First published April 2007, updated April 2011
With weddings often being extravagant affairs, many couples wanting to tie
the knot are looking towards making their nuptials more environmentally
friendly.
Weddings are generally a nightmare of hyper-consumption and produce a great
deal of waste. There's invitations, decorations, gifts, travel, clothing and the
list goes on. Many of the items used at a wedding are only used once.
There's an old saying in connection with weddings believed to have been
coined in the Victorian era. It refers to the bride and how she can bring good
luck to her marriage by wearing:
"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a
silver sixpence in her shoe".
Superstition perhaps, but there's some very green advice in that.
My wedding was held on a local beach, a few miles outside of town. It had a
total of 2 guests (the witnesses) and a celebrant. No marquees, no fuss, no
catering, just a beautiful setting - you really can't improve on nature. It's
just the shame the subsequent marriage didn't last too long, but I can assure
you that had nothing to do with the green, if rather frugal, ceremony :)..
Still, such a small bare-bones wedding certainly isn't for everyone, so with
that in mind, here's some green wedding tips!
Invitations and paper
- Use recycled paper wherever possible for wedding invitations; most
companies can offer this option. Also consider treeless
paper made from materials such as bamboo, hemp and kenaf. Even the type of
ink used for the invitation should be taken into account as some inks can be
toxic.
- Weddings can generate a huge amount of paper
consumption, so give careful thought to items that can be reduced. For
example, instead of a program for everyone, perhaps one per couple or
group.
Communications
- Throughout the leadup to the marriage ceremony, you'll no doubt have news
to communicate with your guests about progress, venues etc. Instead of mailouts
or bulky inserts accompanying the invitation, consider starting a web site or
blog. This can also be very cost effective also as services such as Blogger.com
can provide a blog for you for free. If you've had no experience with setting up
a site or blog, companies such as Blogger provide easy to use tools. If you can
use a mouse and a keyboard, you can run a blog!
Catering
- Where possible, use an organic catering company that sources local
ingredients.
- Minimize the amount of meat on the menu and maximize the use of in season
fruit, vegetables and local dairy products.
Flowers
- Flowers used at weddings and receptions have a tendency to be out of season
and therefore imported. Transportation and care of these flowers requires extra
resources. Try to use locally sourced flowers.
- Perhaps use potted flowers as these can make a great addition to your home
or garden after the big event.
Venue and travel
- As mentioned, I chose to have my wedding on a local beach. There was a good
deal of luck involved weather-wise; but I can't think of a much more beautiful
setting than one provided by nature!
- When selecting a venue, also consider where your guests will be travelling
from. Try and find a middle point if possible. The less your guest have to
travel, the cheaper for them and the less oil consumed.
- If you decide to hold the event indoors, try and select a venue that makes
the best use of natural light.
- Encourage guests to purchase carbon
offsets for their travel. Explain to them what an offset is and how they can
purchase them.
Car or van pooling
- Instead of having everyone drive from their hotels/motels or wherever they
are staying to the wedding or reception venue, perhaps organize a car pool or
hire vans to transport everyone to and from your wedding venue. A great deal of
fuel can be saved this way, not to mention it will help ensure those who have
imbibed in the spirit of the occasion a little too much will get back to their
accommodation safely.
Photos
- Everyone likes a photographic record of a marriage ceremony, so instead of
sending out hundreds of paper based photographs, save on postage, processing and
toxic chemicals by storing digital images on your wedding blog for family and
friends to download as they please; printing out only what's absolutely
necessary.
Cutlery and crockery
- Disposable plates, cups, napkins and cutlery can create masses of waste at
large wedding receptions. Consider hiring non-disposable cutlery and crockery
instead. If that's not viable, try to use recycled paper products or treeless
disposable crockery options such as bamboo.
Wedding dresses and clothing
- Does your wedding dress really need to be new? Consider a pre-owned dress -
you can save a stack of cash by doing so!
- If you do wish to purchase a new dress, try to ensure that it is made from
natural, organic materials such as organic silk, organic
cotton or hemp.
- If you have no desire to keep the dress after the wedding, donate it to a
charity who can sell it, creating funds for them and perhaps saving someone else
from needing to purchase a new dress.
Gifts and favors
- Weddings can generate all sorts of well-intentioned but unwanted gifts.
Consider setting up a green wedding gift registry; which is basically just a
wish list of earth friendly products you'd like.
- Ask for no gifts be purchased, but donations made to your favorite
charities or environmental groups.
- For wedding favors, i.e. gifts you give to guests, make those earth
friendly too. It could be a carbon
offset to go towards their travel, a donation on the guest's behalf, a tree
planted in their name or a gift basket of green products.
Wedding rings
- The amount of natural resources and energy that go into creating wedding
rings is incredible. Consider very simple rings, or perhaps a re-fashioned
pre-owned ring and for the truly adventurous; maybe a wooden
wedding ring - that may sound a little strange, but these are amazing
and very individual creations!
Confetti
- Instead of having paper confetti, rice or seed, use flower petal confetti
as a beautiful and easily biodegrable option.
Wedding cake
- Ask your baker to use organic ingredients only. This shouldn't present too
much of a problem and is unlikely to increase the cost of the cake considerably.
Cleanup
- Whoever you are hiring to clean up after your wedding, ensure that they
will separate recyclables from non-recyclables in order to minimize the amount
of trash that winds up in landfills.
Greening your marriage ceremony and reception is sure to be a talking point
among your guests, so it's also an opportunity to educate your family and
friends about earth friendly living!
Good luck in planning for your green wedding, for the big day itself and may
you be luckier than I was and enjoy many years of wedded bliss!
