Green Your Wedding Day

One of the biggest milestones for a couple: Your wedding day! This is the day to show to everyone your love and ultimate commitment to each other. It is also a great opportunity to show your passion for the environment. So why not incorporate something important to you, like taking care of our environment, into your big day. For those who are passionate about the environment or even just interested in minimizing their carbon footprint, here are a few ways to make your wedding day green and fabulous.

Eco Invites

So you're engaged! Yaaay! The date has been set. Check. Now, it's time to start sending out the invites. For those looking to be environment friendly on your wedding day, your invitations are the perfect place to set the tone for your 'green' nuptials.

Electronic Invitations (Evites)
To cut down on the use of paper and reduce waste and energy, many engaged couples are making their big announcements electronically. This being the digital generation, it is not a surprise that many couples are leaning to this growing trend. With sites like ourwedvite.com and MyInvitationLink.com, you can have personalized electronic wedding invitations that are sure to rival traditional invitations. If the idea of reducing your paper consumption doesn't tempt you, think of how much you will save on printing and postage. You should also look into having a wedding site to keep your guests updated. Click here to create your wedding website.

Eco Paper Invites
For those who prefer sending out invitations the traditional way, yet still want to do their part to help the environment, invitations on recycled paper are the way to go. You will have a variety of options to still get "your green on", from seed-embedded handcrafted sheets, reclaimed cotton, bamboo, 100% recycled premium stock, and others. You can also use vegetable or soy ink for your print, to make your invites recyclable.



Green Favors

Wedding favors can be a great way of showing your personality and giving back to your guests and the environment. More and more couples are giving out favors that are not wasteful or harmful to the environment. Couples can reduce their carbon footprint by doing something as simple as getting favors from local vendors.

An alternative wedding favor that is also eco-friendly is having your escort card also servce as a plantable favor. Have your guests plant these favors in memory of your wedding that will also help the environment. Also, with this is breast cancer awareness month, we found a timely favor: Kate Aspen's In Favor of Cure. You can give your guests pink ribbon plantable favors. Kate Aspen donates 10% of proceeds from this favor to women’s breast cancer and health-focused charities.




(Please visit our website to purchase any of the above favors.)

Green Up Your Dress

Yes, you can go green on your wedding day right down to your special dress. The most obvious choice is to re-use a gown. Your choices range from buying vintage, renting, or wearing your mother's dress. Not only are these eco-friendly options but will not be as straining on your pocket. A great option is Brides Against Breast Cancer where you can purchase sample and donated gowns at a discounted price. Bride Against Breast Cancer donates the proceeds to help women with breast cancer. You can get the dress of your dreams and be environmentally friendly, all while helping to make strides in the fight against breast cancer! After your wedding, you could also donate your dress to this organization.

And if having a new dress is a must for you, consider eco-friendly fabrics such as linen, hemp, organic cotton, and silk.

Going green doesn't mean you have to sacrifice quality on your big day. If you decide to be eco-friendly on your wedding day, it will be more like a celebration of your life, love, and passion for each other and the environment. This will be sure to have your day remembered on a larger scale.

So will you add a little 'green' into your big day?

Flower Girl + Ring Bearer + Creativity: The New, Improved Formula

Two of the wedding faves that come close to stealing the show on the bride and groom's big day: the "super adorable" flower girl and the "smile infecting" ring bearer. They make a great addition to the wedding party and you are sure to hear ooohs and awws as they walk up and down the aisle.

(Photo Credit: Lennon Photo)

Now we have all seen the image before: the cute flower girls with baskets full of petals in hand, making the aisle their runway; the shy little ring bearer quickly making his way up the aisle as he holds up a satin ring pillow. It is a cute and timeless image......and soooo predictable. Don't you want to change it up a bit? Wouldn't you love to have a new take on tradition? Changes are being made to every aspect of the 21st century wedding, so how about we make some updates when it comes to flower girls and ring bearers.



Now before we get into discussing all the good stuff (accessories, cute attire, alternative ideas), let's get some important things out of the way. When it comes to the little ones in the wedding party, here are a few things to consider:

Comfort, comfort, comfort - Now this crucial. No matter how adorable and precious your flower girl and ring bearer look, if they are uncomfortable..they WILL show it, on their face and in their actions. So keep this in mind when choosing their attire and footwear. We suggest that you have them wear their outfits before your wedding day, so they can get accustomed to the feel and fit.

Nerves - Although your flower girl and ring bearer may be really excited about participating in your wedding, having lots of people staring at them can be overwhelming, not surprisingly. It is best that you have a talk with them about what to expect on the wedding day and answer any questions they may have regarding their roles. And remember, having them practice at the rehearsal will cut down the confusion on the day of.

Now let's get into the good stuff!

Flower Girls
Typically flower girls walk up the aisle, basket in hand, leaving behind a trail of petals. But if you don't want this part of your wedding to be just typical, here are some things you can do to make your flower girl stand out even more...and love you for it: Instead of the typical petals in a basket, if you are having a wedding by the beach, have her leave behind a trail of seashells from her wicker basket. For some flower basket alternatives, you can have her blow bubbles, wave a wand or ribbons from a stick, or pluck petals directly from their bouquet. And if you want to steer clear of the usual flower girl attire, u can have your flower girl dressed up as a fairy, ballerina, princess, or an angel (wings and all). Why not add some color to her dress, as well (not just a colored sash, either). Check out the flower girl attire inspiration we found:

Ring Bearer

Instead of carrying a satin pillow with the rings tied onto it, how about having him carry a floral ring pillow or better yet, for the younger ring bearer, a ring bear would maximize his awwwww-ability. You can even have him walk holding a candle (a kid friendly one, of course) with the rings attached. And for those with pets, you could have your ring bearer walk your furry and/or non furry friends up the aisle or even pull them in a wagon. If you don't mind mixing in a little casual with the dressy, how about having this little one stroll up in converses. And don't be afraid to add a little more color to his attire; maybe adorn him with a blazer that's not black. Look below to see how you can incorporate some of the suggested ideas:

So...What do you think? Have any unique ideas? We want to hear from you.
And Remember, have fun and be creative!