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This past weekend, “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” star Amber Tamblyn said “I do” to David Cross in a eco-friendly ceremony, trending on twitter as a #weddinginthewoods. After emerging barefoot from a canoe, she greeted celebrity guests such as newlyweds Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively in a non-conventional bright yellow dress and posted pictures via instagram throughout the reception.
Whether you’re engaged and planning your upcoming nuptials or fantasizing about the wedding of your dreams, eco18 has some great tips on how to create the perfect eco-friendly wedding. After giving you Your Big Fat Green Wedding last year, we wanted to give the latest and greatest wedding information.
From the venue to the dress, we spare no detail — and we’ll leave your wallets with some extra green for the Honeymoon!
The Venue: Choosing a venue is usually your first major decision. However, traditional spaces, such as hotel ballrooms and fancy resorts, tend to use loads of electricity, water and other typically not-so-earth-friendly products in order to put on these ultra-glamorous affairs. I happen to be a huge fan of outdoor weddings. Whether in an open meadow or a city park, there is something naturally beautiful about having your wedding outdoors, preferably during the spring or autumn seasons. Also, you want to choose a central location for the majority of your guests. That way, you can easily decrease your impact on the environment and save your friends and family money simultaneously!
The Bachelor/Bachelorette Party: The first thing that comes to mind when planning a bachelor or bachelorette party is Vegas. Las Vegas is the best place to unwind and enjoy a few thrills with close friends before your big day. And, you better believe there are some great green hotels to host some good times. Eco18 gave you some great sustainable digs in Green Las Vegas, including the eco-friendly Element by Westin hotel. Other sustainable hotels that are LEED certified are the Palazzo and hotels located in the CityCenter including Aria, Mandarin Oriental and Vdara.
The Flowers: When you think of flowers, the first thing you think is that it’s eco-friendly right? Wrong. Over half of the florists in the U.S. use imported flowers that are sprayed with pesticides and fungicides. These chemicals can be harmful to your health and contaminate waterways and drinking supplies. Find out how you can work with your florist to create floral arrangement that is not only beautiful, but also earth-friendly by using local, seasonal and organic flowers that are never sprayed with toxic chemicals. If you’re planning your wedding you should know what flowers are in season, check out this link to pick your perfect flower.
If not, your outdoor reception will make the perfect scenery with natural foliage in fall or blossoming buds in the spring.
The Invitations: Throughout the wedding planning cycle, paper is used for save-the-dates, invitations, RSVP cards, seating programs, menu cards, seating cards, thank you cards; you name it. Recycled and post-consumer waste paper and digital correspondence options all offer beautiful and elegant ways to reduce resource consumption. We love this idea from Green Bride Guide on Pinterest showing us how to make our thank you cards from flowers recycled from the bride’s bouquet, very crafty!
The Dress: Choosing your dress is one of the most memorable highlights in planning your wedding- and a chore that takes no prisoners. While every woman wants to look like a princess on her wedding day, keep in mind that you’re only wearing this expensive wedding dress once, which is wasteful as it is. I think there nothing more special than wearing your mother’s wedding dress- she preserved it for a reason, right? Even if it’s not quite your style, working with the right seamstress and adding subtle touches will make this dress you own. But, if you really can’t stand your mother’s style (or she simply threw the dress away), try consignment or vintage shops, that way no new gowns are made. Check out this great website for recycled wedding dresses.
Hair, Beauty and Accessories: There’s no doubt you want to look absolutely flawless on your special day, it’s the one day when everybody’s eyes are on you. Pre-plan your hair and make-up with an eco-friendly salon after speaking with the stylists to make sure they can get things just right. That way you know they’ll be using organic, environmentally conscious and animal-free tested products. Otherwise, bring your own eco-friendly beauty products to the salon with you, and have them apply professionally. Take a look at yesterday’s post for some amazing eco-friendly beauty products for everyday.
The Honeymoon: After all the hoopla of the wedding has passed, it’s now time for you and your hubby to enjoy some peace and quiet (some where far, far away from family and friends). Check out some of these gorgeous, eco-friendly destinations curated by your very own eco18.
