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And, no, this is no post about the adorable Kermit the Frog.
I’ve been on a mission to find ways and ideas to incorporate green and eco-friendly concepts into our daily lives and our wedding. Our initial idea was to come up with an eco-friendly favor for the guests. The first idea was plantable trees, but that can it can become costly, especially for a large wedding. The second idea was to use plantable seed paper for our invitations or menus. Something the guests can plant, rather than throw away. But, that option was also a bit pricey for what we needed.
In my search, I did manage to find some fun ideas, all of which would make a great addition to almost any wedding. These are the plantable tree favors:
And, the other day, I found these Pinky Trees. Albeit, they are cute, but what do you use them for? Would they be considered a “green” favor? Would you really want to have it dangling around on your phone all of the time? Maybe I’m missing something.
And, yes, they are real plants.
As you can tell we’ve been struggling with green favors and if it would even be worth it. We do have other ideas for favors that are not necessarily eco-friendly.
Did any of you have a hard time deciding on a favor for your guests? Did you keep the environment in mind when deciding?
I like the plantable trees! I’m a little confused by the pinky trees as well, hmm.
Okay, I think the pinky trees are too cute!! (And not to mention they offer a cactus, which totally goes with a TX wedding). I was reading on their website and it says that the plant will start outgrowing it’s capsule in 6 months-1 year. Then you can repot it and it will continue to grow. So basically the same thing as the plantable trees, except you have a tiny capsule to carry it around in or display on your desk for 6 months, lol!
And yes, I have having SUCH a hard time deciding on favors, there’s sooo many neat ideas to choose from. So…thanks for giving me another option! =p And good luck as the search continues to find your own =]
We just made a donation to a charity in lieu of favors and made a sign telling our guests that. If you have great food and music, no one will care about the favors.
haha i have a bunch of those cell phone cacti. i bought them from deal extreme for some insanely cheap price. they are soo cute.
I was really uncertain about favours. I liked the idea of little trees but not conifers… I prefer deciduous trees, especially maples. Except that they’re twigs when you plant them as saplings. Not exactly pretty to help decorate a table with.
The question of favours frustrated me so much (Would guests actually plant their trees? If we gave something else, would it end up in junk drawers just to be thrown out two years later?) until we decided to not give one at all. Instead, we’re taking the money we would have spend on favours and donating it to a charity of our choice. (In particular, CRWRC, a relief agency — we’re actually ‘buying’ a number of animals through them to be donated to farmers and families in poverty stricken areas.) We plan to let our guests know what we’ve done somehow: a sign at each table or something like that.
I do still love the tree idea… We got one from a friend’s wedding, planted it in an old coffee cup for the winter and are looking forward to planting it at whatever place we get after we get married!
We’ve also been struggling with this.
Our favours are actually a donation to a charity that is close to the hearts of both of our families.
We are being eco with it by printing the information about the favour on the program, instead of as a separate printed card. The program is the only paper (we’re not printing up menus or place cards, and in fact our StDs and invites are all e-vites) at the wedding.
So the favour is technically eco-friendly because we didn’t waste paper to announce it.
Which one will you choose in the end? Those trees look really cute.
I don’t have a green favor, but our little green”ness” was using 100% biodegradable bamboo silverware and plates. It’s not much, but I think every little bit helps.
And I would SSOOOO carry that little plant with me everywhere! TOOOO cute!!
Agreed! Those little bitty cacti are too cute for their own good!
We considered the plantable trees, but it was kind of expensive and unrealistic considering most of our guests will be traveling to our wedding, and might not bring their tree back to New York/LA/Italy with them on the plane! It is a great idea, though.
We made homemade jam for our favors. I don’t know if that is eco-friendly, but it was inexpensive and gives everyone a taste of where we are from (we hand-picked huckleberries to make it.) Probably the best option is what Ellen suggested - making a donation to an environmental cause. It doesn’t create any waste, and your money would be going directly to a cause.
I went to wedding once where the couple donated to a charity that planted trees in the rainforest. They had a table with information and what the money would go toward. I thought it was really neat!
Does the plant in that keychain move around if it gets turned upside down??
I think I’m going to pot succulents like hens & chicks. I have a few of them that I’m going to split in the warmer weather and I’m also starting some from seed. If they aren’t big enough by the wedding then I’ll try getting them at a local garden center.
i had one of those plant in a key chain things. technically, you’re supposed to re-plant them when they got too big for the tube. i tried replanting mine when it got too big, but it died. 
oh well.
Perhaps one of the most “green” favors is not doing favors at all?
I think the little cell phone trees are cute, but yes…what does one do with them? I think @Lace’s suggestion of rainforest donations is a very cool idea!
@FutureMrsBaird: Good thinking with the cactus!
@Ellen: Very true - I’m not much of a “favor” fan.
@LiteraryBride: Love what you guys are doing!
@Miss Hot Dog: I love that you’re using biodegradable silverware!
@farmersdaughter: That’s an awesome idea. If we had a smaller guest list, I’d consider something like that.
@irmango: Sad!
@sapphirebride: We actually decided to not do favors - more on that in a future post!
@Miss French Fries: I think that’s a fantastic idea, too!
Yeah potting little cacti yourself would be a GREAT solution. (Not that I Think Walmart is a green store, you can buy cacti there for like $1.88 each, and pots for less than 50 cents). But if your guest list is huge then maybe this idea would drive you insane and lead you to having tiny little prick holes all over your hands.
@Mrs. Mary Jane: They are pretty cute. Prickly hands? Not so much!
What about making a donation to a “green” organization you like?
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Mrs. Argyle, St. Louis Age and Occupation: 24, Project Coordinator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Pilot Engagement Date: February 15, 2009 Wedding Date: September 2010 Venue: Jewel Box in Forest Park and Windows on Washington About Me: I'm a true Midwestern girl (born and raised), lover of red wine, reality TV and the entire J.Crew catalog. I love to dance regardless of who is watching, and enjoy a good laugh with my girls. I have a soft spot in my heart for planet Earth, my two dogs and my fiance. Fall is my favorite season (which is why we are marrying in September), but I love a warm summer day and the Colorado mountains in the winter. We are planning a modern soiree downtown, with lots of bold colors, and fun, eco-friendly elements.
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