Many of the rich and famous including Charles and Camilla served organic food at their wedding, but elsewhere it is very much on the wedding menu as brides and grooms go ethical on the most important day of their life. Make your wedding a special day - for you and the planet. To help, we have put together a list of suggestions and pointers towards your ethical big day, from the ceremony and catering, to an eco-friendly honeymoon.
Ethical Weddings can include using:
&bull A venue operated on environmentally friendly principles or supporting a charity or community project &bull A caterer using organic and local produce &bull A dressmaker or designer using organic, hemp or recycled fabrics &bull A florist working with organic or fairtrade flowers &bull An environmentally friendly means of transport such as horse and cart &bull Stationery designed on recycled or hand crafted paper &bull Wedding rings that use recycled gold or fairtrade silver or by buying diamonds that are conflict free &bull Not accepting traditional household wedding gifts such as toasters but accepting donations to charity on your behalf &bull Using biodegradable confetti
Im now going to expand on a few of the points above:
Wedding Lists
The first casualty is the traditional wedding list, a monument to conspicuous consumption featuring dinner services and crystal to be replaced at fashionable weddings by charity lists, with tree plantations and donated cows for communities in the developing world. If you are green fingered, how about plants, trees or garden vouchers.
Wedding Staionery
Use recycled paper for wedding stationery, or try Recycled Paper. To save paper, you could design a website, and send a postcard to guests referring them to it. Wedding photos can be easier to share if you go digital too.
The Dress
Another option is to hire the gown and other wedding outfits instead of buying it and then putting in the warbrobe just to pull it out for the occasional look!
Drink
Buy organic or fairtrade wine for your guests and enjoy the revelry while nature and communities benefit. Order wine, spirits, champagne, beer and soft drinks from an independent online organic retailer while avoiding the supermarkets that make millions in profits.
Food
Support local, seasonal and organic food production - and ask your caterer to do the same. Avoid disposable plates and make sure empties end up in the recycling bin.
Ask your cake-maker or local baker to use local and organic ingredients where possible.
Transport
Find a venue as close to home as possible to cut down on transport. Horse drawn carriages are not only good at seaside resorts but also on your wedding day. If you dont have the ceremony and reception at the same venue, encourage guests to share rides to the reception or provide a coach or bus.
Honeymoon
Think about romantic destinations you can visit that are as close to home as possible to reduce the number of road and air miles. If you decide to go longhaul, then find an eco friendly or ethical hotel to stay in.
This can be a great time to show your friends and family how much you care about the environment and at the same time you will be encouraging some of them to join the bandwagon in saving our planet. Green weddings are a way of showing off your lifestyle. When planning your green wedding you can choose a digital photographer or when taking your own pictures use a digital camera and not use a camera that uses film. The menu is a big part of a green wedding, you can choose to have a menu that has foods that are locally grown and importantly are grown organically.
We all know that pollution plays a big part in harming our environment so transportation is another aspect you can have as green as possible, you as the couple can be brought to the wedding venue on a carriage that is horse drawn, a hybrid, or if you're feeling like making a statement you can a bicycle as the one providing the power! Your guests can also choose to play their part especially for those who live near by they can walk to the venue or use one car with friends.
The wedding dress and the dress of the bridesmaids can be made from materials that are biodegradable or organic. The flowers for decorations should be grown organically or you can plan months ahead to plant your own flowers for your wedding and in that way you can have the selection that you want and at the same time doing a bit for the environment.
People who are attending a green wedding can support their friends by bringing them gifts that are eco-friendly. A gift that one makes has more substance to it and it shows how much you care by taking the time to prepare it. One can give the couple a gift voucher to a shop that specializes in selling organic items or you can make a time capsule that is labeled with dates, in side the time capsule could be things that remind the couple of their life before they got married, pictures always do the trick. One can make soap or other handmade shampoos of herbs and other organic concoctions. You can help the couple start their own garden by giving them a gift of a variety of seeds to plant in their garden.
The location of your wedding is also important, it is always great to have your wedding outdoors so as to have less decorations around the place and this can blend well with the idea of planting your own flowers as your can plant them in strategic positions, you can choose a location that is centrally located so as to reduce the amount of traveling your guests should do.
Both Davinos Greeno & Mira Williams are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Davinos Greeno has sinced written about articles on various topics from Babies, Lose Weight and Health. Davinos Greeno works for the and directories that lists 100s of Organ. Davinos Greeno's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.
Mira Williams has sinced written about articles on various topics from Personal Desktop, Tummy Tucks Before and After and Shopping. Aware that the fashion industry is hugely draining on mother earth, Jessica strives to use organic, sustainable and socially responsible materials whenever possible, creating beautiful couture and peace for the planet at the same time:. Mira Williams's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.