With today being Earth Day we wanted to share a few ways to “Green” your wedding from our friends over at Green Bride Guide.
Photographer: Arguedas Photography // Stylist: JD Designs // Location: Garden in Billerica, MA // Table Linen & Candles: Linen recycled from Joanne Fabrics and Beeswax Candles // Burlap Runner: Etsy Shop – Banner Banquet // Charger/Wooden Plates: Tradsey formally Recycled Bride // Favors: Etsy Shop – Artful Beginnings – Plantable favors of various flowers // Organic Napkins: Etsy Shop – Island Picnic // Organic Napkins: Etsy Shop – Island Picnic // Florist: The Creative Nature – Florals , vegetables and raspberries used in centerpiece are all picked from the garden. No pesticides used, all organic.
What is a green wedding?
A green wedding is any wedding where the couple tries to decrease their impact on the environment. Green weddings are eco-chic, which means they are every bit as gorgeous as conventional weddings, but without the waste. Every part of a wedding has eco-friendly options worth considering, and, there’s a shade of green for everyone. Whether you incorporate just one or two earth-friendly elements, or go completely organic from the silk of your dress to the food you serve, remember that every green choice makes a difference.
Why should you have one?
- The environmental benefits: Each one of the 2.5 million weddings this year in the United States will produce an average of 62 tons of carbon dioxide and 400-600 lbs of garbage. That’s a lot of waste! Consider all of the stuff that goes into conventional weddings: single-use bleached white dresses, chemically treated imported flowers, toxic makeup and skin care products, mined gem-based jewelry, and individual packets of rice, to name a few. It adds up quickly! Picture this: if every wedding this year used a disposable aisle runner and they were laid end to end, they would circle the globe twice. Similarly, the amount of paper used for invitations could cover the entire island of Manhattan. If every engaged couple made just one small green choice, that would be 2.5 million greener choices a year, and that is an amazing impact.
- The social benefits: The average wedding costs almost $40,000 and weddings are a $60+ billion industry. Having a green wedding is an opportunity to make a difference by supporting companies that actively incorporate social and environmental responsibility into the way they do business. When you start talking to vendors about green choices, and explain your choices to your guests, you support the green economy and change the way people in your community think. You can showcase how easy it is to be eco-chic and share your favorite eco-friendly products with your guests.
- The economic benefits: Being green usually saves you money, and in today’s economy this is probably reason enough to do it! By making simple substitutions and eco-conscious decisions, like choosing a location central to the majority of your guests, you can easily decrease your impact on the planet and the cost of your event simultaneously.
5 Easy Ways to Do it!
- Share your Wedding Dress or Buy Used
Although it may be hard to part with your dress, donating it to a good cause after your wedding or to a bride-to-be is a nice alternative. Instead of buying brand new, you can repurpose a dress and continue the cycle by giving it away after you say “I Do.” If you really cannot part with your dress, plan ahead when you are buying it and choose a casual style that you can transform into an everyday party dress and wear it again! The same goes for your wedding shoes and accessories.
Check out the rest of this article in our Spring Issue of Pretty Pear Bride Magazine
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