2009-04-21 08:30:00 by SMARTBRIDE
Happy Earth Day! Eco-Friendly Wedding Tips for Smart Brides
Happy Earth Day!
At SmartBride, we focus on re-using and recycling anything and everything wedding related. In honour of Earth Day, we've compiled a list of other green wedding tips. If you're looking for ways to green your wedding (and even save some cash!), you've come to the right place.
Green Wedding Tip #1: Dresses:
Reuse and Recycle bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses and decorations. Our first tip gives both brides-to-be and past brides an opportunity to save some money while thinking green. SmartBride dropped into BTV in Calgary and Vancouver on April 22nd in honour of Earth Day and profiled some beautiful dresses available (in addition to other green wedding tips).
In Vancouver, we featured this beautiful Size 6 Alfred dress in Ivory with a lace overlay. It was purchase brand new for $1700 in July 2008 and is being sold for $750 on our site. Go green and save $950 while looking fantastic!
In Calgary, one Smart Bride showed off her stunning size 6 ivory Maggie Sottero gown, with pearl buttons on the back, lace off the shoulder straps and intricate beading throughout. The original price was $3600 and it is being sold on the site for $850!
Green Wedding Tip #2: Invitations
Go paperless, reduce paper or use environmentally friendly paper and ink. There are many options within this tip, depending on how traditional your wedding may be. Read our Green Invitations blog post for more information.
Green Wedding Tip #3: Flowers
Source fair trade, locally and/or organically grown, or chemical free flowers for your big day. Flowers are often an important part of many weddings, but people don't realize the costs associated with bringing in flowers that aren't locally grown, or that the floriculture industry uses more pesticies per acre than any other agricultural commodity. Read our Green Flowers blog post for more information.
Green Wedding Tip #4: Venue
Energy experts say that the carbon dioxide emissions from guest travel are the single biggest environmental impact of a wedding. One way to reduce this impact is to plan both your ceremony and reception at one venue to reduce driving for guests.
Green Wedding Tip #5: Caterers
Consider using local caterers that source local/organic foods wherever possible, reducing transport costs and offering healthy and sustainable options for you and your guests. Online eco wedding magazine founder Megan Meyers says that keeping food local will save you up to 40% because you're not paying shipping costs.
Green Wedding Tip #6: Gift Wrap
Ask guests not to wrap their gifts, or ask them to wrap them in something reusable, like tea towels (chosen on your registry), or cotton fabric which can be used later, or made into a wedding quilt.
Green Wedding Tip #7: Carbon Offsets
Instead of a traditional favour, set aside money to cover the carbon footprint of your wedding and make a donation on your guests' behalf. There are plenty of options out there. According to Martha Stewart, people should budget 3% for favours. If the average wedding is $20,000, that's $600! Instead of spending that on favours, you could buy a 25 tonne offset, equivalent to:
- Four years of emissions produced by the average Canadian
- Four year's worth of average driving in an average passenger vehicle
- Four flights around the world
You can check out carbonzero.ca to find out more about purchasing offsets.
And if this all sounds like way to much to do on your own, consider enlisting the support of a green wedding co-ordinator. In Toronto, we love Talen Events. If you're in another Canadian city, use local resources like reapcalgary.com or greenlivingonline.com to source your own local faves.
