Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. It’s the mantra to live by in today’s world of Global Warming and rapidly depleting natural resources. But while many Americans are employing the theory in their everyday lives, some have even gone so far to design their entire weddings around the belief system that humans should strive to reduce their carbon footprints on this earth. Check out these 10 couples who planned eco-friendly weddings – they managed to have an environmentally conscious affair without sacrificing any style points.
Michael and Stephanie: This happy couple makes living green a way of life. Michael, a spa and hotel owner, and Stephanie, an artist, decided to not only hold their wedding at an organic vineyard in Napa Valley, but they tried to incorporate reusable materials and sustainable foods into the reception as much as possible. The menu featured only organic and locally-grown vegetarian foods and wines – not a tough thing to do when you are getting married in the lush, agriculture-rich region of northern California! But one of the wedding’s most creative and iconic elements was the long dining table. The groom’s friend crafted the table out of used wine barrels. The couple then had their guests carve their names into the table instead of using a paper-wasting guest book. They then recycled the table into a front door for their new home!
Kate and Barry: Kate and Barry, two diehard outdoor enthusiasts, made their wedding so green it seems hard to make an event any greener. First, the location was set at an organic farm in New York, where guests were invited to hike and take nature tours the day before the wedding. The menu was chosen based upon what foods were available in the fall season and grown nearby, and the same idea was employed for the bride’s bouquet – it was designed using only local, seasonal flowers. Because the reception was held at a nearby golf course, the couple looked for vans that ran on bio-diesel fuel to shuttle guests back and forth. For favors, the bride made each guest a piece of pottery. The couple also used rocks found in nature as part of their décor, which they returned to their native spot afterward. To top it off, Kate and Barry even calculated all of the miles their guests traveled to attend the wedding and then donated money to plant enough trees to offset the omissions.
Beth and Andrew: This couple, who lives in San Francisco, didn’t go over the top to make their wedding eco-friendly, but they are a primo example that you don’t have to obsess over every detail to end up with a wedding that is both easy on the eyes and the environment. Beth and Andrew held their wedding near their families in Pennsylvania and decided to let their lifestyles guide their choices. One choice was to reduce gas emissions from guests by holding both the ceremony and reception at the same location, which is also a tremendous convenience for their guests, as well. The food served was all organic with vegetarian options. And after the wedding ended, they donated all of their flowers to a local hospice.
John and Nancy: To make their wedding as eco-friendly as possible, John and Nancy had to bust out their calculators. Well, at least John’s students had to, because as part of one of their assignments he asked them to calculate the carbon footprint their wedding would have on the earth. By adding up the distances each of their guests were traveling and then factoring in all of the energy it would take to actually power their wedding, the couple concluded that their wedding alone would release 58 tons of carbon dioxide. To offset that, each guest received an 11-watt compact fluorescent light bulb, with instructions to swap it out for a 50-watt incandescent bulb. Guests also received information sheets with tips on how they could further reduce their impact on the earth in everyday life.
Heather and Matthew: Heather and Matthew made sure that for their wedding, transportation would be kept to a bare minimum. First, they had a nearby friend hand make their invitations from recycled paper. Then they planned floral arrangements and bouquets using flowers that the bride’s mother grew in her yard. Her mother also made wreaths with sticks and flowers from her garden and then found some used ribbon and tulle for accenting. Matthew handmade all of the vase holders for the ceremony from old logs, and the couple employed family members to do the flower arrangements. Heather’s dress was made by a local seamstress, the food was locally-grown and organic, and the reception and ceremony were within walking distance of each other.
Kathy and Brett: Kathy and Brett, a couple from Nevada City, Calif., decided to have an eco-friendly wedding after becoming disgusted with how disposable and “throw-away” traditional weddings had become. They started by renting out the Sierra Friends Center in their hometown, a lovely nature preserve dedicated to environmentalism. Both Kathy and Brett decided to wear organic, natural fiber clothes and outfitted their wedding party similarly in hemp dresses, shirts, and pants. Kathy’s dress was made by a local seamstress. All of the food, which was served potluck-style, was organic and locally-grown, and the couple treated guests to a local organic beer. Before the wedding, the couple sent out hemp invitations and asked each of their guests to bring a small square organic cake, which they pieced together to create one big quilt-like cake. All of the hardware – like vases and glassware – was recycled and everything else was rented or purchased from a store in town.
Kristy and Nik: For this couple, not having a green wedding would have been an insult to their occupations. Nik, an environmental consultant for restaurants, and Kristy, a graduate student in urban planning, live green in everything they do. Even simple things like getting ice cream – always ordered in a cone – is a test of their eco strengths. Like many of the other couples mentioned, Nik and Kristy tried to minimize their carbon footprint from transportation, and while they live in Boston, they held their wedding in San Francisco where all of their guests live. To get guests from their homes to the wedding site, the couple rented a bus and asked others to drive a hybrid vehicle. They calculated the carbon footprint of all the transportation and donated money to an organization that plants trees to neutralize the effects. They also opted against having flowers and asked their guests to donate to environmental nonprofits in lieu of giving them gifts.
Morgan and Alex: Morgan Spurlock, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker behind the hit movie “Super Size Me,” married his vegan chef girlfriend Alexandra Jamieson opted to elope to Fiji for their nuptials. And while the gas it took to get them to the Pacific island was not exactly carbon-neutral, the rest of the affair was very environmentally conscious. Because they eloped, they invited only two friends, and therefore had none of the paper waste associated with a big list of invitees. The bride wore a silk, hemp gown that her mother made in a nice pink shade, so it can be worn again or else remade into curtains or pillows. There were no flowers, huge food displays or other items that could potentially go to waste. When the couple returned home, they had a small, local celebration with their friends.
Natalie and Matt: Natalie began planning for her eco-friendly wedding with the attire. She bought a used-but-not-yet-worn wedding dress off of a bride that ended up calling her wedding off. She then recycled her sister’s bridesmaids dresses for her own wedding party, getting an extra use out of a dress that so often goes to waste. Then she and her husband approached a local jeweler about creating wedding bands for them out of recycled gold – a very popular option for green couples. She even used her grandmother’s ring as part of the recycled mix. Of course the food was all organic, including the wine, and the centerpieces were all given away as favors. The couple arrived at their local wedding spot in canoes decorated with lily pads and also chose to honeymoon on a nearby island.
Kristen and Todd: As this bride blogs, her husband proposed to her without a ring, saying that the couple should design one together. That set the tone for a do-it-yourself wedding-planning mentality that eventually resulted in a fun, lighthearted and eco-friendly wedding. The wedding was held in their resident town of Oxford, Ohio, and the couple chose an organic vegetarian buffet served with reusable plates and flatware. Kristen got her dress at a second hand shop and let her bridesmaids pick out their own dresses to be sure they would wear them again. They used all recycled paper products and gave their guests carbon credit cards as wedding favors. The cake was homemade; the flowers organic. They enlisted their family and friends as help instead of outsourcing duties and tried to go second hand as much as possible. Their one splurge? A photo booth for fun wedding memories.