Happy Earth Day!

The Eco-Friendly Bride has arrived and couples planning their ‘I Do’ details can get in on the act this wedding season – beyond color scheme’s and floral arrangements with an array of choice and high quality products now available due to increased demand from brides and grooms embracing the “Go Green” concept.

It is now possible to host an Eco-Friendly affair without sacrificing any style! With just a little thought and environmental consciousness, your wedding can help save a tree, remind others to recycle and celebrate planet Earth.

Here are some tips for a “Green” Wedding:

Stop the Presses
Along with using post-consumer recycled invitations, create a wedding website with all the great information you need to share with your guests, bridal attendants and family. This online resource allows you to print less, save on postage and only mail out the essential invitation by saving a tree and sparing the printer from producing too much paper for the affair.

These embossed wildflower wedding invitations are crafted on quality, recycled papers containing at least 30% post-consumer fibers.

Glam Up In Vintage
Visit local thrift stores, ebay and check out friends and families’ attics for décor, props or maybe even mom’s old wedding gown. You can discover old treasures, use something “old” with a “new” purpose and feel good about the recycling effort while getting glam in vintage.

Serve Green on a Silver Platter
Serve organic, local foods, wines and spirits – with just a little research, your menu can contain foods grown locally or through sustainable farming practices. Consider utilizing your wedding planner and cater to help make a donation of all the leftover food to a local homeless shelter or church.

Give the Gift that Keeps Giving
A charitable donation, a small potted plant or flower, make a lovely, lasting wedding favor that your guests can appreciate and cherish for longer than your wedding weekend.

This is a modern twist to offering seed packets as an eco-friendly wedding favor. These Celebration Grow Favors are customizable and made from 100% post-consumer waste. Embedded with wildflower seeds, all you need to do is plant the favor in a pot of soil, provide water and sunlight and watch it grow!

Destination Do Your Part
If you are hosting guests from out of state who will be flying in, calculate the mileage they will travel and offset their carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions by donating to programs that plan trees or preserve rain forests.

Find Friendly Flowers
Pesticide-free petals smell better and look beautiful. Find a florist who grows or can source organic bunches for your bouquet.