Things You'll Need:
- A wedding date
- An eco conscience
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Step 1
LOCAL VENDORS
Reduce your wedding's carbon footprint by purchasing items and hiring vendors locally. The closer vendors are to you and your wedding venue, the less environmental impact they will have, using less fuel to travel to your ceremony and reception.
With purchased items like invitations, cake toppers and decorations, shopping locally eliminates the need for shipping, which uses both fuel and packing materials that wouldn't otherwise be necessary.
Also, choose flowers that are in season locally. Otherwise, even a local florist will need to ship them in from somewhere else. -
Step 2
ONLINE INVITATIONS
Save a few trees when you send out information about your wedding. Even if you still send a paper wedding invitation, other typical wedding correspondence can be paper-free:
* Use eCards for engagement announcements, save-the-date cards, bridal showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners and more.
* Create a wedding Web site. Post driving directions, accommodation details and registry information, and eliminate the number of inserts needed for your wedding invitations. -
Step 3
REAL DINNERWARE
Serve dinner with real china and flatware at your reception. Plastic, paper and Styrofoam cups, plates, napkins and flatware create more waste and some of it is not biodegradable.
By using china, real flatware or silverware and linen napkins, you're using products that can be used again and again at other events. As a bonus, your wedding will be more elegant and stylish. -
Step 4
NATURAL LIGHTING
Daytime weddings require less lighting (meaning less electricity) and can be much more environmentally friendly. But if you're planning an evening affair, you can still reduce your energy impact by using candles to light your event.
Besides saving on electricity for your green wedding, candles can add a romantic, intimate feel to your ceremony and reception. Choose soy candles for an eco-friendly glow. -
Step 5
REUSE AND RECYCLE
Think about things you can find used for your wedding. Borrow reception decorations from a friend, or buy a wedding dress that's already been worn. Most of the items you can purchase new, you can also find used (and you’ll save money too).
After the wedding, think about what can be reused. Some things might find another life within your own home--that frame you used to hold the bar menu can hold a print from your honeymoon. Other things you can sell to other brides for use in their own weddings.
