What to Consider when Planning a Green Wedding

While the traditional white color for weddings has always been most popular, it's green weddings that are beginning to shine. Green weddings are events that are Eco-friendly and take into consideration what's best for the environment. After all, weddings produce a lot of waste that isn't always necessary. If you're looking to have a green wedding, don't think you need to settle for something less. Have your special day just the way you want it, while being green in the process.

The most important thing to consider is the size of your wedding. Every person you invite will mean more miles that have to be traveled, more food that needs to be served, and ultimately, more waste. Before opening your special day up for extended family that you haven't seen in years, consider your boundaries beforehand. If you and your groom agree on these factors ahead of time, it's easier to plan.

When you have your list of guests, consider starting up a wedding website instead of mailing out save-the-dates and wedding invitations. There are dozens of these sites online, some are free and some cost a small fee. You can send the link to your guests, and they will be able to R.S.V.P. to your wedding directly on the site. In addition, all of the important information will be on the website, and easy to change if needed. If you want to go the traditional route and mail out invitations, use ones that are made from recycled paper instead.

Another key to being green is to find a wedding venue that is Eco-friendly. While we wish it were as easy as pulling one out of the phonebook, you will have to do a bit more searching. Have a list of questions to ask venues, such as where they cater their food from, what types of dishware they use and if they recycle cardboard and plastics. Venues will either cater their food from a specific company or prepare the food themselves. For a green wedding, you will want to stick to dishes that use organic foods and feature vegetarian entrees. The food should be sourced locally from farms or organic grocery stores.

Dishware should be reusable, such as glass dishes that are washed after the function. An Eco-friendly wedding venue may also use biodegradable products that can be thrown away afterward. Tablecloths and napkins may be made out of organic cotton and all plastics and boxes should be recycled at the end of the day. The venue should use energy-efficient light bulbs, which are turned off when not in use.

Perhaps most importantly, be sure that you plan for your wedding reception and wedding ceremony to be within close proximity to one another. Many locations offer areas to have both the ceremony and reception in one place for added convenience. As an added perk, include bus routes or carpool information for your guests. You can put this information right on your wedding website or tuck them inside your invitations. Either way, you want your guests to know that they should travel together when possible.

There are many ways to have a green wedding, while not having to give up the day of your dreams. Write down what's most important to you and how you plan to keep your wedding Eco-friendly. This will help you choose such things as the venue, your wedding invitations, and even your wedding dress. Remember that at the end of day, you will feel good about having had a green wedding that still shined white.