Now That You’ve Had Your Green Wedding, What Next?

Okay, so you’ve held your green wedding and you’ve tried to make it as ecologically correct as possible. Then once you’ve returned from your green honeymoon to which you traveled in your hybrid car or aboard eco-friendly trains, now what? What Next?

How can you as newlyweds make your life together a reflection of the green values that your nuptials embodied? Well, a good place to start is with your wedding presents. If you’ve been given small appliances, check the boxes or look them up online before you open them. If they’re not energy efficient, then you should exchange them for similar products that are more energy efficient. Or, if you can’t find anything similar that is more energy efficient, exchange them for something that is more earth-friendly, like a bamboo steamer or a low energy consuming slow cooker. Of course, one way to avoid getting wedding gifts that are inappropriate to your green lifestyle is to put up a wish list on the wedding website that you’re using to disseminate information about the upcoming wedding to all of your friends and family well before the actual event. If you’d rather get a solar oven than a toaster oven, then don’t be shy about telling people. It’s not crass to be specific about what you’d like. Of course, if you’re not that materialistic and don’t want more stuff from your friends and family, then it’s okay to say that too. Why not suggest to your friends and family that they make donations to funds that preserve wetlands or rainforests or your favorite endangered land animal or marine mammals? Getting wedding gifts like that is actually good for the environment and will certainly help to offset the carbon footprint you and your spouse create.

Once you’ve set up housekeeping together, it’s important to forge good habits early on. If you have a home with a yard, be sure you recycle everything you can. Plant a vegetable garden to grow some of your own food. It’s delicious and guarantees that you’ll have a constant supply of fresh herbs, vegetables, tomatoes or whatever is your pleasure. Having a vegetarian diet is green in more ways than one. Cutting down on the amount of beef you buy and consume is not only good for your health, it’s good for the planet too. And don’t forget to compost your organic waste. Certain plants just love coffee grounds, and they help to hold the moisture in around the roots. Be sure to check your home’s insulation and windows. Fix or replace leaky windows. Insulate your attic if you have one, and install solar tubes in your roof for nice, carbon-free lighting during daylight hours. And be sure to install a rain butt or two in the ground so you can harvest as much rainwater as possible. It’s not easy being green, but it certainly is satisfying.

Sending Green Thank You Cards Is Only The Beginning for your Green Wedding

As long as you’re committed to having a green wedding, I think it only makes sense to carry that idea to its logical conclusion. How? Well, one way is by making every aspect of your wedding green, right down to the thank you cards you send out to express your gratitude for all of the lovely wedding gifts that they gave you for your wedding.

I think it’s a great idea to use recycled paper not just for your wedding thank you cards, but also for all of your stationary envelopes, notepads, printer paper, paper towels or any paper goods that you use in your home once you set up housekeeping. There’s almost no end to the ways you can add green to your married life. All it takes is a little research and imagination. Did you know that you can even get pens that are made from recycled plastic components with barrels that are manufactured from recycled materials such as paper, wood scraps, plastic, denim, and even bamboo? It’s true. I first encountered recycled pens like the ones I just described at a hotel I stayed at in Europe almost ten years ago. It’s a shame that it’s taken America this long to get on the eco-friendly bandwagon. On the other hand, it’s never too late to make up for lost time. Now that Americans are getting wise to the value of green living, it’ easier than ever to find green paper products like thank you notes made from recycled paper. Fortunately, the Internet allows you to do comparison shopping with firms all over the world to find the best bargains for the recycled paper products with which to stock your home.

So, after you’ve had your green wedding, followed by your green reception and a green honeymoon, you can settle in to enjoy your married life in your eco-friendly home filled with recycled products made from everything from paper, plastic, denim, wood, glass, steel, bamboo, and anything else that can be recycled.

If you watch any of the shows on the Green Planet cable TV network, you know that there’s almost no limit to what can be recycled these days, and is being made into countertops, furniture, rugs, curtains, windows, and paneling. That’s why I say that sending green thank you notes is only the beginning; that is if you’re really committed to a green lifestyle for the rest of your life.

Earth Friendly Books Make a Great Wedding Gift Idea

It can challenging to come up with appropriate gift ideas when you’re trying to think of just the perfect gift for your favorite “earth friendly” couple. Most people would probably get a young couple just starting out practical gifts like small kitchen appliances or crystal stemware or something similar. But let’s try thinking outside of the box here. Instead of a blender or wineglasses or something equally mundane and predictable, why not give the happy couple some Earth Day books? Now before you dismiss the idea out of hand as too boring, consider this: a nice sampling of Earth Day books can help an environmentally conscious couple better realize their dream of a greener lifestyle. A well-chosen set of Earth Day books can provide information on how to make anyone’s lifestyle greener in all areas from one’s diet to the wardrobe you wear to the furniture in your home.

Plus, books can give a young couple ideas for dozens of ideas for ways to construct a green home from the ground up, or to modify an existing home to increase its earth friendliness. I don’t know about you, but personally I think that knowledge is one of the most precious gifts anyone can give to another person.

Right now there is so much interest in going green that you can find Earth Day books on virtually any topic from raising your child in a green environment, to making the interior of your home greener, to making your business greener. For someone who’s genuinely interested in living a green lifestyle that usually goes hand-in-hand with wanting to preserve the world’s environment, even if it’s just planting one tree at a time. If your green-minded friends are politically active, you can even find books about how to organize in your city, state, or neighborhood. Really, at this point in time, there’s virtually no limit to the range of Earth Day books that are available both online and in the chain and independent bookstores that exist in the brick and mortar world. However, if you want to be sure that the books you give will be appropriate and will be properly appreciated by the happy couple, and then it’s up to you to do your research to ensure that what you’re giving them fits their needs and desires.

Giving Earth Day books is not something that I would recommend as a wedding gift to people who are only casual acquaintances, as they might not be appreciated as the wonderful, thoughtful gifts that they truly are.

When It Comes to Eco Friendly Wedding Presents, There Is a Whole Galaxy of Wedding Gifts to Give

So your best friend is getting married and you have to buy him or her a wedding gift. Because this couple is so special to you, you really want your gift to be special, too, but you don’t know exactly what to get them that will be special enough. Adding to your complications are the happy couple’s strong beliefs in going green in all areas of their lives. Obviously, just getting them a toaster oven isn’t going to cut it, unless it’s some kind of new, high-tech ultra-energy efficient appliance that will probably be hideously expensive because it’s a new product. Well, don’t panic. There really are a lot of eco friendly gifts that you can give that should make your friends happy and won’t cause your pocketbook to have a financial meltdown.

Now some of these wedding gifts aren’t really fancy and they aren’t sexy, but they are practical, very eco friendly gifts that any green minded young couple would probably be overjoyed to get. For instance, if they’re just setting up housekeeping and they want to make their new home as green as possible, why not give them a rain butt for collecting rainwater? This will help them save water, it’s energy efficient, and it could help them have a nice vegetable or flower garden in their backyard, which can either be beautiful or delicious depending upon what they grow. As I said, it’s not a terribly sexy wedding gift, but it’s one of those gifts that will keep on giving for years to come.

And if this green minded couple likes gardening, why not get them an organic gardening kit, including all the hand tools, gardening gloves, seeds and instructions they’ll need to grow their own organic vegetables? If they’re really trying to go green by growing their own food, and trying to eliminate more of their garbage that would normally go into the waste stream, then a composter is a great wedding gift that will do double duty. Not only will it take all of the organic waste out of their garbage, it will help recycle it to make compost that they can use to fertilize their own vegetables or ornamental plants. Again, this is not a very fancy or sexy wedding gift, but one that will surely be appreciated by the couple who receives it. Remember, when you’re buying eco friendly wedding gifts, you’re buying them to satisfy your friends’ needs and desires, not to buy something that makes you feel good.

Some Easy Options for Staging the Ultimate Earth Friendly Wedding

If you’re thinking of staging an earth friendly wedding you’ve probably already figured out that you need to ban disposable products from your wedding plans, so that means no plastic silverware, cups, disposable napkins, etc. So where does that leave you if you still want to plan a beautiful, comfortable and elegant wedding. Well, for starters, you need to think about renting or borrowing whatever you need to stage your wedding. Employing reusable materials like metal silverware, ceramic plates, cloth napkins and tablecloths, folding banquet tables, metal or wood candelabras, glass vases for flowers and so on. Renting everything may not be the cheapest way to stage your earth friendly wedding and its accompanying reception, but it’s certainly one of the most intelligent ways to solve a variety of problems. Remember, rental companies are in the business of supplying plates, silverware, glasses, napkins and so for a variety of different types of events, so you should have no problem finding place settings, linens and everything else you need to fit the theme you’re establishing for your wedding, no matter how simple or elaborate you want it to be. Of course, for an earth friendly wedding I recommend simplicity in all things. Big, elaborate, ornate weddings are wasteful and selfish and need to be relegated to the past, just like leisure suits, disco music, and non-recyclable materials.

So, rent or borrow whatever you can. Employ reusable materials like metal silverware and crystal glasses that can be used for your wedding and then cleaned and reused again and again. Plan what you will do with any leftover food. I think it’s a great idea to have it packaged up and distributed to the homeless in your area, or send it to a food pantry or soup kitchen near where you live so it won’t have to travel very far.

Another aspect of your earth friendly wedding is to buy local. This is not only socially responsible it’s good for the economy in whatever area where you live. It’s also the most earth friendly way to get the food, flowers, wine, and other consumables you’ll need for your wedding. The farther anything has to travel by air, rail, truck or car, the larger its carbon footprint. And since the whole goal of staging an earth friendly wedding is to create as small a carbon footprint as possible, then it only makes sense to buy local produce, local flowers, and even locally-produced wedding candles. Getting your candles made by a vendor who’s local makes sense in other ways, too, since you’re more likely to get candles that are designed and manufactured to match a particular theme or color scheme that you’ve planned for your wedding.

Want a Truly Green Wedding From Beginning to End? Then Start With Your Wedding Favors!

Wedding favors have traditionally been things like matchbooks printed with the date of the wedding and the bride and groom’s names, similarly imprinted balloons and the like, which are all disposable products. If you’re truly interested in making your green wedding a success, then you’re going to need to begin thinking green from beginning to end, and that includes the kinds of wedding favors that you’re handing out to your guests. One idea that I really like for wedding favors is to give guests some hand-made, locally produced soy-based soaps or candles packaged in a square of locally manufactured cloth that can be recycled as either a handkerchief, head scarf or napkin. That way, the wedding favors are earth friendly, produced with as tiny a carbon footprint as possible, and even the packaging can be reused again and again. If you ask me, it’s hard to beat that for a green wedding favor.

One thing to bear in mind for whatever wedding favors you choose however is how far the components of these wedding favors will travel. When you buy local, you’re supporting the local economy, and ensuring that the carbon footprint these small gifts create will be as small as possible. Here’s another idea for a classy and very green wedding favor: give packets of flower seeds so that after the wedding the guests can plant the bride’s favorite flowers in their own gardens. If you like, you can have the seeds packaged in wrappers printed with the day and date of the happy event, the bride and groom’s names, and the name of the flower that will grow from these seeds. Just make sure that you print the gift packaging using recycled paper and soy-based inks. And if you can find a local grower to supply the seeds and a local printer who can accommodate your desire for recycled paper and soy inks, all the better. Always keep in mind the idea of the carbon footprint that you are creating when choosing your wedding favors, as well as everything else.

If you do have a good printer in your area who carries a line of environmentally friendly paper products, then you can also give your guests a set of note cards and envelopes printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks, or how about a set of Post-It® -style notes imprinted with a picture of the bride and groom or their wedding date. That way their friends and family will be reminded of their happy day every time they use the note cards or Post-It notes. Now that's what I call having some smart green wedding favors!

How to Throw an Earth Friendly Wedding

It seems that more and more couples these days are choosing to have an earth friendly wedding, while many other well-intentioned couples would like to have an earth friendly wedding but just don’t know how to approach staging one. I won’t try to kid you by saying that it’s easy to stage your own earth friendly wedding, but it’s probably a lot easier than you imagine.

One of the first ways to start planning your own earth friendly wedding is by eliminating waste and duplication, and wherever possible, eliminate disposable materials. Now what do I mean by disposable materials? I mean anything that’s made of thin plastic or paper and designed to be used once and then discarded into a landfill, things such as plastic knives, forks, and spoons, plastic serving spoons and ladles, plastic cups, plates, and serving platters. Are you starting to get the general idea? Earth friendly means being friendly to the earth!

Some other things to avoid when planning your green wedding are disposable paper products such as napkins, paper towels, and tablecloths. However, personally, I think it’s okay to use disposable paper products under certain circumstances, for example if you purchase only paper products that are manufactured from unbleached, recycled paper. To me, this is the only acceptable use of paper products. So, to make certain that you have the ultimate earth friendly wedding, you need to apply this same philosophy to every paper product you use. Oh, and other way to make your wedding more earth friendly is by making sure that you use only garbage bags that are made from recycled plastic, and if you can find garbage bags that are made from recycled plastic and are also biodegradable, even better. That way, even your trash can be made more earth friendly.

Another great way to make your wedding more earth friendly, and more socially conscious at the same time, is to be sure that all of the leftover food is packaged up and given to the homeless or to a food pantry in your area. I know I’d enjoy a fancy wedding feast a lot more knowing that the leftovers wouldn’t go to waste and would later be providing a nice meal for someone who’d really appreciate it. You see, being green doesn’t just mean cutting corners and doing without, it means thinking through all of the processes you go through to ensure that they’re as environmentally correct and socially responsible as possible. Face it folks, big, expensive, wasteful weddings are out. We are now in the era of the earth friendly wedding.

The Aspects of a Green Wedding

What idea comes to your mind when you hear the words “green wedding”? Maybe you’ll first think of the color green literally as what it indicates, but in this type of wedding it doesn’t only indicate a color but also a kind of wedding wherein the concept would mean so much not only because it is sacred but also it would be a way to show your love for the environment. As we hear the word green, the first thing that may possibly come into your mind would be the environment – and yes, it is true, it’s an environment friendly type of wedding. If you’re wondering if you can have a green wedding by simply celebrating the reception at a garden or some place that would make everyone feel that they’re near with the nature – you can actually do this by simply having a vegan wedding.

A Vegan wedding is also sometimes called a green wedding wherein all concepts and ideas should be eco-friendly. Vegan is a word derived from vegetarian that means a diet that forbids the use of meat, fish and poultry from dishes to clothing and other things. The main good reason of vegetarians would be because of the animal welfare; they believe that it is not right to harm and inflict pain on animals just for the sake of making clothes and things from them especially if you were just about to slaughter animals for meal consumption. They believe that it is not right, ethically speaking, to harm these creatures just for the benefits of human; this reason is indeed true if you’ll weigh every factor concerning animal welfare. Another very factual reason is that eating vegetables would be helpful for our body since it would provide us with enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals that will prevent the human body from diseases.

Green weddings can be planned by seeking for information first about who can help you out on preparing everything. First of all, you have to find a vegetarian caterer that would make a great green veggie menu for your wedding day; try to create a list of different vegetarian caterers in which you can choose whom you would want to prepare the dishes on this important day. The next one you should consider is about the wedding gown and dresses of all the people who will participate in your wedding. Try to select a designer who will be able to work with you on designing the gowns and dresses and shoes; it would be easier if you coordinate with someone who has an idea about being a vegetarian. Also, we’re sure that you’ll be very busy during your wedding especially if there are a lot of people expected to attend the ceremony, and so you have to make sure that you can accompany each one of them by your great veggie menu. When it comes to cakes or desserts the first thing that you have to do is to list bakeshops that are already creating vegetarian cakes so that you’ll be sure that they have an idea on how to make the best vegan cake. It is better if you first ask or get information about the procedures that they are doing to make the vegan cakes and what are the specific ingredients; after finding out everything about this, you can go ahead and select the bakeshop that will make a cake that would meet your standards.

Throwing Environment Friendly Weddings

Weddings, for all of us, are a very sacred and special occasion that happens, whether they are once a year, every other year, or a few times a year. For this kind of occasion all of the families involved are very busy with the location of the wedding, reception, invitations, foods, desserts, cakes, drinks, gowns and dresses and the likes. It is very important to make this day special and with that, we know that we want it to be the most memorable day of our lives.

There are a lot of different types of weddings, each one varies from the brides and grooms’ traditions, culture, values and way of life. Even the social status of a person can be seen in the wedding and this is only proof that the wedding day was a very important and special day for everyone because it denotes different beliefs.

One of the greatest and most exceptional types of weddings that can be done by couples would be an environment friendly wedding. This type of wedding, as the term obviously imply, it is to promote a wedding that would bring no harm to the nature. To further explain this phrase, one example is the recipe for meals that would be served on the wedding day. Mostly, wedding meals (for those who are not vegetarians), would include meat dishes, fish, chicken, or poultry. Those foods were extracted from animals and of course if it would be from animals that would mean that it includes slaughtering, and inflicting harm to these creatures. It would be against animal welfare and their right to live; this is ethically speaking. This is also the first reason why vegetarians hate to eat meat, fishes and poultry – because it would be from harming animals.

If you are a vegan and were about to plan an environment friendly wedding, you should have to plan first about the concept, ideas and things that would make up your wedding day. First of all, try to consider the people who were about to help you on your wedding preparations; from the designer of your gown up to the people from catering, you have to be more specific in finding someone who has the knowledge about vegetarians. Try to search for people who are knowledgeable about being a vegan so that it would be easy for you to coordinate and organize the whole wedding concept. From your gowns, you have to be specific on the designer that will make the material, try to check the resources that would be used in creating your wedding gown as well as the gowns that will be used by all the participants. It is a great idea to have a fine silk and make sure that the silk worms were not alive when used on making the gowns.

When it comes to the wedding cake, try to visit some bakeshops and try to see who's already making vegan cakes so that it will be easier for you to coordinate and tell them what you really want for your vegan wedding cake. On the other hand, those meals that should be served on the reception must be great since you also have to consider that you will be busy at that time and you can’t accommodate everyone, so be sure that you’ll let them feel accommodated with the great taste of your vegetarian menu. With just the right planning, your environment friendly wedding can turn out delightful, and perhaps teach others a thing or two about the vegan way at the same time.

To Do List for a Green Wedding

Planning your dream green wedding? As of now, you might have an unending what-to-do list. They say that planning a wedding is one of the most stressful times for the couple. The excitement, pressure, and other feelings can sometimes be overwhelming. So, it is important that the couple must immediately plan the wedding as there are several details that need proper attention and planning. Carefully organize your notes and list all the things you want for your wedding. Even if both of you have decided to have a small wedding, planning is still the key to make your wedding day extra marvelous.

In the wedding preparations, the couple must first set the wedding date. First and foremost, this is the most important, as all the other wedding details will follow including the availability of the venue for the wedding reception. If the date is already considered, then the next step is for the couple to have a complete list on who would be part of your special day. Set the number of people to invite and from there, you can now discuss the wedding budget. After finishing the mentioned steps, you can now book the venue for your dream wedding. Consider your number of guests when looking for a wedding location so everyone can feel comfortable and not be cramped during the reception.

And of course, the couple must discuss the wedding theme. Most couples already have an idea on what kind of wedding they want. However, the only problem is that they don’t know where to start or how they can incorporate their vision into their dream wedding. These days, many couples have experimented on trying out different wedding themes and all prove to be a major hit. Some of the brides would go for the traditional wedding. While some want a garden wedding or even a beach wedding.

Though these themes are exciting, it would still be nice if you deviate from the norm. After all, it is your goal to make this wedding a truly memorable event. So, start looking for a unique theme to let your guests have a wonderful time in your special day. But as you are looking for the right theme, make sure that your interests and your personality are not compromised.
Take for example a couple who are advocates on helping save Mother Earth. They could incorporate their interest or cause to their wedding. Green weddings are now becoming more and more popular because people are now aware of saving the planet. For a green wedding, you can start by have recycled papers to serve as your invitation. Also, pick a wedding dress that is made from natural materials like silk and cotton as these create less negative impact on the environment. And for a full green wedding, the food must also be in sync with your chosen theme.

With all these things considered, the couple can now have a unique wedding theme without slashing their budget. This then proves that a wonderful wedding does not entail great amount of money if planned correctly.

A Dream Green Wedding: Having an eco-friendly Wedding

Stressed out in planning your wedding? Or are you running out of ideas on what to do with your wedding preparations? Worry no more as there is a multitude of exciting and unique wedding ideas you can find. You don’t need to be a wedding planner or wedding expert to come up with a magnificent idea that would put your guests in awe. But if you are still worrying that you do not have enough cash so your green dream wedding can push through, again, stop all your worries as a perfect wedding does not need extravagant spending of money. There are so many practical ways on how you can incorporate your dream green wedding without breaking your bank account.

You may actually wonder what these wedding ideas would be. Well, this wedding idea does not require thousands of dollars or too much wedding preparations. Hold on to your seats, as you take a closer look at the newest fads in many weddings today. This newest wedding idea is known as the eco-friendly wedding. Yes, you may have a little inkling on what this is all about because of the root word eco-friendly.

In this increasingly chaotic (both in terms of politics and environment) world, a modern bride must still be vigilant in answering the cries of society. In your own little way, you can contribute in preserving our planet. And this is truly memorable as you can do your share in saving the earth in the most memorable time of your life—your wedding. When we say eco-friendly wedding, this actually refers to having a wedding that has a lesser impact on the environment. You can do this by using wedding materials that can do no harm to the surroundings. Some of the most worthy materials to be used for an eco-friendly wedding are recycled papers. You can use this for your invitations. Using recycled papers can help protect trees. This only proves that your green wedding can go a long way in protecting the world we live in.

When incorporating this kind of wedding, your attire can also make a huge contribution. Make sure to pick a dress that is made of cotton, hemp and other organic materials so as to imbibe the green theme in your wedding. These materials are not petroleum-based. Meaning, they do not have nasty effects on the environment. Another alternative for your dress is to use a vintage or used one. You can ask the assistance of a designer for a little update on the dress to make it extra glamorous.

When it comes to flowers, you can go for the flowers that utilize organic practices. These flowers still look lovely. But the only difference is that these can do great lengths in your cause in saving the environment and also in your green wedding theme.

And lastly, for the menu, you can opt for the “green food.” Yes, you guessed it right. Your guests can have a taste of salad and fruits and stay away from meat. This would not only do great in your theme but you can help your guests maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Why Not Have an Earth Friendly Wedding Today?

A wedding is an important event and also a decision that a couple makes to fully live together and be recognized by the society as husband and wife. It is very significant for a couple’s life but it need not be expensive. This is where the concept of an earth friendly wedding enters.

A lot of couples these days pay for almost 30 percent of the total expense on their weddings. To come up with your typical wedding with all the “necessary” items and services, you will need about $19,000 at the least! Not a lot of couples have that kind of money and prefer having that special day at Las Vegas or in Turkey where they are said to hold around 166,000 weddings per year!

The concept of holding an earth friendly wedding not only stays but continues to give a lasting impression of compassion and mostly, practicality. Who would not want to be practical these days? Nowadays, the world produces a lot more than what we actually need. More production, more waste; thus making our environment turn on the bad side. In weddings alone, the average couple purchases items and avails for services that are actually unnecessary, only to make an elegant impression and feel for their guests. Having an earth friendly wedding does not mean that your wedding will not have style and elegance. It all sums up to the creativity, resourcefulness and love you and your partner can offer. An earth friendly wedding is a sensible and compassionate way to unite one another in matrimony. It does not need all the commercial additives you usually find in the market. An earth friendly wedding is more personal and unique.

As like any wedding, you as a couple will soon discuss who to invite and send out these invites soon. Along with completing your cherished guest list, you form place cards and tags for giveaways. Instead of spending around $300 on paper, printing and cutting, why not personalize our invites, place cards and tags by purchasing natural, organic papers that are easily purchased in craft and paper stores. You and your partner can write the contents by hand or can have beautiful and rustic stamps to do the content of your invites. If you think that cutting would be time consuming, there are among dozens of ready made blank cards made from organic materials. Along with your early wedding preparation, you will soon find a place for your wedding ceremony, your wedding reception and also your green honeymoon.

Most couples exchange “I dos” in a church, chapel or synagogue, while their reception are usually held at hotels or resorts; of course there are fees to be paid with the use of these locations. Why not pay for one location to hold to important events that happen one after the other? Doing this not only cuts the costs of rental fees but also gives time for your guest to enjoy without worrying of road construction and traffic. You and your family can have a beautiful garden wedding and enjoy the foliage and natural beauty nature has to offer.

Having an earth friendly wedding does not necessarily mean that the food served has to be like what they would serve at a vegetarian wedding. Of course, it can if you like. There are caterers in the market who serve certified organic menus. They may cost a bit more but their flavors are great and can even impress some of your guests. Organic dishes are packed with freshness and flavors that are sumptuous to both the palate and the eye. Also inform your chosen caterer that you are having an earth friendly wedding so that they can adjust and avoid using “styro-foam” based products and can have recycled dishes, eclectic glasses that come in wonderful and vibrant colors. Influence responsibility to your caterer and have them dispose and recycle the garbage right after your reception. Excess food and flowers may be donated to a nearby senior citizens home or a local shelter for the homeless. Your giveaways can be 100 percent environment friendly by using all organic materials or by recycling old jars, crafting them up a bit and placing organic or home-made cookies or jams. Doing the organic way means having your gowns and suits in earth friendly materials.

By deciding to hold a practical and unique wedding event, you and your partner did more than just save cash, you pledged your love to each other and showed your guests that the love extends farther, all the way to the environment, by having an earth friendly wedding.

Environment Friendly - Earth Friendly Wedding

Though weddings are considered as one of the most important events in a couple’s life, they still have to make sure that they are responsible and concerned citizens. This only means that couples, even if it is their wedding, must do their share in saving Planet Earth. Now, this seems a little too much because some couples may think that this is the time of their life and it is their time to shine.

However, time is running out and every citizen must do in their own little ways in contributing to saving this depleting earth. After all, it is us humans who are responsible for the many environmental issues happening today. So, even if it is your wedding day, you can still do many measures on how you can save the earth. By incorporating an environmentally conscious theme wedding, you can help spread awareness on how a simple citizen can help in the worsening condition of the earth. Your marriage would serve as a tool in cultivating consciousness among people. An environment friendly wedding can surely make great sense and pride to you as a couple.

Though an earth friendly wedding may seem a little eccentric to some, you just have to make sure that your guests can still enjoy your momentous occasion. Some couples who have opted for an environment friendly wedding have consulted the help of a wedding planner for a hassle-free preparation. According to experts, the wedding preparation process needs to include options on how to lessen the impact of waste. To do this, you must include nature-friendly materials for your wedding such as papers. For your invitations, you can make use of recycled papers. The quality of the invitation cards would never be compromised and this is also a great way of protecting trees. Keep in mind that companies need to cut trees in order to manufacture paper. So the recycled paper is a sure fire way of preserving trees.

And when it comes to the foods to be served, most couples have a hard time deciding on what food to choose since this is also one of the most important parts of the wedding when it comes to guests. For this, you need to pick the best caterer that can give you numerous food options. For this kind of wedding, you can ask your chosen caterer what can be best served. The most common food choices are vegetables and fruits. This could be a favor on your part since you can save a huge amount of money as compared to a meat entrée. A full, or even partial vegetarian wedding can be a nice and different treat if done right.

Also inform your caterer that you don’t want disposable products. Instead, you prefer real dishes, glassware, and cutlery. With this kind of preparation, no flaws or mistakes will be encountered. You just need to enjoy and savor the moment. And the most important thing is that you have done your part in making this world a better place to live in for the future generations.

You can also encourage your friends to do their wedding the non-conventional but worthwhile way such as in an earth friendly wedding.

Your Environment Friendly Wedding Can Help Save Mother Earth

With all the destruction and damage done to our environment, Mother Earth calls for your help. What better way to help her than to start with your own environment friendly wedding day when you are also about to start your own family just like Mother Earth?

Let’s begin with the invites. The invitation should be made from recycled paper or handmade paper. And since we are into the modern times, try and check out invites that are sent through email. There are also plenty of places online that offer an invitation service.

Next, we have the flowers for the bride, her entourage, and the decoration. You may want to use those that are home grown or freshly picked from the gardens. Avoid those wedding flowers that are sprayed with insecticides.

For venue, choose an outdoor wedding. You can have a garden wedding, or wedding in a local park, or a beach wedding. Your environment-friendly wedding should be able to showcase the beauty of nature and why it is important to preserve it.

Moving to the wedding dress and clothing, there are many organic materials that you can choose from. The bridal gown should be made from natural fibers like silk, stain, hemp, organic cotton. Or you can go retro and recycle your mom’s or granny’s wedding gown while the groom can wear a vintage suit.

The symbol of love, the ring, should also conform to one’s being environment friendly. Instead of going for the diamond which is mined and endangers lives as well as the earth, try buying a green wedding ring from an ethical jeweler who specializes in environment friendly weddings. Ethical jewelers make sure that the gems they sell are produced responsibly.

Let’s go to one of the most awaited and important part of the festivities, the wedding reception. You may want to avail of the services of a caterer who concentrates on environment friendly weddings. You may opt to go total vegan, or semi-vegetarian. Whatever your choice is, you have to make sure that the food you serve shows your advocacy towards saving Mother Earth.

The wedding cake should also be all natural. Use natural sweeteners and organic ingredients. Although quite rare, you may want to find a baker that specializes in vegan or vegetarian wedding cakes.

Of course, you cannot let your guests go without giving favors. For your wedding party favors, you can visit organic retail stores that sell or offer novelty eco-friendly items such as handmade soaps, potpourri from dried flowers and leaves, organic scented candles, and the likes. You may also want to convince your guests to donate whatever amount they feel comfortable with to causes that will help save Mother Earth.

As a culmination of the wedding festivities, you can also conduct some environment-friendly activities to increase the consciousness of your wedding party and guests to the good cause that you are advocating.

When the wedding is over, you can gather what is left-over such as flowers and recycle them to a hospital or nursing home. To save on paper, you can send your wedding photos to your family and friends online via email or use a website that specializes in having an online wedding photo gallery.

See how easy you can help save Mother Earth through your environment friendly wedding?

Show Your Love of Nature in Your Eco-Friendly Wedding

People are becoming more conscious of their environment these days. Even in marriage, more couples are opting for an eco-friendly wedding celebration.

In the eco-friendly wedding celebration, people are able to show their love of nature and the environment. Demonstrating their eco-friendly lifestyle, the wedding can also be a favorable time to increase the consciousness of the entourage and guests to the importance of taking good care of the ecology and of being eco-friendly.

Here is how you can let your guests see the love of nature in your eco-friendly wedding:

1 Start your eco-friendly wedding campaign in your invites. You can design your invites using a love of nature wedding theme. The paper itself should be eco-friendly. You can specify how you would incorporate the love of nature into the wedding ceremony making it unique and meaningful. You can also indicate in the invites that you prefer to receive eco-friendly gifts or donations to charities and foundations that support campaign for protecting the environment.

2 Decorations for the wedding should be minimal and reflect how you are trying to conserve nature.

3 As a wedding party favor, you can distribute seeds to your guests for them to plant and contribute to the protection of the environment, or you can donate to any ecological charity or foundation in their name.

4 Your eco-friendly wedding reception can highlight natural and untreated foods. You don’t have to go absolute vegetarian; you can offer your guest farm-friendly produce.

5 You can coordinate with your clothing designer as far as you and your entourage’s clothing is concerned. Go organic; there are plenty of organic retail stores from which you can get your clothing items.

6 You can choose an organic garden for your venue. If you’re really deep into your advocacy, why not hold your wedding ceremony in the woods?

7 There are also many organic retail stores that offer bridal registry services. You can check online and find the one the best suits your preference. You can also decide to forego of receiving gifts and instead, ask the guest to donate to foundations or charities supporting ecological conservation and protection.

8 Add some special and unique wedding touch to the event. At the end of the ceremony, why not lead your guests to a tree-planting activity? This way, you can also encourage them to become ecological friendly and engage in activities that will help protect and conserve nature.


In everything that you use in your wedding ceremony and reception, you have to make a conscious effort to protect and conserve nature and the environment. There are several thousand ways to do this and to show your love for the ecology to your guests. Who knows, you might be the catalyst for your guests in awakening their sleeping consciousness of Mother Earth.

Your eco-friendly wedding can be the start of a concerted effort and a strong advocacy campaign to protect the world everybody lives in. Get everyone involved, and save Mother Earth. Go green, Go natural, be eco-friendly.

Make a Difference with an Eco Friendly Wedding

Ever wondered how it is to end up “happily ever after” these days? Well, in today’s modern day settings and fast paced lifestyles, getting to be “happily ever after” is quite simple as long as you have the cash to fuel it through. Weddings are one of the most expensive events a person or even a couple can give themselves. In the U.S. alone, over $2.3 billion is spent for weddings every year and those weddings have about an average of $20,000 for basic expenses. Truly, the wedding industry has proven itself to be one of the fastest growing industries even in third world countries! With all the services wedding institutions and expos offer, nothing is more practical and more realistic than having an eco friendly wedding.

Weddings are usually characterized as a devoted and lasting unification, and that union need not slash the limits of your bank account! Having an eco friendly wedding not only minimizes the total cost of your special day but also addresses pressing issues on the environment and promotes responsibility and conservation. Various services offer so many items that only make a short impression, but purchasing these items will make a lasting effect on your money. Eco friendly weddings are more sensible in many ways. As a couple, you will start to discuss the wedding date and where you would want the wedding to actually take place. According to studies, 80 percent of the couples in the U.S. prefer to hold their wedding ceremonies in their local churches or synagogues. With this, a couple is required to pay at least $200 for church fees. They usually take about 30 to 45 minutes before they transfer to the hotel or resort of their choice, making them pay about $7,600 for function room rentals and food. Instead of having to go over these figures, you can opt to have your wedding ceremony and your reception at one place. If you and your family strictly remain on having the ceremony at the church, you can have your reception at the church’s garden or at an eco friendly park near the area. In that way, you can lessen the time and effort consumed by traveling and also lessens the fuel consumption from private transports belonging to your guests. Or to have your guest enjoy the city, contact your city’s tour guide and arrange for a quick tour on the way to the park or place you chose to have your reception at.

For the wedding invites you will be giving out before the date, try to put a little personal touch and create or craft your own invites. Several craft stores in the country offer a wide variety of organic and environmentally friendly fibers and parchments that are wonderful for invitations, tags and even place cards. You can either have them hand written or stamped making you save on printing costs. Your invites will not only look special but will be unique as well. For an effectively planned eco friendly wedding, there are dozens and dozens of online sources where you can purchase organic items like organic flowers, small organic plants that are great for your guest to take home, organic jam, cookies for additional souvenirs and even organic cloth for your wedding dresses and suits.

Remember that an eco friendly wedding does more than just care for the environment; it makes you and your partner give a promise of lasting love and responsibility to each other and also the place where you plan to spend the rest of your life in, the Earth. So have a wonderful, eco friendly wedding today and make a difference.

A Green Wedding Celebration to Remember for the Rest of Your Life

You care about your wedding ceremony, right? You also care about the world you live in, correct? Since both are important for you, why not care for both of them on the most awaited day of your life - your wedding? You can have a green wedding celebration to remember for the rest of your life. You may even convince your guests to join your advocacy in the "go green" process. Here is how you do it:

Limit your invites to those whom you truly wish to be there to see your wedding. Consider that each and every person you invite would mean a bigger venue, more travel, more food, and much waste when the wedding ceremony is over.

Locate your wedding ceremony to a venue that is convenient and accessible to most of your guests. You can hold your green wedding in a place that supports your advocacy of being environmental-friendly. You can choose a garden wedding, or you can come to the venue in a horse-driven carriage instead of the traditional bridal car.

Your articles of clothing including the bridal gown and the groom’s suit should reflect your advocacy.

You can source the food, drinks, and other things needed in the wedding ceremony locally. Your wedding invites can be made from recycled or handmade papers. In your invites, you can also provide your guests a list of ecology-friendly options such as where to stay, etc.

For your green wedding reception, you can discuss with your caterer about serving organic or vegetarian foods. It may not be as succulent as the one with meat or more intensive effort, but it’s healthier. Also, try squeezing the most from minimal resources.

Personalize your green wedding. Although it is encouraged to go less for more, you can add some personal touches to make the wedding more memorable. For instance, involve your guests in the wedding. Tradition dictates that all the preparation is accomplished by the wedding couple and their families. This time, you can engage your guests to participate. Ask them to bring some flowers and combine them for a unique flower arrangement. In the reception, allot a corner where guests can post or scribble a note or two for you.

You can also suggest the kind of wedding gifts you want to receive from your guests. As more and more are joining the green campaign and advocacy, there are numerous retail stores that are offering green wedding gifts as well as registry services. Check them out.

Make the effort to reduce or minimize the ecological effects of your wedding. Although no matter how much effort you put in for this cause, there will still be impact, what is important is that you take responsibility and for every impact, you have to counterbalance with a green project. This is also a good start to encourage guests to go green and join your advocacy.


Don’t forget to tell your guests about the meaning of every effort that you do in your green wedding. Increasing their level of awareness will surely make them ponder about how they will also be able to take care of the environment. This is what will make your green wedding truly memorable.

An Eco-Friendly Wedding is More than just Going Green

It is important that we try to protect our environment by means of showing welfare to nature and all its contents; how will you be able to do this? Well, you can start with yourself, you can try to find some small things that would make you contribute something for the welfare of the environment. One thing that you can do is to consider welfare for animals – be a vegetarian.

Vegetarian is known to be described as a diet which will just let a person eat or consume those which is not extracted from animals. In ethics, it is a fact that inflicting pain with animals is not right and is unjust. They have their own rights to live and be part of the world; thus, every creature has its right to be protected and live as long as it/she/he can. It’s wrong for man to slaughter animals just to make them the most expensive bag or coat and to make those tasty meals. This is just one of the reasons why there are vegetarians nowadays. Have you ever attended a vegan wedding or vegetarian wedding? If not, then it would be good for you to know that by having this vegetarian wedding you can show that you care for your environment because this is also known as an eco-friendly wedding.

An eco-friendly wedding is a type of wedding wherein all of the things that will be used and all of the meals that will be served were free from animal harm. This means that everything will be made of materials that were not extracted from animals; from the wedding gowns, shoes, green gift bags, meals and even cakes were not made extracted from meat, fish and poultry.

The advantage of having an eco-friendly wedding from the term itself promotes a good idea that is against slaughtering or inflicting pain to animals just for man’s benefit. There are two religions which are living proof of vegetarianism – Hinduism and Jainism. Both of these religions imposed the idea of being a vegetarian among its people. They want their people to be informed about the violence that eating meat, fish and poultry can give harm to animals. They are against animal harm because they also believe about the animals right to live. These two religions were also after the fact that eating vegetables were good for the mind and body as well as the spiritual growth and development. Eating meat for them would mean hindrance for spiritual and mental development and so they obliged their people to be vegans – with these religions, they promote an eco-friendly wedding.

With the idea that having an eco-friendly wedding would be valuable, since you’re about to share the idea of an environmental friendly wedding, there will be a chance for you to share the great feeling of being a vegetarian with all of your guests. You can let them taste the great recipe that you have for your vegetarian wedding menu and maybe they will also be interested in becoming a vegetarian; and thus, an environment lover.

Make Your Wedding a Green Wedding!

Today, there is already an industry that epitomizes the ideals of weddings. Walk around your city, flip through those yellow pages or if you're feeling quite mesmerized from how the proposal went and you wouldn’t want to leave the comforts of your home, you can always search about on thousands of websites that would cater to your ideal wedding event. Wedding coordinators and event organizers are already popular professions these days. An average of around 2.4 million men and women exchange “I dos” in the U.S. alone, thus making the wedding industry accumulate big, probably millions in revenues. With this in mind, the industry opens up its doors to more choices, and when we get more choices, the more confusing this may be for that simple, but loving union between man and woman. In this world of unending choices, why not get straight to the right choices for that special day. Choose Green, and have a green wedding!

More and more people are already aware of the effects of Global Warming and people actually feel it in their everyday lives. Campaigns on saving the world and the environment are continually being put out and echoed to people. Since a couple is more likely to spend money on their wedding, (other than their car and their home) than anything else, why not spend wisely for your wedding and help the environment at the same time. There is already a growing and thriving sector of green weddings, why not make yours one of these. It limits all the unnecessary hassle of too many choices and makes us responsible too. Having a green wedding is not all that complicated.

Everybody wants to book their special day in a romantic or serene location. Other families prefer to have their ceremonies at their local parish and have the receptions at some fancy hotel or resort. To avoid all added cost on fuel and rented cars that go by the hour, why not have your green wedding at locations that are eco friendly like your local park, a small museum with a garden or even that old church near your place that has a beautiful and private garden and fountain. In that way, your guests would have more time enjoying the event than worrying about traffic and getting lost.

For your catering services, why not support the local caterers in your area. I think that your wedding guests have already gone to so many parties and gatherings that usually serve the typical party food, why not treat them to something worthwhile and healthy, why not go organic. There are hundreds of caterers these days that look into the content of their dishes. Some caterers offer menus for vegetarian weddings, particularly having menus for vegan weddings. Other caterers have products that are home grown and organic but not necessarily only vegetables.

For your wedding dress and suits, there are already designers in the market that do use organic cloth like hemp or silk blends. There are also those irresistible vintage dresses that are sold in thrift shops that cost less and really look ravishing. For your cherished wedding ring, why not have old heirlooms or old rings resized, in that way, you can bring along with you blessings from your family. Instead of aiming for diamonds or gold, ask your local jeweler if there is organic gold available so in that simple way, your wedding did a part in reducing emissions found in mines all over the world.

Flowers will always be a part of your wedding as it adds nature and color to our day. Avoid the hassles of delivery and booking by having your own flowers grown in your backyard. Make it an endearing project for you and your partner and place them in small and attractive clay pots that have tags bearing the captions, “Grown with Love by : (you and your partners name)” This way, you could secure attractive centerpieces for your tables and at the same time souvenirs that express a loving union. You and your partner already have helped cut cost on travel for flower delivery and the use of harmful pesticides that affect the people that harvest them.

Last but not the least, your honeymoon where you spend days or weeks together. Instead of those fancy resorts or destinations that cost a fortune, why not contact a local tour agent and have your agents arrange an eco tour in a particular place or country. In that way, you can greatly contribute to that place’s community.

Getting married is not all about the glitter and glamour of the moment. It has its enchanting times but what really matters is the promise of love that one gives to each other and the responsibility to let it last. So when you and your partner plan to be a responsible and loving couple, start by putting that in the beginning of your cherished union, have a romantic green wedding!

Eco-Friendly Green Gift Bags

Okay, so you’re trying to cut down your carbon footprint, but you still want to give your guests little gift bags. This doesn’t go along with the whole idea of reducing consumption, but if you’re determined to go ahead with this idea, here are some tips for making this generous gesture as green as possible. First, plan the contents of your gift bag, and the bags themselves with an eye on being green, giving reusable gifts, and try to make what you give from local sources so that it doesn’t have to travel a long distance to get there. The financial and environmental costs of transporting everything must be carefully considered. You can start shrinking your carbon footprint by ordering your gift bags from Lucky Crow. This company is based in Oregon, so the bags don’t have to be shipped too far. They’re also eco-friendly because the bag and its pretty tie-ribbon are woven from organic cotton, and they’re reusable.

Well, we’ve taken care of the bags for our green gift bags, so now let’s consider the contents. Keep your gifts green, keep them modest, and wherever possible, try to buy local. Buy as many locally produced products to stock your green gift bags as you can. Personally, I think that locally produced handmade soaps are a nice idea.

And if you’re one of those people who just has to give away disposable cameras, then at least give your guests a recycled one. There are some decent ones available at The Knot website for $3.49. They’re used, totally refurbished, and encased in plain white cardstock. They’re not bad for what they are, though I think I prefer the idea of taking everyone’s digital photos and making a massive photo album of the best ones. Put your photo album online at one of those wedding websites and people can download the ones they want to their hearts’ content. Best of all, if people print the photos using their own ink-jet printers and special photo paper, they’re cutting down on the amount of nasty photo-developing chemicals that need to be used to develop the wedding photos.

Doing it the way I suggest means less waste all the way around.
For a really nice green gift, how about putting a handmade scented soy candle inside a recycled steel candleholder from Haiti. They’re unique, they’re beautiful, and they’re recycled. And they’re only $19.99 at Are Naturals. You don’t have to take these suggestions for green gift bags, but you’d be foolish not to.