June 30, 2009

Back from a very hectic week of vacationing and rejuvenation, I have had some time to reflect on my clients for 2010 and ways to incorporate elements of green into their celebrations.  It is my feeling that green weddings are not only chic and earth friendly but a necessity and as planners,  we need to constantly look for ways to replenish mother earth because we have robbed her good and plenty over the years.

It has been said that a wedding is the biggest single event that produces the most waste in a person’s life and I believe that if given options, many couples will make eco friendly choices for their celebration.  It is with this in mind, that I try to offer a green option in each category of wedding vendors and incorporate as many green ideas as I can when designing  a wedding with my client.  There are a few things to keep in mind that will help along the way to keep things in a green perspective.

Shorten your guest list – the more guests that you invite to your wedding, the greater your carbon footprint will be for the event. The more people that are on your list the more food that will be consumed, the more miles that will be travelled and the bigger your venue will have to be to accommodate your wedding. Consider a destination wedding on a resort so that every detail can be taken care of on the property.

Ceremony & Reception Venue - Consider an outdoor wedding in the park or at a beautiful natural spot so you can take advantage of nature’s décor and reduce the amount of added decorations. Have the reception at the same location, or at least nearby to shorten guest travel and reduce car pollution. Consider checking out the parks and rec. facilities and the estate or historic homes in the city that you are getting married.

Wedding Dress and Tuxedo - Consider one of the following: buying a vintage dress and tuxedo from a resale clothing store; buying an organic silk/hemp wedding dress; wearing a simple dress or suit that you can wear again. Consider Adele Wechsler Couture who is Canada’s premiere eco-couture wedding gown designer and has beautiful gowns that you can definitely wear again.

Invitations et al – Consider printing your invites, thank you notes, programs and all other related items for your wedding on handmade seed paper so that your guests can plant the invitations and enjoy the flowers that grow from them. You can also encourage your guests to recycle the paper and make that your keepsake from the wedding. Also think of using less paper by using a postcard for the replies and forgoing the envelope and creating a wedding website with all the necessary information so that you do not have to do too much printing. Consider www.invitesite.com where you can find beautiful, earth friendly invitations that can be ordered as DIY or printed.

Flowers – Consider using a florist that uses flowers from local and/or organic farms or use a wildflower grower at your local farm market to create bouquets & table arrangements. Try to find potted plants instead of cut flowers for centerpieces and guests can take them home to plant and watch your love bloom!  Go to your local greenhouse or try the farmers market in your area and purchase organic cut flowers and do hand tied bouquets as a project.  Milk jars, teacups and any other unique container make great vases for your centrepieces.

Food – Consider donating the food left over from your reception to a local soup kitchen instead of throwing it out. This will assist them to feed so many persons that rely on them for a daily meal and it will reduce the waste produced from your celebration.  You can always check with the city to identify a local soup kitchen or go through The Knights of Columbus at the local Catholic parish.

www.oftheearth.org, www.bridalaffaire.com, www.eadreyfoods.com, Photo courtesy of Bruce McKnight, www.marthastewartweddings.com