Wedding Blog
One of the first things that Mr. Radish and I decided after our engagement is that we would do our very best to have an environmentally sustainable wedding. Weddings are such a big business now. With wedding industry pulling in a whopping over $125-billion per year, and with the average American wedding costing nearly $30,000, we figure that this is a great opportunity for us to “put our money where our mouth is.”
We strive to live a low-impact life on a regular basis, so doesn’t it make sense that we should do this with our wedding, too? It’s probably even more important, in some ways, because it’s probably the only time we will ever be spending this kind of money at one time on consumer good/services.
We really want to see as much of our money as possible go towards environmentally and socially conscious products. This has proved somewhat more difficult than we first thought, at least within the confines of our below-average budget, but we are sticking to it and trying to do as much as we can.
One of the main things that wanted to do was serve a mostly organic menu at the reception. Unfortunately, though, after talking this over with our caterer, we discovered that there is just no way that we can afford to do this. It would nearly double our per-person cost and that is just not a possibility for us. But the good news is that we can still afford to use local, in-season produce and we are still going to sneak in a few organic items where we can. Our wedding cake will still be organic since it’s being made by my mother’s friend, and she will only charge us a little bit extra for the ingredients. She’s giving us a great deal anyway, so we can afford to spend slightly more on that.
There are a ton of ways to make our wedding greener, and I’m sure there are a lot of things we haven’t even thought of yet, but here a list of some of what we are doing/have done so far:
- We printed all of our wedding stationery on 100% post-consumer content recycled cardstock and we bought recycled content envelopes as well.
- We chose a reception venue that can accommodate a vegetarian-friendly menu, and they seem to be very open to any other ideas that we throw at them. As mentioned above, we couldn’t afford to do much in the way of an organic menu, but they can totally accommodate it if you can afford to pay more.
- I opted for faux flowers, many of which I’m making myself out of paper (mostly recycled) and some others that I’ve purchased. It’s not as eco-friendly as using organic flowers, but again, I needed to save a little money and I didn’t want to hire a florist. My hope is also that I can re-sell the bouquets to someone through Etsy or eBay, so that they can be recycled and enjoyed by someone else. If I can’t sell them, I will probably break down the arrangements and find some way to re-use the flowers myself (Christmas gifts perhaps).
- For wedding favors, we’re baking organic vegan cookies from a delicious recipe that Mr. Radish came up with. We are packaging them in simple wax paper bags with a gift tag. Hopefully everyone will eat them and there will be nothing left to be sent to a landfill (except for the bags but they are biodegradable).
- We are honeymooning on Prince Edward Island, which is not terribly far from where we are getting married and it is certainly a beautiful place. From what I understand, PEI also had a wonderful environmental record.
- After the wedding and honeymoon, we plan to calculate our carbon footprint and buy off-sets. We might not have enough money to do it all at once, but over the course of the next year we will hopefully be able to do it.
- As gifts to the flower girls and ring bearers, I am adopting endangered species through the World Wildlife Fund. It’s actually really cute because you can pick from many animals (penguins, pandas, gorillas, etc.) and it comes with a picture of the animal, an adoption certificate, and a little matching stuffed animal. Hopefully they will think it’s a cool gift to have their “own” panda or whatever animal.
- We are having a mostly vegan buffet reception and we are only offering one meat dish. We have yet to decide if we can afford for at least the meat offering to be organic. Hopefully… but we’ll see.
- We are making arrangements to take all of the leftovers from the reception to a party that we are having afterwards.
- We are planning on using some potted plants in our centerpiece arrangements that can be given away to guests afterward.
- We plan to plant a tree together (we have yet to decide where) the day after the wedding as a little way to celebrate our new life together.
- I plan to re-sell my wedding gown and everything else that is left after the big day.
- I got the vast majority of my vases, decorations, etc. from thrift shops and from everyday things that I already had. I am using a mix of tea tins (an idea stolen from Marth Stewart) and vintage vases for our centerpiece arrangements, for instance.
- We are not having anything personalized so that it is more likely to be reused by someone else someday.
- We’re avoiding anything plastic at all costs.
- We rented out a school bus to serve as a shuttle service for our guests, so that not everybody is driving separately between the church, the reception, and our after party (this is also meant to curb drunk driving). It will still be using gas, of course, but it helps a little. We are also encouraging carpooling as much as we can.
- We have made a rule that we aren’t going to buy anything that we can’t sell or reuse after the wedding. I may have broken this rule once or twice (I plan to keep my wedding veil as an heirloom for example) but I think we’ve stuck to it overall. This is helping us keep our costs down, too.
- Our photographer is strictly digital, as many are nowadays, which reduces the pollution caused by the production and developing of film.
- I tried really hard to pick out bridesmaids dresses that they will actually wear again, or that can at least be sold at a consignment shop as a cocktail dress while also keeping them less than $150. This was a huge challenge, but I think I pulled it off (more about that later).
Okay, so that’s probably enough for now. I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch of things but I just wanted to give you all some idea of what we’re up to in this regard. I’m sure I will be posting regularly on ideas and tips about this, so stay tuned for that.
Who else out there is trying to have a “green” wedding? What are some ideas that you have? Do you think any of this will really help make a difference?
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Share this post: Green Is the New White
i got an adopted whale as a gift once when i was younger. . . i loooved it! i used to get a newsletter about her periodically. i STILL remember her name and everything! good call on the present for the little ones.
Wow. You’re my hero! If only more brides are as eco-conscious as you are.
We didn’t set out to do nearly as much as you have (great job!) However, we are getting married in Iowa, which is, of course, a farming community. Our reception venue is using nothing but local farmer’s products - meats, veggies, fruits, the whole kit-and-kaboodle. It’s not all organic, but for us it was super important to support our little farm town/state. 
Check out http://www.idofoundation.org. It’s a great organization through which you can encourage guests to donate to a charity of your choice.
You can also have a response postcard which is less expensive to mail and reduces waste by eliminating the envelope…or an online rsvp.
Cool list. We definitely are. I never wanted a diamond from the start but my fiance bought me an estate piece form the 20’s and finished my engagement with an investment into a socially conscious fund.
The worst we are doing is travel costs with a destination wedding but we are investing in offsets in to a primary forest reserve near our location so that we know where the money is going and keeping the guest list pretty small. We retained the services of a coordinator who is actually an environmentalist and we have worked out a lot of specifics in the planning for keeping things local the area we are getting married in including growing the flowers we will use at our lodging/ceremony/reception site and then letting them compost there with the rest of the organic matter.
I try to be optimisitc that green is the new white but don’t think so. Many people are still not into eco-conscious concepts and even those that are sometimes get a little silly when it comes to planning a wedding. Awesome job on your efforts.
We are moving into our first house in a few weeks and I’ve started looking into different ways we can be “green”. We are using a wind-power electricity plan, switching to green cleaning methods, and as soon as my husband’s job allows, he will begin taking the light rail train to and from work. I realized after our wedding that our choices are not very in tune with green methods, so I’m hoping our choices in a new home can put us on the right track.
Great Job! I would love more posts about green weddings. Can you give more information about offsets?
Here is a pretty good green wedding guide. I thought I would add this if anyone is interested.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/how-to-green-your-wedding.php
Research the offsets so that you know exactly what you are doing. There is some controversy with them in the green community because they do not absolve all environmental sins, you need to be careful that the money goes to interests that align with your values, and not all green projects are created equal (meaning you need to check the overall effect of ecological processes you are supporting).
We’re having a green wedding, too- I think your list was great. In addition to most of the things you’re doing, we’re holding our reception and ceremony in the same location to cut down on transportation, we’re holding the wedding at a national park so that the money we spend on the wedding will go towards their conservation and preservation efforts. We’re also using a caterer who only uses local and organic ingredients and using only locally grown organic flowers for bouquets. After the wedding, all flowers and centerpieces (most of which will be potted) that are not taken by guests will be donated to a local hospice house. Finally, we’re registered at justgive.org and idofoundation.org with our favorite environmental charities getting a percentage of our gifts’ cost. I think that anything anyone does to make their wedding or event more environmentally friendly is great, no matter how big or small. If every bride did just one thing to reduce her day’s impact, the results could be huge. Great job on all you’ve done, and keep up the good work! It’s not always easy, but it is worth it.
I think we would be bosom friends if ever we met. I have always loved the idea of honeymooning at PEI, and all your ideas/plans/intentions sound great. Can’t wait to see your plans unfold on this site!
BunnyBride - Mr. Radish got me an antique diamond, too! It sounds like we have a lot in common
impressive! kudos to you! you’re the future
kudos to you!
We are haveing an “eco-friendly” wedding too. Recycled paper, no cut flowers, local foods. We have also requested for our guests that are giving us gifts, to limit the wrapping and packing materials or to use recycled paper. This has resulted in some nifty and creative gifts from our guests. Two out of town guests got together and shipped their gifts together, one gave us a set of dishes, the other towels. The dishes were wrapped in the towels as packing material. So creative!
green weddings are such a fad. Weddings are wasteful! Period! You are not saving the world by honeymooning and island away from where you already live. How about spend your honeymoon rebuilding Louisiana or something. That would make a difference!
It hilarious (and annoying) how Brides are so proud of themselves for doing this. I’m not saying being eco-conscious is not worthwhile- but come on! Your not Mother Theresa your a Bride- wasteful like the rest of us.
Sorry “stinkobride” but I have to disagree. I think that every little bit helps and we all have to do what we can in our own ways.
again—
“I’m not saying being eco-conscious is not worthwhile- but come on! Your not Mother Theresa…” There are tons of ways to help- assuaging your guilt by being “green” is just so not enough!
stinkobride… you have a point about not being Mother Theresa. If we were we would have a simple court house ceremony and that would be that. No waste because there would be nothing to buy. I agree.
I am not kidding myself that I am not saving the world because what we have is essentially a selfish wedding and awesome vacation for a select group of guests. Eco-conscious applications are part of a value-system that me and my fiance share, so since we are having a “grand” wedding we are incorporating them into our event. We wouldn’t have it any other way. You spend your money where you want and we will spend it the way we want.
I believe your consumer dollar counts as a vote for where your values lie. We simply have a different value system.
I just got married on Prince Edward Island (my home province). If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them! I know where the best oysters are!
Wow! Good for you Miss Radish! I admire your efforts. I tried to do what I could but I certainly did not go to the extent that you are.
I LOVE the idea of your gifts for the little ones! Such a cool idea, enviro friendly and unique. I wish I had heard that idea a month ago! I had such a hard time deciding what to buy our little ones as a thank you. Do I go with something that will be fun for them now and forgotten in a year or do I go with something keepsake-y that is not really fun for them and will likely sit on a shelf for a couple of years and then get packed away somewhere. In the end I went with fun for now knowing full well that it was a waste but unfortunately that was what seemed right at the time…
Just another idea - of course, it’s best to rent your glassware and tableware, but you can get compostable stuff that degrades in a matter of months! So cool…
Hey Miss Radish! Some very good ideas. We just got engaged a couple of months ago and haven’t really started planning yet, so I hope you don’t mind if I follow your lead and use some of your ideas?
As for your honeymoon, you will love PEI. Great scenary, great food and the people are incredibly nice!
I would love to see pictures of your wedding center pieces, very awesome list of inspiration!
Salley — I’ve actually been looking for something like that for a party we are having after the reception. Do you know of any places online to get them? Thanks!
Jillibean — please, by all means, use any of my ideas and share any new ones with me too!
I found this site for compostable cups here: http://tinyurl.com/29dgco
Keep in mind that corn plastics won’t decompose in your backyard composter; they need an industrial system to work (our city has one and uses these cups and plates at our farmer’s market and other zero-waste events).
While I definitely don’t want to start a fight, my personal reasons for trying to live a greener life have nothing to do with guilt and everything to do with the reality of global warming and my desire to have a liveable world for my future children. My husband is a scientist and the science that is coming out chills me to the bone. If I can do anything to prevent it, even if it means something as small as using potted plants for wedding centerpieces, I will do it.
Miss Radish and shanbrite2: There are a LOT of sites that come up on google under “compostable utensils,” but the one I like so far is http://www.worldcentric.org/. According to this website, you can compost this stuff in your backyard, it just takes much longer - they give you the composting times. I was planning on using these and talking to the agricultural school at the university to see if they would be willing to compost the cups and forks for us…
Thank you for this post! We’re seeing the reports and science of global warming everywhere these days…but not enough of those messages are about what we all need to do to stop it. I love to read real, concrete efforts that I can model my actions by.
Hey everyone, I just wanted to say thanks for all the feedback, tips and support. I didn’t think many people would be interested in this topic, but I’m very glad to see I was wrong.
I will keep posting about this topic in the coming weeks/months, so check back often if you’re interested
[...] I mentioned a few months ago, we did our best to make our wedding as as environmentally (and socially) [...]
Wow! I wasn’t reading WeddingBee when this post was first made but I found it on the Green Wedding wiki and I think this is so cool! I am especially going crazy over the thought of a vegan buffet at a wedding… (and vegan cookie favors) yum! I can’t remember if you did a post-wedding post with pictures of the food.. I’ll look, but if you haven’t, you should!
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Mrs. Radish, Chicago/Syracuse
Age and Occupation: 27, Executive Assistant/Journalism Student/Musician
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Anthropologist/Musician
Engagement Date: December 20, 2005
Wedding Date: August 18, 2007
Blogging Since: June 26, 2007
Venue: The Wellington House in Fayetteville, NY
About Me: Mr. Radish and I are both from upstate New York, so we are planning a wedding in Syracuse from about 700 miles away. When I’m not obsessing about our wedding I play the cello in my band (which Mr. Radish is in too), read as much as I can, sleep even more, travel whenever possible, and try to find time to have fun with my friends. I’m also working on finishing up my journalism degree with a concentration in environmental reporting and I’m the VP of my campus Amnesty International chapter… so I’m a pretty busy bee.
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