Will you marry “moi” ?

Your big day can have a huge impact on the environment; an Eco-Friendly Green Wedding can reduce that damaging carbon footprint on the earth. Going “Green” for your wedding is a great way to showcase your creative side and show your family and friends what your true values are.

From everything I have read so far, there is no right or wrong way to a Green Wedding and you don’t have to be obsessive about it either. Naturally green, recycled retro or vintage glamour which is very hot this year—take your pick; the possibilities are endless.

Here’s how to start planning the kind of wedding the nuptial gurus at TheKnot.com and many others have praised as the “hot new thing!”

The Ring… A green wedding begins with the engagement and of course the ring. Don’t start off on the wrong foot… If anyone reading this remembers the movie” Blood Diamonds” with Leonardo DiCaprio, you know exactly what the term means. These are diamonds that are minded in war zones and fund conflicts. There are many alternatives to these blood diamonds: Vintage rings, whether a family heirloom or an antique find or lab-created diamonds, diamonds mined in peaceful Canada or Australia, one of kind wooden or ivory bands, colored gemstones such as Aquamarines and Citrines and my favorite, the green Peridot.

The Location … Consider choosing a setting that’s convenient to most guests to minimize travel impacts, having the ceremony and the reception at the same place, or providing eco-friendly transportation between them, picking a unique local spot like an art gallery, non-profit space, organic restaurant or farm, a green hotel, or a botanical garden, an outdoor setting perhaps a beautiful castle with exquisite gardens which will require less decorating, arriving at the ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage or sleigh, a rickshaw, or a hybrid car.

The Invitations… this is the first impression guest’s will get of your Green Wedding. Make sure everyone is on board with your Green Theme. Look for recycled, handmade, tree-free paper made out of hemp, banana stalks, bamboo, kenaf, (a plant related to the okra and cotton family) or organic cotton. Look for a printing company that will use paper with a high percentage of consumer recycled content. Papers that are not plastic-coated or metallic, (makes them hard to recycle). Opportunities to reduce paper-use, like sending a postcard instead of multi-enveloped notes, for your save-the-date, and probably the most important—use Cyberspace to send online invitations and start a wedding blog to let people know about the upcoming events, (the venue, the rehearsal dinner etc.)

The Wedding Gown… Eco-Friendly brides have lots of alternatives when choosing their gown and accessories. You can purchase a gown made of organic materials such as silk or cotton. Wear a vintage gown, either from a family member or purchased at a vintage store. Go for vintage jewelry or borrow pieces from friends. Go barefoot for a beach wedding! Wear all natural beauty products; donate your wedding dress to a charitable organization after the event.

The Decorations… Add beauty and style to your wedding décor, naturally and organically. Opt for organic flowers, find a florist who is diligent about recycling packaging and will source locally raised flowers. Decorate with branches, dried grasses, grains, greens, berries or live plants, dried or potted arrangements. Choose beeswax or soy based candles for the ceremony and reception, arrange to have the flowers moved from the ceremony to the reception if you have separate sites. Throw biodegradable confetti or organic rose petals or lavender instead of releasing doves or butterflies. Donate the flowers to a hospital or rest home. Use small stones or river rocks instead of place cards; you can paint the rocks and write on them with gold calligraphy pens then put the rocks in a small wooden box painted in the same color as the stones, guests will be delighted to take this home as a keep-sake.

Food and Drinks… Spoil your guests by basing your menu around local, organic, and seasonal foods. Ask the venue’s preferred caterers and bakers if they can cater your wedding organically. Consider vegetarian selections and seek out cruelty-free meats and wild, rather than farmed fish. Make sure the venue offers comprehensive recycling facilities, and ideally composting too. Have your cake decorated with organically grown flowers or other natural materials, no plastic toppers! Rent real glassware, dishware, and linens instead of using disposables. For your china mix and match thrift-store plates and dishes, donate them when you’re done. Use biodegradable utensils and dishes made out of cornstarch, potatoes, wheat, or sugar cane. Make arrangements to donate leftover food to a local food bank or homeless shelter. And please don’t forget the organic wine, beer, and Champagne or spirits, and the free-trade, shade grown coffee and tea! There are many excellent organic Champagnes out there coming out of France and other European countries.

Photos… For lasting memories, whether you prefer film or digital photographs, look for a photographer who offers digital proofs to save paper and chemicals. Avoid single-use cameras, but ask friends with digital cameras to share their photos with all the guests online.

Gift Registry… How about asking for gifts to charity instead of material goods? Register with a site that gives a percentage of gift purchases to your chosen cause, registering with stores that offer local, fair-trade, handmade, organic, or other eco-friendly products , registering for outdoor gear or contributions to an eco-friendly honeymoon, creating a custom wish list of eco-friendly items like a fresh-produce subscription from a local farm, organic gardening supplies, organic linens, park and museum passes, gift certificates to organic restaurants, and subscriptions to green publications or memberships in green causes.

Wedding Favors: For your favors, give something your guests will really use and enjoy not disposable plastic souvenirs. Gourmet organic chocolates or another organic or local food item, attractive bags of fresh or dried organic herbs or seeds in a commemorative container, reusable cloth tote bags and natural soaps, soy or beeswax candles, a downloadable play list of your favorite songs, a small charitable donation in each guest’s name.For your helpful, loyal attendants, you’ll want to splurge a little, perhaps with: gift baskets of organic skin-care products , recycled jewelry, wallets, handbags, or drinking glasses, selections of organic coffees, teas, and chocolates, recycled paper journals and stationery, great bottles of organic wines, beer or Champagne.

The Honeymoon … Begin your new life together with a honeymoon that’s light on the Earth. Consider going somewhere local or engaging in eco-tourism, which can be as rugged or luxurious as you want it to be. Take a trip that benefits an environmental group; perhaps walking the Italian Alps. Skipping the cruise and taking a relaxing, romantic train trip, getting around at your destination by renting bikes or taking public transportation, staying in a family-run B&B or inn, a luxury teepee , or a green hotel that’s working to save resources and reduce waste.

As I said before the possibilities are endless… Just go out there and look for nature to guide you ! If you’re not sure how to pull this off then I strongly recommend hiring a wedding planner who is well versed with the eco-friendly theme wedding. He or she will have many creative ideas and will already be in touch with green vendors you can trust. I read in a survey taken by SuperWeddings.com that 72 percent of recently married couples who did not use a wedding planner wished they had and if they had to do it all over again, they would hire one.

On a personal note, I would like to thank one of my dearest friends Allan who is an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) expert and member.The FSC is an international non-profit organization that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests. He has taught me a lot about the environment and I am very grateful to him for sharing his knowledge with me. I am also grateful to Vice-President Al Gore who has opened our eyes to global warming with his book” The Inconvenient Truth”…. Gore was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

We hope that you have enjoyed this “crash-course” in Green Weddings, for further information please do not hesitate to contact us via this site and we will answer all your questions.

References:www.superweddings.com,www.theknot.com, www.mywedding.com,www.sierraclub.typepad.com, www.panda.org, www.wikipedia.org