More and more couples are incorporating environmental values into their wedding planning, but some green elements can take guests by surprise, says Mireya Navarro, an environmental writer with The New York Times and author of Green Wedding: Planning Your Eco-Friendly Celebration
An emailed invitation? No party favor?
“Green weddings by definition stand against waste and excess,” Navarro says. “This means that the groom and bride will try to conserve resources, such as paper, and make sure nothing they or their guests spend money on ends up in the garbage or in a closet collecting dust.”
Navarro is an expert on how to find environmentally-friendly alternatives to each element of the traditional wedding and on how going green can help couples save money. With the 2009 wedding season upon us, she also has a few words of advice for guests who may be encountering their first green wedding this year, including:
Prepare for the New Green Etiquette
“Do not expect a paper invitation,” Navarro says. “Often you will get it – on recycled paper, of course – but increasingly most wedding-related communication is done electronically through a wedding website. Guests are asked to RSVP and even select menu items by email!”
The New Giving
“Don’t be surprised if the registry directs you to donate money to a worthy cause favored by the groom and bride. Party favors? Not a chance, unless you can eat them or do something useful with them. Many couples don’t want to get the useless vase that will never be used or the useless favor that ends up in the trash. Practical or philanthropic wedding gifts are in.”
Fruit Décor is all the Rage
“Centerpieces featuring oranges and apples are replacing those with roses and orchids. Many couples fret over the limited reuse value of cut flowers, so they’re going for fruit, veggies and potted plants for décor. You may go home with an apple!
When couples plan their wedding with the environment in mind, Navarro explains, they are trying to minimize the event’s carbon footprint. That means reducing all those global warming-causing greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere through human activities such as the use of electricity use and transportation. Avoiding the unnecessary, such as the invitation with layers of paper or the single-use decoration, is one way to save both on the resources that went into making the items and on the wedding’s price tag.
For more green tips, check out Mireya’s website.
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