Saturday, December 13, 2008

Green Wedding Ideas


I'd like our wedding to be environmentally friendly.  Having the reception and ceremony at the same location helps.  I plan to use invitations that are processed without chlorine, preferably on 100% recycled paper, or cotton instead of paper, and with soy based inks.  I'd like to do a reply postcard, to save on envelopes, and/or have everyone RSVP by Email.  I'm also hoping to create a website myself, using Apples iweb, so that all of the directions, events, hotel arrangements etc. can be listed there instead of printed out.

I'll be using organic hair & make up products (which I pretty much do anyway).  Ideally we'll have organic food, and possibly even organic wine and champagne.  I believe you can even donate the left over food from your reception to homeless shelters which sounds like a great idea.  I'm planning on using organic flowers of course, ideally locally grown, and perhaps even potted plants instead of flowers that can be given away as gifts.  Below are some other fun "green" ideas I found online.

You can have your invitation embossed on leaves, like these maple leaves by Stonington Paperie which I think are amazing:


You can buy environmentally friendly confetti, like these Confetti poppers from Beau-coup


I'm a big fan of bubbles, which are a good environmentally friendly solution with no clean up, so I think that's what we'll end up using as our "send off".  Here are some cute ones I found online at The Knot (which I suspect I like because they resemble the Chanel Camellia!):

Another way to go green is to have a vintage wedding dress.  I would usually be really into this idea, but I've had the design of my dress stuck in my head for about 10 years now (maybe more!) so I don't think that's what we'll be doing, but it would be tempting if I found the right dress! 

Posh Girl Vintage has some really cute options, including these dresses below that I think are adorable:


A friend suggested I check out vintage lace, which I hadn't even thought of but am planning on looking into.  I'm also thinking that after the wedding I might have the dress dyed black so that I can wear it again, so at the very least I will be recycling... sort of!

I'm not really into the idea of favors, I have to admit, but the author of Gorgeously Green Sophie Uliano suggests making your own organic jelly (jam for you Aussies), and putting it in a pretty glass jar with a label saying "from the wedding of...", which she apparently did for her own wedding and I think is a lovely idea.  I just wish I was enough of a domestic diva to be making my own jam/ jelly!  But who knows, maybe I'll get inspired in the months leading up to the wedding - Andy does love jelly so it's appropriate!

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