Eco-Friendly Wedding People all over the nation are jumping on the “green” bandwagon, from recycling and up-cycling to riding bikes instead of cars. One of the best new trends to come out of this movement is the surge of eco-friendly weddings, as seen in this recent news article. The wedding industry is known to be filled with excess and waste, but many couples are creating elegant wedding celebrations that leave a lasting impression by seeking out more sustainable components.

Say Yes to the Dress

The dress is one of the most important components of any couple’s big day. Many brides already avoid waste when it comes to their dress by sewing it themselves or reusing or remaking their mother’s or grandmother’s dress. For those who aren’t as crafty or sentimental, there are many great options for purchasing an environmentally-conscious dress. Look for dresses made with recycled fabrics or natural, sustainable fabrics not treated with chemicals – preferably organic, unbleached cotton, hemp or linen. Don’t forget the fiancé – these suggestions go for the groom’s wardrobe, too.

Go Paperless

In the typical wedding, there is always excessive paper waste – starting with hundreds of save the date notices, then the invitations and registry cards, place cards, menu cards, and ceremony programs. For eco-friendly weddings, there are better ways. If you simply must have these traditional niceties as a part of your celebration, there are many options out there for recycled paper and sustainable plant-based inks. However, not only can a paperless wedding be possible, it can be quite elegant as well. Couples can create a website personalized to their taste to announce the details of their engagement, gift registries and the upcoming wedding, and send customizable e-invites via an online service or even social networking.

Sensible Stems

Sumptuous floral décor is a staple of many weddings, but there can be a lot of waste involved, as flying in exotic out-of-season stems from another country for your big day is simply not very “green”. Instead, choose whatever blooms are in season from your neighborhood florist. Alternatively, you could pick wild flowers, grasses, leaves or herbs yourself, or use potted arrangements that you could later transplant to landscape your new home. Bouquets can be tied off with natural hemp rope rather than plastic ribbons and tapes. Consider drying and recycling bouquets, boutonnieres and arrangements to use as attractive and sentimental home décor or gifts. Other Ways to Save There are many other ways to incorporate responsibility for the earth into your celebration. Think about green, sustainable wedding favors such as a small succulent plant, an organic hemp tote bag or a small donation to your favorite nature preserve. Look into a venue where both the ceremony and reception can be held in order to cut down on driving and decorating. Bake treats yourself or hire a cake artist who uses fresh, local, organically-grown ingredients. With many beautiful, sensible components available for eco-friendly weddings, you and your soon-to-be-spouse can make a real statement about all the things that are most important to you. Beat the wasteful, expensive wedding industry and create your own personalized, earth-friendly celebration to make your big day a real breath of fresh air.