There are many great ideas to add green elements to a wedding, and I am not referencing a color theme. Although, I argue if it is possible to have a “green wedding.” To be green means to reduce waste as much as possible in every facet of your daily activity. In my humble opinion a wedding feels to be a pretty wasteful event in itself. I truly try to be green in life and know that I am not even close to doing enough, but boy is it easy to completely forget about all your everyday values and fall into materialism –especially when something sparkly goes on your finger and a whole new world opens of pretty dresses and extravagantly named foods with ceviches and reductions.
So let’s be honest. Most likely all of us planning weddings this year will from time to time forgo the green option for something less economical, but cute. Therefore, at the end of the day I will be one large contradiction of a person, but any green inclusion at my wedding will not go unnoticed by the environment.
It seems every website says the same thing about green weddings. Use recycled paper or tree free papers for invitations. Give baby trees as favors. Request donations to causes you are passionate about instead of registries. Restrict your bouquet to seasonal flowers. Wear a pre-owned, once worn, or vintage wedding dress. Have your ceremony and reception in the same place or extremely close together to reduce your guests travel. Serve organic, fair trade, cage free, and seasonal foods.
All of these ideas are excellent and inventive, but unfortunately because “being green” is a trend right now, all of the ideas listed above are now more expensive due to high demand. So do you want to be eco-friendly or monetarily economical? Retailers and merchants trying to profit off of an idea that has caught on have spoiled the true spirit of living green.
I commend the individuals who are able to live the true spirit of living green and are operating on a minimalist level. I aspire to be like you, and throughout this wedding planning process I will keep a consciousness that guides me closer and closer to understanding the importance of living green and getting married . . . love.
