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How to Have a Green Wedding
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How to Have a Green Wedding
A 2009 David's Bridal Internet survey found that 45 percent of some 500 engaged or recently married women had considered some aspect of caring for the environment in their wedding planning decisions. This trend is going to continue to grow and although hard figures are difficult to find, evidence of the growth of green weddings can also be seen in the increasing availability of green wedding planners, caterers, limo drivers, florists, DJs, photographers, and honeymoon hotels and resorts.
Of the 2.5 million weddings that take place each year a small fraction can currently be considered green by virtue of the waste accumulated from just one wedding. What all green weddings typically share is an effort to conserve resources and reduce waste.
Why go green for your special day?
In the United States our traditional weddings generate up to 200 tons of CO2 per event. The average wedding in the United States will generate about 110 tens of CO2 per while the rest of the world that averages 22 tons per year.
Green weddings are believed to not only portend and influence the bride and groom's future lifestyle but they can also influence family and guests. Participants and guests at green weddings tend to become more aware of the importance to go green. A green wedding can be a subtle vehicle for passing on tips and examples of what others can do at home and can provoke good ‘wedding talk’ about respecting and embracing the environment.
A well-planned green wedding can save you money, too. To start right recycle an old family diamond as an engagement ring or bought at estate or thrift stores. During the actual wedding ceremony the couple can exchange vintage rings purchased from these same sources. This frequently allows for great cost savings for beautiful rings.
Where do you start the planning of a green wedding?
Chic and Savvy eco-conscious couples donate leftover reception food to homeless or battered women’s shelters They plant trees in honor of the occasion, their new family or cherished guests, in lieu of giving favors, and ask that contributions be made in their name or in honor of the event to the charity of their choice.
Obtain fresh flowers from local gardens and consider using plentiful wildflowers on tables and in bouquets.
A green wedding is a clean wedding. Just like with camping no trash should be left behind after the happy event. When you leave your wedding or reception site try to erase every sign of yourselves having been where ever you celebrate and promote that attitude throughout the entire wedding parade of events from engagement party to bridal shower and bachelor party through honeymoon.
Go paper-free. Websites such as weddingwindow.com, theknot.com, and evite.com let couples create invitations online that can be sent online.
An excellent resource for a planning a green wedding Modern Bride’s Green Wedding Website found at http://portovert.com/expert_tips .
Research at Live Green, Live Smart indicates that couples that have had green weddings tend to make choices that permeate every level of the wedding experience.
Green brides and grooms select gifts that:
• Are less energy consumptive
• Can be donated to social causes in celebration of the event
• Contain no “blood diamonds”
• are less opulent events overall
• reduce their carbon footprint after the nuptials
Overall, green weddings and honeymoons can show respect for the environment and cost considerably less than the national average.
