2009-04-21 14:30:00 by SMARTBRIDE
Eco-Friendly Wedding Tips: Invitations
Art Deco Wedding Invitation - Photo courtesy of LauraK Design
Environmentally friendly invitations no longer mean dingy paper and boring design - all it takes is a little knowledge and the right suppliers to create something stylish, and eco-friendly.
Laura K Design specializes in stylish, modern invitations and is an expert in sourcing sustainable paper and printing processes. You can work with Laura K Design to customize your own design, or adapt one of her existing designs to suit you and your wedding perfectly.
Here are some of Laura K's expert tips on how to create "green" invitations for your wedding.
1. Have your invitations printed on a recycled paper. There are some beautiful options out there that are bright white or natural white and don't look recycled. Some people like to denote on their invitations that they were printed on recycled paper to inform their guests. (The percentage of recycled content in paper can range greatly, so ask your invitation designer for the details.)
2. Print your invitations on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. The FSC ensures that the materials used to produce the paper were sourced responsibly. Again, the paper varies from using all virgin materials to partially recycled content and some papers are even entirely carbon neutral.
Deco Stripes Wedding Invitation - Photo courtesy of LauraK Design
3. Use a waterless printing method. This eliminates water wastage as well as toxins from the ink being flushed down the drain in our water systems.
4. Print with vegetable oil based inks. Vegetable inks are better for the environment because they have lower VOC emissions (volatile organic compounds) than standard petroleum based inks.
E-mail Save the Date - Photo courtesy of LauraK Design
5. Reduce the number of printed inserts along with your invitation by creating a website where they can share all of their wedding details including map, other events, accommodation with guests. You can also opt to have your invitation designer create an email save the date to eliminate the paper, envelopes and postage. The same applies to RSVPs - you can ask your guests to reply by phone or e-mail, or use the RSVP tool available on most free wedding websites.
There are many creative ways to still have stylish, modern invitations that capture the feeling you want for your wedding, while still considering the environmental impact.
SmartBride Boutique is thrilled to introduce you to Laura K Design, our eco-friendly invitations expert. Please visit their website at: www.laurakdesign.ca
