Something old, something new, something borrowed, something green

March 26th, 2009 at 05:17am Jennie Pollock

In a random magazine with a bunch of random wedding advice books, I found this: “The Green Bride Guide.”

For $14.99 or for free if you go to its Web site, you can plan a “beautiful and sustainable” wedding.

Why? Well, the author says:

There are 2.5 million weddings a year in the United States, with an average of more than 150 guests each.  When you add up all of the stuff that goes into weddings (single-use bleached white dresses, chemically treated imported flowers, toxic makeup and skin care products, mined gem-based jewelry, individual packets of rice, etc.) you see that the environmental impact from these events is enormous.

For example, if every wedding this year used a disposable aisle runner and they were laid end to end, they would circle the globe twice! Similarly, the amount of paper used to make invitations could cover the island of Manhattan. The bottom line is that every green choice makes a difference - no matter how small.

The site features lots of “real” green weddings, like this one, which encouraged the wedding party to wear clothes they already had.

Tips include choosing a location that is close to most attendees, finding recycled paper invitations, using regional/seasonal flowers, catering with organic foods and donating/reselling products after the wedding.

Entry Filed under: Green business, Green home