Organic Weddings
Do you lead a "green" life on a daily basis? Does the idea of throwing away hundreds of dollars worth of
flowers for a single event lasting only a few hours make you wonder about the state of the world? Does the thought of your guests eating
cotton fiber paper.
The Location
There are various places where you can choose to wed, including a house of worship. However, you might also want to consider an organic garden,
botanical garden, natural preserve, or a public park. Beaches and lake fronts are also possible venues. Using an area of great natural beauty also reduces the amount you need to decorate; why would you bring more flowers to a botanical garden?
The trick is finding a location that puts you in tune with nature, but that does not put nature at risk to be damaged by swarms of people. It is recommended to choose a venue that is somewhat developed so that it can support a large crowd of people. Otherwise, choose a pristine, untouched piece of land where you can have the ceremony and invite only your closest family and friends. Then later on you can have a big reception elsewhere.
As for the reception, check out
Choosing a Wedding Location to get an idea of what your options are. You might also be interested in finding a
Green Hotel in which to host your wedding. Wherever you plan to have your celebration, just make sure to have plenty of trash cans available so that you can sort recyclables.
If you plan to have an outdoor ceremony or reception, please read the guide to
Planning an Outdoor Wedding to learn about the advantages and pitfalls that go along with it.
Attire and Accessories
mother of the brides dresses.
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Green Karat is a Web site that you might want to check out. Instead of buying a diamond ring, they offer "ecologically and socially responsible" jewelry. What this means is that they promote using recycled gold and other precious metals so as to reduce ecologically exploitative and polluting gold mining practices. Green Karat does not sell diamonds either for several reasons. For one, the mining process is damaging to our planet. Secondly, there are many
Jewelry with a Conscience.
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Flowers and Décor
There is nothing worse than having to watch hundreds of flowers wilt and go to waste. It's not just the money, but the fact that these flowers are being cut for nothing more than a fourtiered wedding cake? There are several other options that won't make for a wasteful wedding. Here are some of the options that you might want to consider:
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candle holders.
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Balloons''' Nix the balloons, since they tend to cause more trouble than they're worth.
Food and Drink
First off, let's discuss what you'll use to eat your food Generation'>Seventh Generation.
As for the food, go
caviar off your wish list and any species that are overfished, such as bluefin tuna, monkfish, Atlantic cod, or Chilean sea bass. See this
Seafood Watch Guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium for more information on which fish are best and which are best left alone.
Other Green Odds and Ends
* '''Transportation''': How will you get to the wedding? Can you rent a hybrid car or use a green limo service? Can you provide transportation for guests to cut down on car emissions?
* '''Wedding Favors''': Do you really want to give your guests a trinket theat they are likely to throw away? Consider giving out
hospitality basket at your wedding site.
* '''Registry''': Rather than opting for allmade blankets, a set of recipes or cleaning tips.
International Resources
For this resource in your home country, please see:
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FR: Mariage Vert
