Go Green with Eco-friendly Wedding Invitations

If you are planning a green wedding, begin with sending out eco-friendly wedding invitations. Of course, one way is to send out e-invitations and completely cut down on paper usage and your costs. But most people like to design personalized cards and hand them to their invitees - this gives a more realistic touch. Besides, if you print your cards, you can frame or save it in an album too.

It is easy to design eco-friendly wedding invitation cards. You have to begin with the right supplies - use natural, recycled or biodegradable materials in your design. The eco-friendly paper that you want can come from different sources. Renewable resources like fiber from sugarcane, corn, banana tree, hemp, coconut, grass, leaves and even elephant dung can be used in manufacturing paper. Paper can also be made from shredded rags and clothing.

Post-consumer recycled paper is another excellent eco-friendly source. This type of paper is obtained from products collected through residential and commercial recycling after they complete their usability period and are otherwise worthless, landfill material.

Eco-friendly paper comes in different colors and thickness. Typically they get their colors from vegetable dyes. With natural fibers embedded in it, each sheet of paper has a distinct look and is different from the others. So you can rest assured that your card will have a unique look.

You can find eco-friendly paper to suit all of your wedding invitation design needs - your envelopes, envelope inserts, the invitation card and decorative artwork. When you shop for supplies, look for a label that says your paper is 100% recycled. Many specialty stores like Invite Site sell eco-friendly paper specially crafted for eco-friendly wedding invitation.

Use vegetable ink to print your eco-friendly wedding invitation cards. Vegetable ink uses bio-degradable chemicals from vegetable oils. It is much safer than synthetic ink which contains harmful volatile organic compounds. Vegetable ink also reduces the amount of toxic residues when your paper is recycled. Many eco-friendly professional card designers offer printing services with vegetable ink.

If you want to run a thread through your card or tie a bow, use organic cotton, jute or silk.

Use biodegradable adhesive to glue your decorations and seal your envelopes. Stores like ACE Hardware sell this kind of adhesive - it has a water soluble base and does not use toxic volatile organic compounds.

A good way to design your eco-friendly wedding invitation is to make your own template on a computer. Buy the supplies and print the cards at a professional store. Check out great eco-friendly wedding invitation design ideas at Bag Lady Designs, Dragon Fly Card Designs and Earthly Affair.

Print a 'recycle' logo and a message to go green on the backside of your card. This will be a nice way to share your commitment to nature and spread eco-friendliness everywhere!