How To Green Your Wedding

Skip the paper invitations and direct your guests to your wedding website. No dead trees. No waste. Very little energy consumption.

Wear a used wedding dress. Face it, it’s only been worn once or twice, and you’ll give the kids in the sweatshop a day off.

Skip the hideous bridesmaids’ dresses, and let the gals loose in a thrift store or their own closets. To go even greener, encourage them to do each other’s hair and makeup, rather than traveling to a salon.

Rethink your wedding transportation. Ditch the limo and have the ceremony and reception in the same place. Make sure it’s centrally located and accessible to public transportation or other green means of transport.

Imported flowers cost a lot of energy to grow and ship. Instead use local, organically grown flowers. Better yet, use only rooted flowers and plants and you’ll actually be making oxygen while you walk down the aisle.

Sign up for one of the many green gift registries, like gaiam.com or vivaterra.com. An even better idea is to ask your guests to forgo gifts completely and make a donation to your favorite environmental group.

Skip your traditional honeymoon where you fly to some Polynesian carbon orgy. Instead think of a romantic way to go totally green. Travel by train, or go somewhere locally.

Make sure the menu for your reception is vegetarian and comprised of only locally grown produce. Meat production is one of the most harmful industries to the environment.

Make sure all your place settings are reusable.

To really make your wedding green, hop on your bikes and elope to the nearest city hall. It not only saves the environment, it saves tens of thousands of dollars, and a whole lot of hassle.