Choosing Green or Eco-Friendly Wedding Invitations

With today's increased focus on reducing, reusing, and recycling, it's no surprise that more and more couples are following the green wedding trend. There are a number of ways that people can reduce their footprint on the earth throughout the wedding planning process, and one major way to accomplish that is to look for green (and greener) invitation options. Many people don't realize how much paper is used during the traditional wedding invitation process. By sending out an invitation with all the information printed on one side instead of the traditional style consisting of the invitation, RSVP card, and vellum insert, a great deal of paper can be saved. Ask your guests to RSVP via email, Facebook, or telephone. The paperless RSVP will not only save paper but also save time for busy couples. If you're looking to forgo paper invitations altogether, there are websites that can help you send out invitations electronically, such as My Punch Bowl, Evite, and Pingg.

However, there are some friends and family members who don't use or have access to email, and for those situations, there are environmentally friendly and green options for printed wedding invitations. Look for invitations that are printed on paper made from post- consumer waste (PCW), hemp, organic cotton, or 100% recycled paper. Also look for printers that use vegetable-based inks. Twisted Limb Paperworks out of Indiana offers handmade invitations made from 100% post-consumer waste. In addition to earth-friendly invitations, Twisted Limb Paperworks also sells other wedding paper products, such as thank-you notes, place cards, and guest books. Sweet Invitations creates tree free invitations using handmade paper made from cloth that has been shredded along with grass, flower petals, and silk. As an added bonus to being a green alternative to traditional invitations, Sweet Invitations doesn't charge tax for customers in the United States! Dream Green Weddings offers several styles of plantable seeded invitations which are made from 100% post-consumer waste along with wildflower seeds. Your guests will be able to enjoy the invitation long after the wedding ceremony is over by planting the actual invitation and seeing the growth of wildflowers! There are many companies which offer green invitations printed on recycled or tree-free paper and other materials and as you'll see, having a green wedding doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on style or class.