel by a lot of people it is taking away the "greenness" of the wedding, as such overseas weddings are out.
- Rings. Gold and diamonds are usually not earth (or socially) friendly. Finding heirloom, antique, or even second hand rings, are extremely earth friendly.
- The dress and tuxedo. It is not hard to find good used wedding dresses. Tuxedos are often rented and there is nothing wrong with this. If you want a new dress, pick something simple or one that can be used again.
- Bridesmaid dresses. Again used is preferred, but certainly try to find dresses that can be worn again.
- Rice? Typically rice has been "thrown" on the couple upon leaving the wedding, however in recent years people have been throwing bird seed, I suggest you continue this as it is a good idea, as it is safer for birds who get ill if they eat too much rice.
- Table linens. These may be provided by the caterer, or venue. Otherwise they can be rented. If you have to buy new, make sure you pass them on rather than storing them for years, never to be touched again.
- Decorations. Try to decorate with live plants as much as possible, and distribute them among the wedding party, family members, and guests. Balloons are not environmentally friendly, but streamers made from recycled paper are, and you can compost them when done.
- Candles. If you have candles, beeswax candles are definitely the most environmentally friendly, followed by candles made from organic, non-GMO, soy.
- Centerpieces. Select live plants that are not only attractive, but can be edible too, such as marigolds, bloody dock, lingonberries, strawberries. Other ideas are potted roses, heathers, seedling trees and houseplants such as African violets. Rocks, gourds, dried flowers, and fruit can even be used as centerpieces. For an interesting centerpiece visit a second hand store and purchase some toys, dolls, or what have you, and use those artfully in an arrangement. You can then donate those items to a homeless shelter or hand them out to the guests for their children later.
- Small snacks. If you offer a small dish of nuts, they should be cashews, brazil nuts, and hazelnuts that are grown or harvested in an environmentally sensitive manner. Some other nuts, such as almonds and peanuts, generally require forests to be cut down to grow them.
- The Meal. Have your caterer find organic foods, ideally locally grown or raised. Unless all your guests are vegetarians you should not impose this on them or it may turn them off the green movement. You can have meat but it should be hormone free and from free range animals as opposed to factory farms. Keep the meat portion small and make sure you compensate by offering more alternatives.
- Extras. It is possible to find cutlery made of corn, biodegradable plates, and napkins made from recycled paper. Otherwise reusable silverware, cups, and plates are preferred over "disposable" paper plates, in fact they may be better than biodegradable plates due to the manufacturing.
- Beverages. As with food, you will be able to find earth friendly drinks, such as rainforest coffee, organic wines, beers and liquors. There are organic fruit juices and the most natural drink of all, water.
- Wedding Cake. Your caterer should be able to find ingredients for an earth friendly wedding cake. Remember size does matter, a huge cake may look great but if it results in waste it is not green.
- The Entertainment. Try to find an acoustic, or "unplugged" band or musician.
- Gifts. Remember if you are on a Registry, try to select environmentally friendly items, or better yet, none at all. Ask for cash, or plants. Tell guests that wrapping with newspaper or used wrapping paper is completely acceptable.
- Honeymoon. Try sticking closer to home, after all a good honeymoon is mostly spent indoors with each other. There is no reason to travel half they way around the world only to get a stomach flu on your honeymoon.
Offsetting Environmental Impact
If you can not be entirely green and you cannot reach all the goals you have made, it is possible to offset some of the impacts of your wedding. Some people suggest that you buy "Earth Credits" or "Green Credits", however I suggest you simply do things locally on your own that you can see the results and know that no money is going to "administration expenses". Such things include planting trees, joining a road side clean up crew, or park clean up crew.
In the End It's Still a Wedding!
Remember this is your wedding, not a time to preach the green lifestyle, however you are setting an example and acting self righteous will only turn people against the positive lessons they can learn by your example. If somebody asks for more information, then give it, if the don't ask, then don't preach.
