- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee Blog
Having eco-friendly invitations might be the easiest way to go green for your wedding.
I think the most luxe example of an eco-friendly invitation company is Bella Figura - you can check them out on Weddingbee PRO!! They are totally dedicated to all things green, and their invites are to die for:
If Bella isn’t in your budget (it certainly wasn’t in mine), check out the following vendors.
A lot of the invites on Wedding Paper Divas are now available in eco-friendly paper:
We just ordered these invites for our hometown reception:
We used Baron Cards for our Save the Dates and they were awesome to work with. We loved them, and we got a lot of compliments from our guests. They were actually RSVP cards that we turned into STDs. They print using vegetable-based inks and on 100% FSC Pure paper. Score!!
I also think these are fabulous:
And for you DIY brides, PaperSource provides an eco-friendly paper option. I picked up a bunch of their 100% recycled, 30% post-consumer waste, eco-white paper for our programs, menus and welcome bags back when they were 50% off! Woohoo!!
For you letterpress brides, you might be green and not even know it!! A lot of letterpress invites are printed out on Crane Lettra, which is made from cotton, and therefore, tree free!! This is the route that we decided to go.
And don’t forget to use recycled envelopes. I found some on the web here and here. This has been the one eco-friendly option that cost us more money (but I think it was worth it). We had an unusual sized invite and wanted brown envelopes. And since I promised a sneak peek into our invites, here are our envelopes:
The front, with my best handwriting:
The back, with a Paper Source 2.5 inch round label:
I’ll tell ya all about them next time.
So, have I convinced you to incorporate eco-friendly paper into your big day yet??
The round label looks great! What a cute idea — and fun surprise when you turn around the envelope!
You have great handwriting! 
And I agree, the label is super cute!
I love your save the date and you do have great handwriting.
Going green isn’t something that you can just “check off” by ordering a certain type of invitation. Yes, it is important to look for eco-friendly products and recycled materials like those used in these invites, but it is SO MUCH more important to just reduce the amount of crap you consume for the wedding. A truly eco-friendly wedding forgoes things like stickers, as the extra paper, printing, and adhesive takes a larger toll on the earth than what the eco-friendliness makes up for. If you truly want to be eco-friendly, think about how you can use LESS overall. It’s cheaper, too.
I wish I wish I wish I could incorporate all this eco paper into my invites 
Such beautiful paper isn’t so readily available in s. america :(
@Anne: That’s an honest point. I’d be interested to learn about your invitations!
@Anne: for example, (and this is for Miss Peep Toe, too) do you think soy ink is really the best way to go? I’ve heard that thousands of hectaires of natural growth is being cut down to plant soy plants, now - how can that be good for the environment?
@Anne: I totally agree. I hope to provide little tips for those not so green to get started on their journey. It’s all about the little steps. I never claimed to be perfect- I am just sharing the small things that we have done. I’ll have a post up soon about how we have tried to use less overall.
In the same line as Anne– making paper from cotton rather than paper doesn’t really mean more ecofriendly, either.
Sending out evites is probably THE most green thing we could possibly do. But when you still want a traditional invitation, I agree with the sentiments expressed that getting rid of the crap (swarovski crystals, giant bows, inner envelopes) is just the best way to go. And thanks, Peeptoe, for showing us some eco-friendlier options! (I had no idea about WP Divas, btw, and that’s great because they really have some budget-friendly options whereas letterpress is just so beyond so many brides’ budgets.)
I have to say that I had a big moral dilemma when ordering paper for my DIY invitations. I compared the linen cardstock and the recycled cardstock side by side and just loved the linen texture so much more than the recycled. I fretted for weeks. Yes, I’m that lame. I really wanted to be green(er), but dang, the linen was soooo pretty. Ultimately, I sucked it up and went with the recycled and I’m so glad I did.
Again posting to clarify so it doesn’t seem like I’m attacking!
I don’t know specifically about Crane’s paper and if it’s recycled or reclaimed or whatever, but cotton doesn’t always equal green because of its cultivation having a large impact on the environment, so for other people looking for green options, just because it’s cotton doesn’t necessarily mean it’s environmentally friendly. That’s all
@SH: Thanks for bringing up this point. In order to better understand- cotton paper versus regular paper, I did some basic googling. Unfortunately this seems like one of those topics that is really unclear.
Here’s straight from the <a href=”“>Crane website.
And here’s an article
attacking cotton paper.
Just like everyone out their I am just trying to do my best. If you could find some better information on this topic that would be great.
Apparently, I am no good at this link business:
http://www.crane.com/greensince1801/
So, see, in that case, I’d say that Crane paper is better for the environment not because it’s cotton or “tree free”, but because it uses reclaimed cotton.
At the same time, the article you linked brought up some good points about cotton cultivation as well.
Like I said, I’m not attacking you at all! I am just trying to help with education and information– there’s a lot of greenwashing and misinformation out there and it can be difficult to sort it all out.
It’s just difficult for me to not chime in when something is identified as green and it’s a little unclear as to why
Peep! Thanks for the info Your posts are incredible helpful for those of us who are (and I feel I can admit it here) less “green” than we should be. I didn’t even think twice about the paper I ordered. That you put the extra thought into just speaks to your comittment to doing what you can for the environment! Kudos!
Have you ladies read Hot, Flat & Crowded by Tom Friedman?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot,_Flat,_and_Crowded
Although written in the style of an editorial, the book gives a good (yet sobering) idea of what kinds of “green” tactics will actually make a positive impact.
Your handwriting is beautiful! If my cursive was like that I would have addressed my own envelopes…maybe you can start a little side business! 
Peep, thank you for sharing some eco-friendly paper options for brides. It’s the little things that make a big difference for the environoment when added-up!
This is a great post, Miss Peep Toe! We ordered the eco white paper from paper source for all of our invitation suite, including envelopes. When were they on sale? How often does it happen? I still haven’t bought the paper for menus or programs!
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Mrs. Peep Toe, San Francisco Age and Occupation: 29, Policy Analyst Fiance's Age and Occupation: 36, Olive Oil Production Manager Engagement Date: December 16, 2007 Wedding Date: May, 2009 Blogging Since: November 26, 2008 Venue: Hotel Vitale About Me: I am a west coast lady who loves the San Francisco Bay Area. I love living with Mr. Peep and our animals: Huck the Dog and Ferris the Cat. I work to save the environment in San Francisco, while Mr. Peep makes ridiculously delicious Olive Oil. On any day you can find me reading the latest book I have gotten my hands on, eating Swedish Fish, and perusing wedding blogs! We are both champagne drinking foodies on a Bud Light budget. We are planning an eco-chic, intimate, and interfaith San Francisco City wedding.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
Latest Gallery Pics