engaged and eco-conscious?

If you want to add “something green” to your wedding, you’re not alone. Kate Harrison, author of The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget, has seen a substantial increase in interest for green weddings in the last couple of years. “Almost every bride I talk to has heard of a green wedding, and many are thinking about including eco-friendly elements in their event,” says Harrison.

Like-minded family members and friends will easily identify with your desire for a green wedding; the estimated 2.5 million weddings a year in the United States pack a mean environmental punch. Still, others might not know the first thing about being green. “Include a small blurb on the back of your program, on your website, or on the inside of your seating cards explaining what you have done and why,” suggests Harrison. See it as an opportunity to show friends and family that you can be green without sacrificing style or comfort.

location, location, location.

A BEACH WEDDING at Green Lodging-certified Amelia Island Plantation

 

To start, you can choose a location that is near the majority of your guests. Without having to travel far, you will save your guests money and cut down on carbon emissions that contribute largely to global warming.

Kelli Beale, 26, plans to marry Eric Fletcher, 28, in May of this year at Lands End—a community where her parents own a vacation home—located in Emerald Isle, NC. The couple has made a few small decisions that will have a big, positive impact ecologically. “I live in Massachusetts and some of my bridesmaids don’t live in North Carolina,” says Beale. “To minimize costs and prevent unnecessary travel, I’m planning to schedule my bachelorette party the weekend before the wedding so only one trip has to be made by everyone.” Beale will have her friends spend the week leading up to the ceremony on vacation with her and on-hand to help her with last-minute wedding details.

Search for a resort, park, or hotel that engages in green and sustainable practices within the property, or one that will happily comply with your request for a green event. “Look for outside venues where you can enjoy nature and all it has to offer,” says Maria Cooke, owner and event designer of Ritzy Bee Events in Washington, DC. You won’t find many destinations in the region as green as the year-old Proximity, in Greensboro, NC, to host your big day. The hotel has large windows that ensure natural lighting, furniture in the rooms made from recycled materials, and art designed and created by local artisans. In the plans: a green vegetated garden on the roof of the restaurant to reflect heat and minimize the energy needed for refrigeration and cooling of the building.

If your dream wedding includes a sandy beach and laid back sunset ceremony, look for hotels that promote ecologically friendly practices like the use of energy efficient appliances, water conservation, or recycling programs. Amelia Island Plantation in Amelia Island, FL, just received their green lodging certification last year. For weddings, this means options like using organic and locally grown fare for dishes and biodynamic wine selections from Benziger and King Estate. The resort will also donate your excess food to local homeless shelters or the Second Harvest Food Bank on the island.

Airlie Center in Warrenton, VA, takes pride in their commitment to green wedding ceremonies. There are various garden locations available for ceremonies, and the chefs have created six options for couples to choose from to aid in the decision process. The property’s sustainable organic vegetable garden is the source of most of their produce and what they don’t grow is purchased from other green-minded local vendors.

Wildlife and nature preservations and state parks are great locations for outdoor ceremonies and typically already have many green practices in place. You won’t need electricity for lighting and most donate their proceeds to support eco-friendly causes.

Wine vineyards typically grow their own fruits, vegetables, and herbs to use in winemaking and food preparation, and are filled with beautiful gardens that serve as an ideal ceremony location. Mary Ann and William Hardman, owners of Persimmon Creek Vineyards in Clayton, GA, are dedicated to the environment in their farming and winemaking. All planting, picking, crushing and bottling is done by hand and they utilize biodiesel fuel for any mechanical processes. They also recycle all reusable byproducts of the winemaking process by returning the prunings and pomace (pumpkins, tomatoes, corn, wildflowers) to the gardens as natural fertilizer, tilling them into the soil. This spring, the vineyard will open The Cottages at Persimmon Creek Vineyards, three new bed and breakfast style luxury bungalows for overnight guests, which are built from natural and recycled materials.

woman with a plan.

Ensure your wedding planner/coordinator’s personality is compatible with yours and your groom’s, and that they fully understand the importance of an eco-conscious event. Sure, they can help with local vendors for catering and venues, but what about flowers, favors, and gifts? You’ll save on transportation and support local business and economy with every item you purchase or rent close to home (or your venue). “We think it is so important to focus on the green movement when it comes to weddings,” says Cooke. “When it comes to planning, we can work on behalf of the couple to ask the right questions on their green practices.”

If you are planning a wedding in a city other than where you live, or have to work with more corporate or larger resources and vendors, be sure to research their practices and make sure they are in line with your eco-responsibilities. “The growing trend is prompting more and more resources and suppliers to answer the demand to be more environmentally friendly in their offerings and practices,” says Cooke.

on the menu.

Locate caterers who are willing to use local and organic food items, as well as reusable plates, glassware, tableware, and linens. “We’re going to encourage guests to reuse their glasses when getting refills from the bar, and encourage the bartenders to remind guests of the same,” says Beale. Ask them about recycling empty bottles and cans, and if there are shelters or organizations to whom you can donate leftover food and beverages.

 

 

If you can’t find a pastry chef who can create an organic cake, request that they substitute in organic flour, milk and cage-free eggs for ingredients. Not only are you keeping with your desires to plan an environmentally friendly event, you’re educating others in the process. “When you start talking to vendors about what you want to do, and explain your choices to your guests, you can change the way people in your community think about what it means to be green,” says Harrison. “You make being green seem possible and help get the word out about sustainable alternatives.”

look for locally grown, seasonal blooms.

“Asking your florist to use local seasonal blooms is easy, costs less, and is much better for the environment,” says Harrison. “Most flowers are grown in hot houses and are flown in from countries like South America covered in pesticides.” These pesticides are harmful to the flowers and the environment. Florists often have to spray roses with perfume that replicates their scent because of the chemical damages. Organic roses, on the other hand, are naturally fragrant and edible. Purchase your flowers from a florist who supports organic flower farms and buys locally. You’ll save money on the cost of shipping and once again reduce your carbon footprint with less travel required to deliver them. If you’re having trouble finding an organic flower farm, visit localharvest.org, a great resource for locating organic farms in your region. Also ask if vases made of recycled glass are available for rent or purchase.

When the festivities are over, think about donating flowers and non-returnable decorations to a local nursing home, hospital, or palliative care facility for others to use and enjoy. Designate a wedding party member or family member to be in charge of delivering the goods, or call the center to which you wish to donate and ask about scheduling a post-event pickup.

get creative with invitations + favors.

Eco-friendly invites from The Lettered Olive Collection.

 

Invitations are a must, but typically involve a lot of paper and can be wasteful. When choosing your invitations, search for paper that is made from alternative fibers like hemp or bamboo, or one with a high-recycled content. Tara Guérard of Charleston-based Soirée has recently launched The Lettered Olive, a collection of environmentally friendly wedding invitations. The facility that prints the papers uses wind-powered energy to print on the cardstock papers made of reclaimed cotton fibers using vegetable oil-based inks.

If you’ve got a lot of event information to convey to guests, forgo multiple cards in your invite. Instead, include one small card that will send them to a website for all of the wedding details. Save paper at the reception by placing menus at the entrance, or one menu per table instead of each place setting. If personalized place cards are a must for you, utilize the same environmentally friendly printing practices (recycled paper and soy or vegetable oil-based inks).

For weddings requiring a considerable amount of travel, consider buying carbon offsets for guests to compensate for the emissions as a thoughtful favor alternative. These can easily be purchased from organizations like Maryland-based Carbonfund.org that supports renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects globally to reduce the threat of climate change as a result of carbon dioxide emissions. The Green Communities Offset Fund uses your carbon offset purchase funds to support the development of green, energy efficient (and carbon-reducing) homes for low-income families.

the green gown

THE “FERN” GOWN from Adele Wechsler’s Eco Couture collection.

 

Your dress is probably one of the most important details of your event … so how can you ensure it also has a positive impact on the environment? As the green trend grows, so does the number of green gown options. Designer Adele Wechsler created an Eco Couture collection, made with certified organic hemp and silk blend fabric, recycled lace and remnant fabric, and vegetable dyes. Deborah Lindquist uses vintage lace and recycled leather to add accents and creative touches to her line of bridal gowns, created from fabrics like hemp/silk organza and organic linen.

Purchasing a sample dress or “off the rack” is another way to ensure a positive environmental impact. There’s no shipping and no new fabric needs to be cut to create your gown. “I purchased a discontinued dress, so the sample hanging in the store became mine instead of the pattern having to be cut, made and shipped to me,” says Beale.

You can also take the recycled route. Bridal e-boutiques such as Once Wed, Encore Bridal and PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com allow you to buy a dress that’s already been worn, and then re-list it once your event is over.

Your entire wedding doesn’t have to be green to make it an eco-chic event. Incorporating elements here and there can make a difference, too. “If every couple made just one green choice, that would be 2.5 million green choices a year,” says Harrison. “The more eco-friendly elements you can include, the better. But if you have your heart set on a certain dress, or can’t convince your caterer to compost, don’t feel too bad about it. Do what you can and know it can make a difference.” •

Melissa G. Lamkin is a Charlotte, NC-based freelance writer who regularly contributes to the Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Magazine and Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine.