Five Ideas for Hosting an Eco Chic Wedding

Automobile carbon emissions are one of the biggest problems
of pollution so if you have 100 guests driving 30 miles to
commute from the ceremony location to the reception, the
guests for your wedding alone will drive 3,000 extra miles.
Multiply by the estimated 2.1 million US weddings a year
and you've got 6.3 Billion extra miles driven. Divide that
by the 12,000 miles driven by the average American per year
and the guest commute would equal a whole year's worth of
driving for 525,000 Americans!

If you're interested in hosting an eco-friendly wedding,
simply start by hosting the ceremony and reception in the
same venue. If you are taking your vows in a religious
venue, find a reception venue within a mile or two of the
ceremony - or better yet, one you can all walk to. Green
weddings are a huge trend so here are five ideas for
hosting a more eco-chic wedding:

1. Go Local

If your venue allows you to bring your own alcohol, bring
locally brewed Beers and locally grown Wines. This cuts out
the shipping emissions and with support your local
businesses. Don't be afraid to haggle with these businesses
either. They will get exposure to 50-500 guests by being
featured at the wedding so use that to your advantage when
negotiate prices.

2. Go Natural

Many flowers in floral arrangements are shipped all the way
from South America, Asia, and Europe, so the pollution
impact from the shipping is high. In addition, you have no
way of knowing what kind of environmentally harmful
chemicals they use. Instead, use flowers that are in season
and grown naturally in your area. For example, if you live
in the South, pick Magnolia flowers from local trees and
float the blossoms in vases on tables for centerpieces.
Wild flowers from a friend's garden can also add a very
unique, personal, and beautifully natural touch to your
wedding. If you want a more structured look, do an internet
search for "organic florist" in your region.

3. Favors, Favors

Favors are a nice touch to any wedding, but the truth is,
they usually just get shoved in a closet or worse, added to
the already overflowing landfills. As an alternative, if
you were planning on spending $5 per favor on 200 guests,
spend $1 each for tiny live pine trees they can plant and
donate the other $800 you were planning to spend in a
donation to a local or national forest, a save the animals
foundation, or whatever other charity you and your
fiancé believe in.

4. Send E-vites

This tip may be shockingly unconventional, but sending
electronic invitations will save a great deal of paper. As
a bonus, this one will also keep more money in your pocket.
If you have relatives or friends who don't use e-mail, make
your own simple invitations to send to those few people.
Also create an online wedding website where you can feature
your wedding style as well as maps to venues, menus,
photos, etc. This will be a perfect electronic touch to
your eco-friendly big day. On your wedding website you can
also feature a section on all of the ways you are making
your wedding green so guests will know why they didn't get
a paper invitation in the mail.

5. Attire

Your gown sets the stage for the whole day. But since
you're only wearing it once, it's okay to wear one that's
vintage or already worn. If the money you'll save doesn't
sell you on this idea, maybe this one will: try a charity
like "Brides Against Breast Cancer" where sample gowns and
donated previously worn gowns are auctioned and all
proceeds go to Breast Cancer research. Recycling dresses is
a great eco-friendly choice.

Remember: Even if you can only do one or two of these green
options, every little bit helps! With approximately 2.1
million weddings a year in the United States, if every
bride can make a few eco-chic changes collectively, the
impact will be huge.

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