Happy Earth Day! To celebrate Earth Day I have a few suggestions on how to make your wedding day more eco-friendly.
1. The Reception Venue. Reducing your carbon footprint and saving money at the same time can be very easy. First, look into getting married outside this will cut down on water and electricity. Also, look into having your ceremony and reception at one place. This way there is no travel and you are cutting down on fuel emissions. Make sure you check out GreenHotels.com, there are a ton of eco-friendly hotels in the Rocky Mountains, you just have to look for them.
2. Stationary. Yes, you can send beautiful invitations in the mail without using trees. Use one envelop instead of two or recycled products. They have seed paper where you print right on it. The coolest part about the seed paper is your guests can plant the paper in their garden and have beautiful flowers. Also look into recycled paper or cotton. Several Stationary people do offer these products. Don’t know where to start in the Rocky Mountains? Check out Cloud 9, one of our Dylan List members. They carry a entire line of eco-friendly stationary.
3. Flowers. If you are allergic to flowers this is a simple solution. But, if you are not here’s a few things to keep in mind. Princess Lasertron is a company you have to check out. They make bouquets out of buttons and felt. If you choose to have real flowers ask your florist about what flowers are in-season and if they can find them locally. This way they don’t have to be shipped and your cutting down again on fuel emissions. Also check out VeriFlora-certified. This means that the blooms aren’t drenched in chemicals or grown under harsh working conditions.
4. Catering. We all know that food is the highlight to any celebration. Choose wisely with your food choices because it can get spendy if your are looking into organic and locally grown food. Look for caterers that already use organic and locally grown food. If they buy directly from the grower the food will need less time in the fridge and packaging. You will also create less trash and use less electricity. Another great idea is serving food that is in-season. For example, you wouldn’t want to serve winter squash in the summer because it will have to be grown in a greenhouse.
5. The Favors. Have favors that you or your guest can re-use in your house. This is great for the DIY projects. Have planted pots with flowers as the centerpieces so guests can take them home. Or give them something that is edible, that way they will not be throwing away or leaving your thank you gift on the tables. Another option to look into is donating to a charity. Let your guests know about your contribution via word of mouth rather than printing out cards or a sign.
Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings.
Potted plants are great, because they can double as both centerpieces and favors for the guests to take home. We gave out tree seedlings at our wedding in 1992, before green weddings were even a big thing, and it’s been wonderful visiting friends and relatives and watching those trees grow over the years!