Having just gotten married about four weeks ago, I was knee-deep in all kinds of wedding planning. As a bride-to-be, I used online wedding resources such as www.theknot.com for inspiration and advice. One of the trends that became apparent to me was sustainable wedding-planning practices. Among topics such as “Spring Weddings” and “Wedding Hairstyles,” you will find “Eco-friendly Weddings.” Upon looking into such a type of wedding, I found that some practices are quite simple, and may be something you’d do without thinking about … while others require more effort and could be more costly.

Here are some ideas that I found:
• Use recycled paper for your invitations and minimize as much as possible the amount of paper you use
• Choose in-season flowers and a florist who grows flowers locally and organically
• Grow your own flowers for the ceremony and reception arrangements
• Re-use ceremony flowers for the reception; donate what’s left to a nursing home or send them with your guests
• Use small plants as centerpieces that guests can take home and plant later
• Use recycled glass bowls or vases to hold the centerpieces
• Make a donation to a charity in honor of your guests
• Research and buy from a jeweler who does not sell “blood diamonds”
• Purchase wedding bands made of recycled metals
• Purchase your wedding gown-second hand or wear one that’s been passed down to you from a relative
• Donate your wedding gown to a charity
• Serve a menu of organic and locally-grown and raised food
• Donate left-over food to a food rescue group or take it to a shelter
• Use natural beauty products for your wedding beauty routine
• Take a volunteer honeymoon—one in which you give your honeymoon time back to a good cause

Wow, so many ways to be sustainable! In looking back, one thing I did was rent vases for the centerpieces. This saved money, and created no waste. Also, I made my own invitations, so I was able to recycle what paper waste I had left.
As you can see, there are many ways to conserve materials, take advantage of local resources, and give to others while planning a wedding. While scanning through the above list, you’ve probably thought of some other ways to practice sustainability in preparation of a wedding, so please share! For more ideas, visit www.theknot.com and www.greatgreenwedding.com; the two resources I used in this blog.

Submitted by: Lee (Miller) Boyland