10 Tips for a Green Wedding

What is a green wedding, anyway? According to The Green Wedding Guide, it just means that in all aspects of your wedding plans, you do your best to use products and services that will have as little impact as possible on the planet and the people who live on it. By using products made from recycled and renewable resources, creating less waste, and avoiding petroleum-based and toxic chemicals, you make a contribution to conservation and to a healthier planet. The result will be a celebration of love that encircles not only yourselves, your family, and your friends, but which also reaches around the entire Earth.

Earth Day’s coming up, and it’s wedding season. How does an eco-conscious bride-to-be ethically combine the two? The Green Wedding Guide by Valerie Edmunds has some great green and economical earth-friendly tips!

1. Use locally-grown, pesticide free, organic flowers for your bouquet! (Your local farmers’ market and the family garden are great sources!)

2. Use eco-friendly ink and tree-free cardstock paper to print your own wedding invitations at home.

3. To add a bit of shine, decorate your handmade invites with vintage metal buttons from the flea market.

4. What with all the social and environment issues associated with diamonds and precious metals, antique rings “recycled” from a previous generation (or a second-hand store) are an eco-friendly option to new!

5. Rent your bridesmaids’ dresses right along with the men’s tuxes! What a great way to save money and avoid exploiting new resources! (Plus the bridesmaids don’t get stuck with another dress after all’s said and done.)

6. Don’t go out and buy new beads and bangles! Thrift-shop beads and jewelry can be some of the most gorgeous, earth-friendly, and cost-efficient accessories!

7. Celebrate nature and hold your wedding outdoors! National and public parks make for outstanding ceremony locations!

8. Used bottles are an earth-friendly solution for arranging flowers for the reception.

9. Borrow family heirlooms to decorate the serving tables at your reception. (Or visit thrift stores to start your own heirloom collection!)

10. Find a talented friend or friends to provide live music for the occasion. The natural sound of live music blends well with a green wedding. (And another plus, friendly musicians are often willing to work for food!)

With these 10 Earth Day-friendly tips plus many others available in The Green Wedding Guide, couples whose lifestyle is environmentally and socially conscious can create the green wedding of their dreams! And bonus! The Green Wedding Guide is on sale! This regularly $19.95 inspiration book is currently marked down to $9.98!