Green Weddings by A.B. Monk
It’s the New Year, which means it’s time for new beginnings and the ever-popular New Year Resolution. This year, if you’ve decided to live more ecologically friendly, and you have an upcoming wedding, I’m writing for you!
“Green weddings are the new craze in the environmental movement. Almost everyone is looking for a way to minimize his or her environmental footprint on the earth.”
Green weddings are the new craze in the environmental movement. Almost everyone is looking for a way to minimize his or her environmental footprint on the earth. With weddings as a high dollar industry in America (average cost somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000 per wedding!), not to mention the symbolism of a new beginning in a new life, what better way to start living green than starting with a wedding?
Your wedding is a great opportunity to share your green living with your friends and family. Here are a few greener options to think about:
- You can set the wedding tone with tree-free or 100% recycled paper invitations. In some cases, they are even more stunning than the traditional paper invitations.
- You could consider buying wedding rings made from recycled metals and gemstones. Or recycle a vintage ring to add some style and class.
- You could even ask for donations to your favorite environmental charities rather than registering for gifts you may not need. Some options available to you are the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, and the Nature Conservancy.
- Give your bridesmaids and groomsmen gift bags full of environmentally friendly goodies, such as organic, fair-trade chocolates, soy candles, or even flower seeds!
- Organic farms that host parties and other green wedding venues are popping up all over the country. Why not have your wedding in a beautiful, timeless, and ecologically sound location?
- There are environmentally friendly resorts opening all over the world that would make a perfect honeymoon location. Check your local travel agent to see what options are available to you.
- You could consider giving compact fluorescent light bulbs as wedding favors. According to www.energystar.com, “If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.” Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving!
There are simply tons of different ways to make sure your wedding is ecologically friendly and haute style! With the new craze, a green wedding IS haute style!
If you want a few more ideas, you might want to look at a few of these sources for inspiration:
- www.greenweddings.net - A fabulous wedding planner who can help you have the ultimate green wedding experience.
- www.greatgreenwedding.com - A great guide with a ton of fabulous ideas on how to have an affordable, and stylish, green wedding.
- www.portovert.com - The self-proclaimed first and only magazine for eco-savvy brides and grooms.
Your wedding should be a special event. Make sure it reflects you and your beliefs. If the environment, and green living, is important to you, then a green wedding is right up your alley. And don’t worry about what people will think; going green is very in.
(Photo Credit: Chantal Stone)
A.B. Monk is a graduate from the University of Tennessee. She has had a tumultuous few years and she is finally getting back on her feet. You can visit her website at www.spiniffy.com. She has agreed to be a regular columnist at All Things Girl, with her thoughts running mostly (but not always) to weddings.
