Weddings are never cosmetic affairs. In fact, they are more a means of accepting and respecting the connection with nature. If you are planning an Eco-friendly wedding, then you are showing more respect to this natural nature of the weddings. Testimonials from Eco-friendly weddings confirm that there is a certain very happy feeling of solace in an Eco friendly wedding. You will feel in your mind that there is no artificiality or toxicity associated with the wedding. Planning an Eco-friendly wedding is easy as the Eco-friendly ideas are less fussy and cleaner than other wedding ideas. If you have a simple list in your mind about the aspects that must be considered, then you can spare yourself the confusion about planning a green wedding.
Simple ideas
First point in the list is to keep the ideas simple. An important aspect of green weddings is to rely more on nature and cut down on heavy wedding decorations. There are so many aspects of weddings, and simple Eco-friendly altercations can be made at each these steps. What you have to remember is to keep the ideas simple. Simplicity will simply guide you to green ideas. A few different aspects of simple Eco-friendly ideas are described in this article.
Paper ideas
Papers have different applications during weddings. Try to minimize the use of paper in the weddings as much as possible. When using paper, ensure that the papers are Eco-friendly and the ink used on paper are non-toxic. A simple idea to save the use of paper is to use email invitations and internet blogs for your wedding invitations. Emails, e-greetings and blogs can be personalized and customized beautifully for sending invitations. A little internet search can lead you to a good e-greetings site. People have also come up with more innovative ideas like registering a toll free number and then sending the wedding invitations on voice mail It can be fun to hear your friends and relatives reply to your voice mail wedding invitations. Paper decorations also often pile up after the wedding, and sometimes a thin polythene film is coated on the decorations. Avoid decorations that use polythene. In fact, try to avoid plastic as much as possible. Plastics are non biodegradable and are potential environment hazards.
Reception ideas
The reception space is an important consideration in green perspective. The foremost idea should be hiring an open natural reception space rather than hiring a reception hall. Also, keep in mind that the reception location should not be too far away, in that way you will be able to avoid traffic worries and also save fuels of your car. Plan the wedding reception in daylight hours, so that you have the natural sunlight illuminating your wedding reception. However, if there are chances of rain or snow, than it is mandatory to have access to a shade. While finding the perfect Eco-friendly spot, see the key aspects such as dancing space and the dining space are perfect or not. If chances are that, you will not be able to avoid electrical lighting at the reception hall. Try to find a reception hall that uses only proper energy-star rated electrical appliances for lighting purpose.
The dining space at the reception must be paid close attention to. Check whether adequate food wastebaskets are placed at the dining to avoid littering. However, the baskets should be beautifully decorated too. Use as much less disposable items and instead use washable utensils like porcelain, glass or wood. Porcelain and glass are very elegant and classy and they add to the traditional vintage value of a wedding. The more simple you keep the food, the more less chances of wasting the food will be. Try including more vegan and fresh fruit options in the wedding diet plan.
If you are looking for a very personal ceremony with a few guests, then you can explore elegant natural locations for your wedding and reception. For instance, you can get married on a lovely quiet seashore. People have also explored other unique Eco-friendly ideas like exchanging the rings under-water or on a flying balloon.
Favors
While deciding on the wedding favors, decide on Eco friendly wedding favor ideas. Actually, there are so many green favor ideas that you may find a pleasantly confusing time to decide the Eco-friendly favor of your choice. Eco-friendly favor ideas like bamboo sticks place card holders, wild flower seed packets, Eco friendly notebook and pencil are beautiful to look at and to be received as gifts. Flowers as wedding favor gifts or bridal shower gifts are also very beautiful wedding favor ideas. The comparatively less expenditure of Eco-friendly gifts over other gifts should also help you in your wedding budget planning.
Flowers
The flowers deserve a special mention in Eco-friendly wedding planning. Since the entire wedding space is decorated with flowers, and flowers are also popular as favor gifts, so take care that the flowers are being purchased from a florist who deals only with fair trade flowers. Using fair trade flowers at your reception will ensure that you are not depriving a flower worker (mostly women) of her fair rights. Since, some flowers at the wedding can still retain their freshness even after a day, so consult with your florist to see whether those flowers can be recycled or not.
Photography
Remember to use the digital photography option at the wedding. Conventional non-digital cameras add up to huge use of chemicals to take out the photo prints. There are several advantages of digital cameras over conventional cameras. Apart from being easy to handle (you just need a week’s practice), the snaps can be viewed instantly after they have been taken. Moreover, photographs taken with digital cameras can be easily shared over the internet with your family and friends.