Green wedding

A wedding is an exciting event in one’s life. How can you have your nuptials with as little impact on the environment as possible? There are a lot of ways you can be green when planning your wedding.

Starting with the invitations look for recycled or post-consumer paper! There is a lot of paper used in envelopes, invitations, reply cards, reception cards, etc. Today you can find very elegant recycled paper and even tree-free options that are made out of recycled cotton. Handmade paper and recycled cotton make beautiful invitations.

With this ring – how can you be green when you purchase a wedding ring? There are many eco friendly wedding ring choices. The mining of gold uses cyanide and mercury to extract the metal from the rock and is not at all eco friendly. Recycled gold can be used to make new rings without the harsh chemicals of mining new gold. It is thought that there is enough gold in bank vaults and in old and unused jewelry to satisfy all the demands of the jewelry industry for the next 50 years. Ask your jeweler about these options and the green practices of the mines where they purchase their gold.

The Bouquet – flowers are natural so what’s not green about your floral arrangements? Many flowers are imported giving them a significant carbon footprint. Pesticides and chemicals are used to grow and preserve the flowers unless you purchase organic flowers. The green choice is to purchase organic locally grown plants and flowers for your bouquet and centerpieces. Also donate your flowers to a convalescent home is a good green use when the wedding is over. Not only will you enjoy the flowers at your wedding you will brighten someone else’s when you present them as a donation.

Food for the Banquet – choosing items that are made from locally grown or raised products is your green option in your food catering choice. When the party is over consider donating the leftover food to a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Help others and reduce the unnecessary waste of unused food.

The last major item newlywed couples have to consider is the honeymoon. How far you traveling and what are is the environmental costs as well as the financial costs of your honeymoon. There are many eco tourism options that you can experience the beauty of the world. Many adventure companies offer many trips to the Caribbean, Canadian Rockies, North America, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. You can bike, hike, and snorkel in Trinidad or Tobago. A few of these companies also donates to support, wind, solar and other renewable energy projects to offset 100% of climate-altering carbon emissions associated with your trip.

When planning your wedding or assisting a friend look at all the options available today to help reduce the waste and environmental costs of the wedding. Start off your new life with a boast to the planet with a green wedding.