So after having a nightmare last night about the wedding, despite the fact that it's 15 months away (Eek, 15 is not a big number when I look at it written down), I sat down this morning to do some more research on how I can pull this off and be as green as possible. I have to say, some of the information I found was HORRIBLE.
I understand that green is the new black but many of these "environmentally friendly" tips only look good on the surface. In reality they are nearly as bad for the planet as whatever they are replacing. This is why I'm writing this, to get good information out there.
Lets start with flowers; even though this is something I plan on avoiding at my own wedding. A lot of sites encourage you to order organic flowers from various places which will happily ship overnight to you organically grown flowers. Wait.... ship, overnight? That probably means a plane ride, LOTS of gas and a ton of packaging. How is that green? A much better alternative is to check out local growers and see what is in season around the time of your wedding. My farmer's market always has at least one stand with flowers during the spring and summer which have the benefit of being organic, affordable, and don't come with all of the extra carbon from shipping. If you are having a fall or winter wedding really think about other alternatives to out of season flowers. Candles, locally grown gourds and other options make pretty decorations AND have the benefit of being truly green.
Invitations are another problem. John and I have decided to go the route of sending out e-invitations to most of our guests and reserving a few paper ones for close family members/friends who will want a keepsake. This saves energy since very little has to be produced and reduces gas from them being delivered. For the invitations we are sending I'm trying to find locally made paper (recycled or treeless if possible) and will hand make them myself. We are keeping our RSVPs online and will not have all of the extra junk that goes along with "traditional" invitations. Really, our thoughts on the matter are that people will probably want pictures to remember the event by more than an impersonal piece of paper.
Most importantly the best way to have any event be green is to follow the three Rs in order. Reuse, buy used or rent/borrow if you can and then give away what you don't need anymore for the next couple. Examples are buying dishes, flatware, cups and tablecloths from Goodwill, washing them up and then redonating. You get inexpensive items and don't create any waste and a good company gets business. Reduce, really modern weddings have gotten out of hand. Cut out everything you don't need and I guarantee that as long as people have a good time they won't notice. Recycle, buy disposables that are recyclable and donate non disposables via thrift stores, freecycle, or craigslist.
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As far as flowers go - have you thought about growing your own? A good way to stay green is to find out what's in season and plant lots and lots of what you hope to use. I took Kara to the Dallas Arboretum and looked around last April - we're going to try planting all those goodies to save money and cut down on the foliage's carbon footprint.
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