I’m thrilled to have Mike Smith of Paper Themes Stationery here today offering some great tips on how you can green up your wedding day! Even a few small changes or additions can make a big difference to Mother Nature especially if everyone planning a wedding did their part. Most of the changes will not require any sacrifice on your part and some may even save you some cash!
With awareness on green issues ever-increasing, more and more of us are looking to lead more eco-friendly lives.
From recycling our household waste, to car pooling during our journey to work; every little change that we make goes towards helping the Earth.
While you may be tempted to forget about saving the world on your wedding day and letting your hair down, there are a few simple steps that you can take to make your special day as green as possible. In many instances these steps will even enhance the enjoyment for yourself and your guests.
Image by Fede Photography via Style Me Pretty
1. Venue
When choosing a wedding venue most people will look to host their reception at a hotel. The problem with hotels is that the high turnover of people means that there is a lot of scope for wastage. When looking for suitable hotels, spend a little time browsing the website to see what they do to combat their impact on the environment. This should include recycling, energy efficient lighting, temperature control and sourcing food and other goods from local suppliers, thus reducing their carbon footprint. The fact that the food comes from close by should mean that it is fresh and tasty; resulting in a fantastic wedding feast for everyone to enjoy.
Being green is becoming a weighty selling point for many companies. So you can be sure that if a hotel is making the effort to help the environment that they will also be making potential customers aware of the fact via a page on their site. Remember that there are going to be a lot of people traveling to your wedding; so do try to find a local venue that will minimize car emissions.
Image via Intimate Weddings
2. Wedding stationery
Once you have made your venue choice and finalized the date, it is time to get your wedding stationery sorted. Your stationery package encompasses many different items, including wedding invitations, save the date cards, place cards, table numbers, programs and possibly favors. When multiplied by the number of guests, this soon adds up to a substantial amount of paper.
Before you start looking at all the different styles and colors, you should first take some time to find out where the design companies purchase their paper from. Again, any that are using paper that comes from sustainable forests should make you aware of the fact on their website.
Another option may be to use non-paper items for some of your stationery needs or skip things like programs all together.
Pre-owned dress for sale via Recycled Bride ($150)
3. Dress
When trying to consider the environment while choosing your wedding dress, the most obvious choice is to buy one second hand. This of course avoids the need to consume a new garment and you can even sell it on afterwards, if you so choose. However, we realize that choosing the dress is one of the most important parts of the wedding for many brides.
As such, finding the right second hand dress isn’t always viable. If you do decide to purchase a dress that it is new, there are plenty of bridal designers that offer garments made from organic and natural materials that comply with fair-trade regulations. Such dresses are manufactured in a way that doesn’t involve the use of environmentally harmful chemicals.
Using local, in-season flowers is another great way to be green.
Image by Erin Hearts Court via Style Me Pretty
4. Transport
Arriving at the site of the ceremony in style is an essential part of the day in terms of making the bride feel special and also securing some cherished photographs. In order to achieve both goals, many couples opt for large classic cars, such as a Rolls Royce or Bentley. The problem with these old cars is that they were not designed to be environmentally friendly and guzzle plenty of gas. There are of course more modern and fuel efficient cars available for rental, which run on bio-diesel or LPG. But what could be greener and more romantic than an elaborately decorated horse drawn carriage?
Image via Style Me Pretty by Jen Lauren Grant styling by In the Now Weddings
5. Local Suppliers
The final decision you can make to achieve a greener wedding is to opt for local suppliers for all of your other bits and pieces that you will need. This should go for your cake, flowers, suit rental, jewelry, catering service, photographer and anyone else that you can think of.
There will be a lot of traveling to and from food tasting, fittings and many other appointments before your big day arrives. By going for local providers you can greatly reduce the emissions that you and others produce in the weeks and months leading up to your wedding.
**This is a sponsored article from Paper Themes; suppliers of green wedding invitations and all other wedding stationery items. **
