Eco-friendly Weddings
Your wedding shouldn't cost the Earth - in more ways than one! When you consider the huge amount of energy and waste that is created by the average wedding, and the increasing concern for our way of life due to the threat of global warming, it’s no surprise to find that the latest trend for Brides & Grooms is the ‘Green’ wedding. Here are some tips to ensure your big day
leaves a small footprint on our planet.
- Choose recycled papers and cards or those from sustainable or alternative fibres. Take an interest in where your paper comes from. Do you really want your wedding to contribute to the destruction of native forests?
- Choose the smallest paper size for the job. If your invitation wording is brief, why display it on an A5 size invitation? Your designer can be just as creative in a smaller space
- Do you really need all those layers of paper? Invitations can be just as effective with a beautiful illustration or a photograph as the feature
- Opt for digital printing over traditional offset printing. This eliminates the need for nasty chemicals, inks and water usage and offers a faster turnaround time. If you must use offset printing, ask your designer to choose a printer who uses direct to plate technology, a waterless press or vegetable/soy based inks
- They may look nice, but did you know that metallic printing inks (such as gold and silver) are more toxic than regular inks and contain heavy metals. If you must have some bling on your invitations, use metallic card or feature a 'shiny' embellishment such as a diamonte instead
- If your guests are savvy with technology, create a wedding website instead of posting invitations. The website can list all the details of your big day including directions, online RSVP and any other events
- Opt for antique rings (perhaps a family heirloom) instead of purchasing new ones. If you don’t like Grandma's style, have the ring melted down and refashioned
- Buy or borrow a vintage dress or tuxedo
- Hire suits
- Donate your dress to charity when you're finished with it
- Choose a dress that is versatile and can be worn again
- Have your dress made from natural fibres such as silk, hemp or cotton
- If you have been living with your partner for some time and have no real need for gifts, ask your guests to donate to your favourite environmental organisation on your behalf
- Give seeds, bulbs or seedlings as bombonniere. Choose native species or herbs. Or you could plant trees in your guests name
- In lieu of bombonniere, donate to your favourite environmental organisation on behalf of your guests
- Consider choosing a location that is close to where the majority of your guests live. This will help reduce the environmental costs associated with travel
- Have the ceremony and reception in the one location, or at least close to each other, to reduce CO2 emissions released by your guests driving between locations
- Choose local and seasonal flowers for your bouquet decorations, instead of burning up fuel transporting flowers from faraway
- Arrive by a hybrid car or horse & carriage
- Use potted plants as table centre pieces. When the night's over, give the plants to those friends or family who were a big help with your wedding, or take them home to enjoy
- Use soy or 100% beeswax candles instead of paraffin. Paraffin is a petroleum-based product which, apart from supporting dependence on crude oil, also emits toxic black soot.
- Use locally grown food and flowers to save fuel being used for transportation
- Use plates made of palm leaf that can be turned into mulch when you're done
- Consider organic food, which doesn’t rely on chemical fertilizers, which are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions
- Honeymoon in Australia to reduce CO2 emissions released by long-haul flights
- If you do choose to holiday overseas, find accommodation that employs local people in management roles, that gives money back to the community, and that treads lightly on the environment
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