Are you considering or already even planning an eco-friendly wedding celebration? It really is more than just a trendy way to impress your guests with your environmental awareness; it’s actually a wonderful way to show your dedication to your values. There are certainly some things that you should consider before you commit to a wedding primarily featuring more expensive eco-friendly elements, but it is worth the extra effort if the budget can handle it. You can also minimize other extravagances to prepare and balance your budget and thus be more readily able to handle any extra costs. So how should you go about planning such a fashionably conscious wedding extravaganza? Here is a list of things you can do to really enhance your wedding celebration’s ecological consciousness and have as little of a footprint on nature as possible while still having a wonderful and memorable wedding celebration!
Invitations
First and foremost, consider the invitations. The invitations are key to having a truly eco-friendly wedding as they will, in many ways, set the initial tone for everything else. Using soy-based inks and hemp or recycled paper is one way to really show your commitment to going green. Another level of style, elegance, and romance is actually using organic inks to send out a batch of cards that have been written by a traditional calligrapher.
Location
Obviously having a green wedding in a green place sounds really wonderful and ecologically friendly. This is a wonderful idea and if done properly it can be truly amazing. You just have to make sure you can handle doing it properly in a way that will leave the outdoor wonderland you select as nice as it was prior to your wedding celebration taking place. Some scenic places may have buildings on the premises which may be more suitable than having the entire wedding on the unprotected ground. If you are planning a beach wedding, many hotels may actually have a location to rent for such an occasion. One alternative to an outdoor event that may actually be more conscious in many ways is to find a non-profit organization that has a space for rent for such occasions.
Flowers
These should be coming from an organic nursery that is close to the wedding location. This minimizes any transportation related ecological concerns and also any use of pesticides. Also be sure to re-use as many of your ceremony flowers for your reception.
Food
The food should obviously be as organic as possible. This could be more expensive depending on your choice of cuisine. When possible, use organic and locally grown produce for the same reasons as the flowers.
Natural Lighting
During the morning and afternoon make sure to properly coordinate for maximizing the natural light. In the evening, use candlelight whenever possible. Both should have an elegantly romantic effect on mood.
Be sure to make the guests aware of your green efforts and use the wedding as a platform for education to show the people attending just how good going green can really be!