Weddings are a big deal. They can also be a big source of waste. Wedding gowns are only worn once, and bridesmaids’ gowns mostly likely as well. Wedding receptions generate a lot of trash and impractical wedding favors that will be thrown out after the wedding. Many people travel a long distance to get to the weddings of friends and family, using up vital resources and adding pollution to an already strained environment.

Choose a wedding gown you can wear on other occasions, either as-is, or with some modifications. Likewise, the now popular trend of asking bridesmaids to just wear the same color or general style of dress means they don’t have to buy an expensive gown to wear only once. For guests in the local area, try organizing car pools to reduce the number of vehicles needed to get to your nuptials.

Look at your wedding reception hall, too. Many large spaces suited to wedding receptions use up a lot of energy. Consider an outdoor space instead, although you should have a contingency plan if the reception is rained out. If you have your wedding reception catered, choose items that have a low ecological impact. Avoid endangered fish species and exotic foods that have traveled a long way. In general, choose local food and drink whenever possible. Also, ask your caterer to use reusable dishes, or provide your own. Dishes can be donated to second hand stores or other charities after the wedding if you don’t want to store them.

Try sending out invitations printed on recycled paper, and reduce waste when it comes to wedding favors and place settings. Either give out edible wedding favors with a minimum of packaging, or something practical that your guests will be able to reuse at home. Wildflower seeds are a popular option.

To reduce the impact of the gold industry, you can have your wedding bands made of recycled gold. Local and seasonal flowers for the bride’s and bridesmaids’ bouquets, as well as for garlands and decorations cause less damage than hothouse flowers or ones that have to be imported. If you, like many couples, already have everything you need for daily life, ask your guests to donate to a good cause or offset some carbon emissions instead of registering for gifts. It’s easy to have a green wedding if you just remember the three R’s – reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Tags: Green Wedding, Wedding

This entry was posted on June 30, 2010 at 9:12 pm and is filed under Green Weddings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.