Saying “I do” to eco-weddings
Meaningful weddings vow to respect mother earth

Oct 8 | archive | subscribe

You don’t have to wear a hemp dress on the most important day of your life to be green. Anyone can have a more meaningful wedding by considering the impact your festivities have on our planet. Small choices can make a big difference; from growing your own flowers, choosing local food and drink suppliers, or even buying ethical diamonds and fairly trade gold. Your green nuptials will go along way to help the earth and could win over your friends and family.

Ethical Diamonds
Rocks without conflict.

Start by searching for unique rings in antique shops, otherwise seek out recycled or fair trade gold and silver. Ingle & Rhode produces jewelry in a socially and environmentally responsible way. They only buy diamonds that are guaranteed to be conflict-free. Their gold is fairly traded, and mined without the use of cyanide or mercury. They also give back 10% to local organizations where they trade. ingleandrhode.com

Do-Good Wedding Gifts
A toast to charity instead of a toaster

There are many options that you’ll find in your search for eco-friendly and ethically gifts, otherwise you could donate to charity instead. CharityGift help couples to use their wedding day to give money to charities by having a charity-wedding registry. charitygift.com

Felicite allows couples to register gifts from any merchant for any occasion including cash gifts such as donations, honeymoon fund, and even the down payment toward your first home. They send your check! felicite.com

The Dress Drama
Once-worn wedding wear

Wearing a used wedding dress is an affordable solution to an expensive dilemma. Since most wedding dresses are worn once and then preserved, it's not difficult to find an elegant wedding gown in fine condition.

So rent, borrow from friends and relatives, look into vintage, consignment shops, or locate thousands of once-worn designer wedding dresses online. There is a long list of websites that provide brides with the opportunity of finding a perfect second hand dress. For the groom, why not rent? ebay.com

Garden Greetings
Plantable botanical paper invitations

Many couples use the Internet and design a website that includes details of the wedding. This is preferable to sending out the same information on paper. Otherwise, use paper that recycles itself and utilizes non-pc chemicals like soy-based inks. "Plantable" paper is made with embedded wildflower seeds, which guests may plant at home in their gardens. botanicalpaperworks.com

Venue Mantra
Location, location, location

There are also a number of venues that advertise being eco-friendly settings. Other venues should be encouraged to recycle and suppliers encouraged finding greener ways of doing business. You can insist that your venue recycles paper and bottle waste and composts food waste.

Getting There
Matrimonial carbon footprint

Choose a setting close to your home or where most of your guests are from. This will cut down on your nuptial’s carbon footprint. Include public transportation in your invitation and suggest guests arrive by a hybrid or biodiesel vehicle, car share or foot.

Eat + Drink
Let them eat eco-cake

Taste Catering & Event Planning is known for its food, but how about sustainability?
Taste uses organically and locally grown floral/décor product whenever possible. When sustainable produce is used for décor, it is given to the kitchen and turned into chutneys, concassees, sauces, preserves or pickled. All organic waste is reused or composted and all kitchen food is composted. tastecatering.com

Ask your caterer of choice about an organic menu that is sourced from local produce. While you’re at it, ask about organic or eco wine and enjoy the festivities while nature benefits. Organic Chef Catering is another San Francisco eco-friendly caterer that offers clients a service that both entertains the palate and helps to sustain the environment. organicchefcatering.com

Chances are, there's a cake-maker or local baker in your area who can create the vegan, organic, or sugar-free wedding cake of your dreams! Start checking with vegan or organic restaurants in your area to see if they would be willing to do a special order, otherwise give Edith Meyer’s organic wedding cakes a try. They supply elegant organic cakes prepared with fresh, organic ingredients. edithmeyer.com

The Prescott Hotel
Organic stuffed minibars

This City hotel offers world-class luxury for the discriminating ecotraveler. Amenities include organic coffee and teas, in-room recycling, organic food and beverage choices in the minibars, and they clean your room with non-chemical cleaning products. And if that weren’t enough, adjacent to the hotel's lobby, is Wolfgang Puck's Postrio. The popular restaurant uses only certified, sustainable seafood, and all-natural or organic chicken and turkey from progressive animal welfare-compliant farms. prescotthotel.com

Cultivated Demand
Organic and locally grown flowers

Many flowers are imported from around the world adding to the problems of Ozone depletion and deforestation. Why not consider using flowers that are organic and locally grown. Organic Bouquet is a purveyor of organic and sustainable grown flowers. organicbouquet.com

Eco-Confetti
Earth-friendly favors that please

Throw all the rice you want, it’s a myth that it harms birds. An alternative to rice and birdseed is rose petals from your own garden. If it is the wrong time of year you can buy petals from a number of outlets. Consider using Ecofetti, they offer water-soluble and completely biodegradable confetti. Hose it away or let nature help with the cleanup. ecoparti.com

Honeymooners
The carbon-high club

Between you and me, flying isn’t that eco-friendly. If you do choose to fly, do it guilt-free. Balance your carbon emissions by purchasing carbon offsets and renewable energy credits. Your money gets invested in cleaner technologies that help neutralize your impact on global warming. begreennow.com

You can also cut back on your carbon footprint by choosing a romantic and adventurous honeymoon spot and go by boat or train. Many travel agencies provide green travel packages, otherwise check out Phil’s five tips on ecotravel.