Plan a Green Wedding
First, my thoughts.
What used to be a "simple" wedding is now being called a "green" wedding. It makes me laugh. I was married a long time ago, in a galaxy far away about 5 lives ago. But, I remember it well and still look upon it fondly.
We were young and needed to set up a full house, so our registery was useful to us. Not so much anymore. So - don't register if you don't need. If you feel the need to register, seriously consider registering at a store for a local charity. An example would be our local childrens home. They always have a list of needs, and you can register on their behalf.
We didn't have a lot of money, so couldn't invite the world. And didn't. We had an absolute maximum limit of 100 people. It ended up being around 70. How many "closest" friends and family do you really have? And don't invite someone just because they invited you to their child's wedding. If you never see them, WHY invite them?
We chose to have our reception on a dinner train. That eliminated many aspects of planning, cost, and waste.
We chose a chicken entree because it was inexpensive and everyone can eat chicken, whereas many people don't do well with whatever particular cut of beef you get. Looking at it from an environmental perspective - chicken is the least intrustive of the meats for the environment. Beef is next, and surprisingly - because of the mass production - pork is the worst.
Had we been able to afford it, we would have gone with local wines, for we live near the NYS wine country. Using local foods is always the best, for it highlights local flavors for out of town guests, supports your local economy and is best for the environment. It's called being a "locavore".
Since it was a dinner train, we were using their china, flatware, cloth napkins, glass (not crystal, which I'm fine with). No waste there.
While I didn't want to do the traditional invitation, I was young and not nearly as self-confident in taking a stand. I am all for the saying "less is more". I'm also huge for using email. Send a simple 1-page invitation and do as much of the follow-up via internet as you can. If this doesn't appeal to you, use as little as possible. Post card RSVPs, phone instructions, etc.
My soon to be Sister In Law hosted my shower at her home. It was all home-made food, no favors, no alcohol. Just sitting around enjoying everyone's company. Imagine that!
My gown and the brides maids gowns were handmade - to keep cost down. SILK - because it was silk or linen and since it was after Labor Day, linen was just not allowed! The boys rented their tuxedos, so no needless purchasing to sit in the closet until the hereafter.
The parents were urged to wear dressy outfits they already owned, but I couldn't force that issue.
The cake was home made. Poor Mom! Nervous break-down was about to occur.
Flowers were minimal since space was a premium on the train. They were taken to local nursing homes. No favors were given because I didn't see the need - no one keeps them anyway!
No rice or seeds or whatnot were thrown, but I did get to throw my flowers from the train engine! Very cool!
It was beautiful. It was simple. Very little stress. Very little waste.
Our photos were done by my brother and my uncle - both of whom are great photographers and had done many weddings previously. This cut down on cost. But more importantly, it cut down on the new tradition of using disposable cameras. I think they are a great idea, but wow, the amount of film used and processed for the number of decent pictures isn't worth it. Ew.
We had no real intention of being a "green" wedding. We just wanted simple. It's funny how simple often results in being "grean".
Please review the following sites for more specific ideas and information. It's worth it. And it's really quite easy!
An entire website dedicated to Green Weddings
EcoMall has a great page of suggestions
Register at the IDoFoundation, where contributions go to charity.
Wedding Favor Ideas
Click here to investigate carbon offset credits and carbon calculators!
Great blog post!
What used to be a "simple" wedding is now being called a "green" wedding. It makes me laugh. I was married a long time ago, in a galaxy far away about 5 lives ago. But, I remember it well and still look upon it fondly.
We were young and needed to set up a full house, so our registery was useful to us. Not so much anymore. So - don't register if you don't need. If you feel the need to register, seriously consider registering at a store for a local charity. An example would be our local childrens home. They always have a list of needs, and you can register on their behalf.
We didn't have a lot of money, so couldn't invite the world. And didn't. We had an absolute maximum limit of 100 people. It ended up being around 70. How many "closest" friends and family do you really have? And don't invite someone just because they invited you to their child's wedding. If you never see them, WHY invite them?
We chose to have our reception on a dinner train. That eliminated many aspects of planning, cost, and waste.
We chose a chicken entree because it was inexpensive and everyone can eat chicken, whereas many people don't do well with whatever particular cut of beef you get. Looking at it from an environmental perspective - chicken is the least intrustive of the meats for the environment. Beef is next, and surprisingly - because of the mass production - pork is the worst.
Had we been able to afford it, we would have gone with local wines, for we live near the NYS wine country. Using local foods is always the best, for it highlights local flavors for out of town guests, supports your local economy and is best for the environment. It's called being a "locavore".
Since it was a dinner train, we were using their china, flatware, cloth napkins, glass (not crystal, which I'm fine with). No waste there.
While I didn't want to do the traditional invitation, I was young and not nearly as self-confident in taking a stand. I am all for the saying "less is more". I'm also huge for using email. Send a simple 1-page invitation and do as much of the follow-up via internet as you can. If this doesn't appeal to you, use as little as possible. Post card RSVPs, phone instructions, etc.
My soon to be Sister In Law hosted my shower at her home. It was all home-made food, no favors, no alcohol. Just sitting around enjoying everyone's company. Imagine that!
My gown and the brides maids gowns were handmade - to keep cost down. SILK - because it was silk or linen and since it was after Labor Day, linen was just not allowed! The boys rented their tuxedos, so no needless purchasing to sit in the closet until the hereafter.
The parents were urged to wear dressy outfits they already owned, but I couldn't force that issue.
The cake was home made. Poor Mom! Nervous break-down was about to occur.
Flowers were minimal since space was a premium on the train. They were taken to local nursing homes. No favors were given because I didn't see the need - no one keeps them anyway!
No rice or seeds or whatnot were thrown, but I did get to throw my flowers from the train engine! Very cool!
It was beautiful. It was simple. Very little stress. Very little waste.
Our photos were done by my brother and my uncle - both of whom are great photographers and had done many weddings previously. This cut down on cost. But more importantly, it cut down on the new tradition of using disposable cameras. I think they are a great idea, but wow, the amount of film used and processed for the number of decent pictures isn't worth it. Ew.
We had no real intention of being a "green" wedding. We just wanted simple. It's funny how simple often results in being "grean".
Please review the following sites for more specific ideas and information. It's worth it. And it's really quite easy!
An entire website dedicated to Green Weddings
EcoMall has a great page of suggestions
Register at the IDoFoundation, where contributions go to charity.
Wedding Favor Ideas
Click here to investigate carbon offset credits and carbon calculators!
Great blog post!
Labels: carbon footprint, Conserve, green, recycle, reuse, weddings
posted by Leslie at
9:06 PM
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