From Guest Blogger Heather Legg: Making Your Wedding a Green Event

White isn’t the only color for brides these days.

More and more weddings are pulling off a green theme along with their color scheme and paying attention to the environment as well as pulling off a smash wedding. It’s not so difficult to do.

Check out some of these tips and tricks to help make your wedding not only an affair to remember but also an ally to the environment.

Before the wedding:

• Rings – Even before the wedding plans begin, you and your fiancé may want to look into getting eco friendly rings. Look for an ethical, sustainable jewelry dealer so you can wear your rings knowing the metal and gems come from good practices.

• Invitations – Instead of mailing save the date cards and invitations with maps and attached material, create a wedding website. You can include updates and relevant materials, your guests can respond and ask questions as well as post comments. If you do want to send an invitation, think about recycled paper.

The wedding itself:

• Flowers – Try to use local florists and seasonal flowers. If your favorite kind of flower is out of season, skip it. Think about using local florists who work with sustainable product and skip the chemicals. You could also do the flowers yourself from a farmer’s market or local greenhouse. Even the vases and centerpiece holders make a difference. You can do things like use family heirlooms as centerpieces instead of purchasing new vessels that will just be stored or tossed afterwards. You could have your wedding party donate themed vessels as well that they may already have around – something like silver or mercury glass is beautiful, easily found and can be easily mismatched for a charming look.

• Food – Go with the same ideas was with the flowers. If you can, choose local, seasonal, sustainable foods that are prepared cleanly without added chemicals and processing. Try to incorporate more fruits and veggies and less meat.

• Menus and programs – Skip the paper and go with the growing trend of chalkboards. You can either purchase chalkboards or create them from refurbished material and some chalkboard paint to match your style. Think about menus this way, the program, even seating charts and bar menus can be done chalkboard style. Your guests can have fun writing messages for you on blank chalkboards, and you can take photos and keep the sentiments forever.

• Favors – Usable and/or consumable favors are much more environmentally sound than things your guests will take and then toss a few weeks later. You could send them off with a gourmet heart cookie with your names or a delicious cupcake. You could also do a potted herb your guests can use in their cooking and think of you when they do or a deliciously fragrant small flower they can plant.

This is a particularly nice idea when you match the herb or flower to a sentiment according to the language of flowers, for instance, basil stands for good wishes, white jasmine means sweet love, lavender is for devotion. These also make great table decorations and you can either spread them throughout the wedding venue or fill a table with the plants (use your chalkboard to explain the sentiments and direct your guests to choose and take one).

It’s a fun time to plan an eco friendly, green wedding.

Lots of great ideas are around and it’s an important way to get your own imprint on your wedding without leaving a big one on the earth.

About the Author: Heather Legg writes on a variety of topics, including frugal, green living and Tim Broas.