Happy Earth Day!

(image from Treehugger.com)

There has been a lot of talk about green weddings lately and it can almost start to sound like just another passing wedding fad. But unlike powder blue tuxedos, this is a wedding trend worth keeping around!

Planning a green wedding can seem like a daunting task for already busy brides & grooms. When planning a wedding, there are already so many things to think about and so many details to coordinate that I can understand why some couples might not want to take on anything extra.

Some couples may think that having a green wedding is an “all or nothing” kind of thing, and if you aren’t going to go all the way then why bother? I mean, let’s be honest here, many brides may not be willing to go as far as getting a hemp wedding dress (though there are some beautiful ones out there nowadays) and many budget-conscious couples simply can’t afford the extra cost of organic flowers, food, or wine.

But remember - every little thing counts and even if you can only incorporate a few small green elements it can still make a big difference. There are many small and easy things that every couple can do to make their wedding more environmentally conscious without breaking the bank or causing any extra stress.

Some of the easiest ways to make your wedding more eco-friendly is to just not do things! That’s easy enough, right?

A few things to consider skipping out on:

Favors- don’t have the time/energy/money to make eco-friendly wedding favors? Then just skip favors altogether or give a charity favor like Mrs. Lovebug!

Table Cameras - Disposable table cameras were all the rage for awhile there, but with the ever growing popularity of digital photography there is really no need. I guarantee you that at least one guest at every table will have their own digital camera in tow, so follow Mrs. Lemon’s lead and ask them to upload them to a photo-sharing website instead.

Mrs. Lemon’s photo-sharing cards

Flowers - Okay, so surely you won’t want to skip flowers altogether, but think about ways to reduce them. For example, we didn’t bother with any floral arrangements or decorations in our church since it was already quite ornate and had a lot of color. Or maybe you can cut down on how many flowers you use at the reception by considering some alternative centerpiece ideas like candles. It will save you money too!

The Radishes wedding ceremony. See - we really didn’t need to add any extra decorations. (photo by Tim Forbes)

Printed Photo Proofs - Almost all wedding photographers shoot in digital format now (which is great for the planet!) but many photography packages still include printed proofs. If the your package includes this, ask if you can get the proofs in digital format on a disk instead. Photo paper is still quite pollutive and this will help reduce the impact of that.

Unnecessary Packaging & Plastics - Avoid them like the plague!

Personalization - Of course, there are some things you may really want to get personalized with your names or monogram, but just think twice about it and only do it if it’s something you really care about or want to save as a keepsake.

Some simple things that can make your wedding greener:

Flowers - Organic flowers are best, but they can be cost prohibitive. If you can’t fit an organic bouquet in your budget, consider using wild flowers or if you’re a green thumb grow your own. If you’re the crafty type, get creative like bride Thryn Albin and make an origami bouquet from recycled paper!

Thryn’s origami bouquets (photo from zzilch’s Flickr page)

Have Edible Favors - If you do want to give wedding favors (I did!) then think about having an edible favor. That’s always a crowd pleaser and will minimize waste. For ours, we used homemade organic cookies in a simple wax paper bag.

Mrs. Radish’s homemade cookie favors

Invitations - There are all kinds of beautiful, super green invitation options out there, such as printing them on seed paper or hemp paper… But if all that sounds a little more hippie than hip to you, go for something simpler and just print them on recycled card stock. You can do it yourself or any good stationer should be able to offer recycled card stock as an option.

Handmade paper invitations from Porridge Papers. (photo from Flickr)

Centerpieces - Use potted plants instead of traditional flower arrangements. They can be taken home with guests later or donated to a hospital or nursing home. We did this for our wedding and it also saved us a lot of money since we bought the plants directly from a local greenhouse and we didn’t have to hire a florist.

Some of our centerpieces. Photo by Tim Forbes

Flower girl/Ring bearer Gifts - Having trouble thinking of something to give the little ones in your wedding party as a thank you gift? How about adopting an endangered species in their name! Check out groups like the World Wildlife Fund, the Defenders of Wildlife, and the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Adoption package from the National Zoo

Use Organics Where You Can Afford it - We really wanted to serve an all-organic menu at our reception, but this proved to be WAY out of our price range. But we could afford to have a wedding cake made with organic ingredients.

Our wedding cake. Photo by Tim Forbes.

Green Dress Cleaning - After the wedding when it comes time to have your dress cleaned go with a “green” dry cleaner rather than a traditional one, if possible. Traditional dry cleaning uses a lot of toxic chemicals. You can learn more about it from the National Geographic Green Guide here.

Do you think it helps to go green even in small ways? Does anyone want to have a greener wedding but feel overwhelmed by the cost of things like organic flowers, etc.?

Do you plan to incorporate some “green” elements into your wedding, or if you are already married did you?

… and be honest - are any of you turned off by the idea of having an eco-conscious wedding because of all the recent media hype around all things green?