How to plan an eco friendly wedding

Often couples who plan an eco friendly wedding want to demonstrate to their family and friends, that they care about the environment and the impact that a large event like this creates and that this is the lifestyle they have chosen for themselves. But for any couple interested in planning a natural wedding, it's a good idea to start with a different frame of mind.

Most importantly - Don't Stress! Trying to make your wedding completely eco friendly may be overwhelming, but by choosing the important parts to “green up” can make all the difference. It’s not just about being the most eco friendly, it’s about working in the right direction to make a difference. In the end knowing that you have made an effort to protect the planet, is well worth it.

Here are a few eco friendly planning tips to help you get started:

Choosing A Venue

One of the first steps in wedding planning is choosing a venue. A truly sustainable ceremony might take place in a venue powered by solar panels and illuminated by light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, and wiped down afterwards with eco friendly cleaning products. When scouting out venues, ask how the facility handles food and drink, table settings and trash, to see if it’s done in an eco friendly way.

The best caterers for a sustainable wedding, minimise waste of resources and use locally sourced ingredients.

A list of questions to ask might be:

• Do they recycle paper, plastics, cans and glass if it can’t be done on-site. 
• Do they offer local and organic food choices. 
• Do they serve food on reusable dish ware that’s washed and reused after the event. 
• Can you provide utensils like palm leaf plates that are biodegradable in an approved commercial composting facility. 
• Do they provide condiments, beverages, sides and other items without individual packaging. 
• Do they donate left-over food scraps to an agency like OzHarvest , Second Bite , FareShare , Food Bank or other organisations that support the homeless by distributing surplus food. 

Virtual invites

Before any of this can happen, you have to alert your friends and family to your upcoming nuptials with an invitation. If you’re planning a sustainable wedding, that can mean breaking with tradition.

For traditional weddings, “the invitation is really what sets the tone for the event, often employing the upcoming wedding’s colours and motif. But more and more green-minded couples are dispensing with printed save-the-date notices and formal printed wedding invitations. One eco friendly alternative is the online invitation website Evite, which offers about 50 free wedding/engagement announcement designs that can be customised with the couple’s event information and sent out to their friends and family via email and Facebook. The guest list is updated in real time; you can opt to be notified when guests RSVP or comment, and can export your guest list to an Excel spreadsheet for easy access.

The Wedding Dress

These days, eco friendly wedding dresses are becoming more and more popular thanks to the popularity that is building on the importance of planning an eco friendly type of wedding. There are a number of wedding dress designers worldwide, who showcase a variety of wedding dresses to choose from whether you are tall and lean, voluptuous and short, petite and slim. Because of this, choices for environment friendly pieces have become aplenty, making it more competitive with non eco friendly dresses. An eco friendly fabric is charmeuse which combines hemp and silk to give a lovely sheen and wonderful drape. Hemp is grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers and wild peace silk are cocoons that are harvested only after the moths have emerged. You can find made to order dresses using this fabric at Threadhead Creations on Etsy.

The least expensive and best green option is considering a second hand gown or those dresses that are being passed from one generation to another. You may need to do a little cleaning or alterations, but a second hand gown is always the best way to stay sustainable on your wedding day. If you think these dresses are going to be cheap or tacky, think again. Websites like Preowned Wedding Dresses sell designer dresses like Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier (which retail at up to $15,000) for half price, and sometimes even less.

The Bridesmaid Dress

Bridesmaids may wear dresses they had already purchased for some other occasion or bought at vintage shops. These days there are no rules as to what to wear especially if you have the environment in mind while planning your green wedding.

The Grooms Attire

Both Groom and groomsmen are encouraged to rent rather than buy tuxedos unless the Groom is sure he will get a lot of further use out of it. If your groom has his own kind of style why not consider putting together a second hand ensemble from a thrift or vintage store.

Flowers

When you look at generations gone by, your grandmother would have chosen flowers that were handy. Give your florist a general style and colour scheme, and any flowers that you dislike, but generally allow them flexibility so they can use what's in season and readily available locally. Though local choices may be limited, it’s easy to be creative. Think out of the box and incorporate things like herbs, fruits and even vegetables, using whatever is fresh you can create an interesting and eco friendly arrangement. Being conscious of the season when planning the date can also create a positive impact. If your heart is set on a certain species choose to get married at the time of the year that particular flower will be in season. Just because strawberries are available year-round doesn't mean they taste great all year, the same goes for flowers. For something really different you could get crafty and make your bouquet out of fabric and buttons as shown on our blog.

Transportation

Carbon dioxide levels are now at 400 parts per million so consider using low-carbon transportation when the big day arrives by searching for a green alternative to your standard limo company or you could hire a Nissan Leaf or Toyota Prius to make a real eco statement. Inspire guests to leave their cars at home and hop on a bus or train instead of taking a taxi. If you simply can't arrange sustainable transport you can offset your emissions - Easy Being Green offer an all-in-one wedding carbon neutral package.

The Decor

There's no doubt that ensuring your guests are dazzled by your choice of decor, is a huge part of creating the atmosphere for your reception. Get creative, there are so many simple things you can do, even if you don't have a lot of time, rather than depleting the earth’s resources by purchasing your decor, many couples choose to rent them instead, from places such as lovestruckweddings.com.au

The Gift Registry

What on Earth do you wish for? To avoid the waste of unwanted or unnecessary gifts register for gifts that wont hurt the environment. Biome Eco Stores is a Home Body Lifestyle store that has the Planet in mind.

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