Your wedding is one of the most important days in your life. It’s a day where two people become united in mind, body and spirit. Where individual goals and aspirations take on equal weight and a sense of balance results from months of finite details and stringent planning. It’s also a day where tons of left-over garbage and waste makes its way into our landfills.
Recently, an increasing number of couples are choosing eco-friendly or “green” weddings as a way to signify their dedication to each other as well as helping the Earth’s warming crisis. Green weddings are ideal, because the newly married couple and each of their invited guests can enjoy all of the luxurious trappings of a traditional wedding, while still keeping it environmentally friendly.
If you and your mate are interested in planning an eco-friendly wedding, then there are a few changes that will need to be made in your planning scheme. Some changes are minor while some others are larger in scope, but with thoughtful planning and attention to the Earth, you can enjoy a special day and have the peace of mind of helping the planet at the same time.
The planning begins, as it always does, with the ceremony. For an environmentally friendly wedding, the location of choice is almost always outside. A natural setting only makes sense for two environmentally conscious people to be joined in matrimony. Look in your local yellow pages to see if there any estates in your area where you can have your wedding and reception on one property. This will help reduce traveling from the wedding location to the reception and this is very much appreciated, especially for out-of-town guests who don’t know the area.
All of your wedding invitations should be made on 100 percent recycled paper and mailed in recycled envelopes. Check with your local stationary shop to see if they can handle that type of order, or take your search online. The Internet is a useful source for all of your eco-friendly wedding plans.
When you begin planning your wedding, the rings you choose are often one of the most important decisions you will make. Here is something to consider – the creation of one gold ring creates 20 tons of mining waste. Gold and diamond mining are two of the least-recognized, but most dangerous threats to our environment. Mining causes intense pollution, poisons local waters, reduces natural areas to rubble and is extremely dangerous to those who work the mines! For your environmentally friendly wedding, choose a jeweler who uses recycled gold or gems from ethical mines.
For the reception, enlist the culinary expertise of an all-organic catering service. With the increased awareness in both bodily health and the benefits to the planet, organic caterers are not as hard to find as you may think! Also, ask for cloth napkins and tablecloths to help eliminate hundreds of pounds of extra garbage.
If you choose to have your ceremony at a church, then think about your travel arrangements to the reception. Forget the big gas-guzzling, emission-spreading limousine. Instead, rent a hybrid automobile for the occasion, or better yet, how about a romantic horse and carriage?
When it comes to gifts, the usual thing to do is to register at a favorite boutique or designer store. Eco-friendly couples have shown to prefer asking their wedding guests to make donations in their name to a particular charity dedicated to helping the Earth. Not only is this a great idea to help reduce waste, but the gift is also tax deductible for the gift giver! Of course, if the couple needs financial help on starting their new life together, asking for cash gifts in lieu of merchandise is always acceptable.
Nowadays, even your honeymoon can have an environmental edge. There are a number of eco-tours to be taken around the globe, and many are found right here in the United States. Some great examples include taking a trip to the Grand Canyon, an eco-safari in Africa or take a journey of self-discovery with a trip to Arizona where time spent among the Hopi and Navajo cultures is sure to enlighten and entertain. Other honeymoons that are really catching on are trips to needy countries where the couple can volunteer. Help needy children in Africa learn how to read, give parentless infants the benefit of human touch or simply pitch in and help re-thatch a roof. Either way, the personal satisfaction of doing this charitable work together is a great stepping stone for any marriage.
Your big day is a wonderful way to show family and friends just how serious you are about helping solve the planet’s warming crisis. By helping raise the attention of just one other person, you and your mate will be doing your part to help support the planet.
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