Green Wedding Ideas??? (merged)

arkonite_babe

ok, I'm not getting married........ for a while yet :rolleyes: (Don_ky01 are you reading this )

But I'm interested in how a green wedding would work? I have just watched a prog on BBC3 and was horrified at how much the weddings were costing :eek:

Never mind that, I'd like to be a real MSE'er and not blow £20,000 on a one day affair.

I nearly fainted after pricing wedding stationery on line. :eek:

Have any of you had a green wedding or been at one?? How did it go? What kind of things were done/used??

Really curious me (And totally clueless as to how much these things can cost!!)

BungleGirl

I tried to look into 'green' weddings a couple of months ago but didn't find a great deal about it on the web.

A big thing i guess would be keeping the food local and organic if possible. Organic wine?

I found a website with organic wedding dresses but I think they were very expensive.

Unbleached recycled paper for invitations etc. Better to email invitations than send them I suppose.

Wedding presents - donations to a charity?

Favours if you decided to do them - packets of seeds?

I think it depends on how far you want to go - I guess it is better to try to make it a bit green than not bother at all!

gooismeid

Just remember that the most important thing about your wedding is the person you're marrying, not what the room looks like or whether the guests have the right favours on the table. Other green suggestions - use flowers and greenery from your garden (or a neighbour's or family member's) - no shipping costs and it can all go in the compost bin afterwards! Send invitations by email or print/write them yourself on recycled paper. Organic and unbleached fabrics are out there to make your dress (untreated silk is particularly beautiful), but there are so few producers of fabrics in the UK that you'll have to factor in the air miles used to ship the fabric to the UK if you're really bothered by it. The best weddings I've been to were the ones where the ceremony was simple, the guests all wanted to be there and the party afterwards was a celebration of 2 people in love, not how much money they spent and how posh the food was. Nobody should be bothered that there are no bottles of bubbles or disposable cameras or wedding confetti on the table, or whatever else is seen to be the absolute done thing. Get married because you love the guy, not because you want to have your "special day". OK, rant over (too many friends blowing overdrafts on weddings this year...).

Contains_Mild_Peril

If you're trying to save money as well, then all (or nearly all) organic food and drink might not be an option, though you may be pleasantly surprised by prices of local produce if you have a maarkeet nearby. I don't think I've been to a "green" wedding as such, but I've been to a couple of low-budget weddings - my own included. Buying secondhand clothes (for bride, groom and bridesmaids) can save a lot of money, and reusing these instead of buying new ones is a "green" thing to do. If you're good at needlecrafts, you could even customise an old dress for a completely unique "designer original"! EBay is a good place to look for wedding attire.
If your reception venue is a short walking distance from your wedding venue then this will cut down on car travel. You could also perhaps make a database of who is coming by car and whether they are able to accommodate passengers, and match them up with guests who could use a lift. Also, try to choose somewhere with draught drinks available rather than guests having to buy bottles or cans.
If you have a wedding gift list (though personally, I'm not keen on them, but if you go without one you'll end up with a few duplicate gifts) you could include a few "green" gift suggestions, e.g. if you have a garden, you might include a water butt and an apple tree, and if you ask for electrical appliances, choose energy efficient ones so long as they're not too outrageously expensive.
You could make your own stationery using recycled paper, and look into the possibility of using locally grown flowers.
P.S. and flower petals or maybe even rice (as is traditional in some places) for confetti.

arkonite_babe

I'm loving all the suggestions so far, though I have to admit putting me and needlework in the same sentence is NOT a good idea Nuff Said!!

Personally for me a small day would mean an awful lot more than a big flash glitzy day. Just having my family and a few close friends would be enough, that's why I thought the idea of a green wedding would be more suited to this way of thinking. As for the dress, haven't even thought that far :rotfl: That is if I even wear a dress, it's going to a registry office affair, and I'm not a dress person, so I'd rather wear something which I'm more likely to use again.

savvy

arkonite_babe wrote:

so I'd rather wear something which I'm more likely to use again.

LMAO so a dustbin bag then...............so you could use it again at the reception!! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

LOL seriously tho, do you have a lot of family/friends around one area........because you could hire a mini coach and pick them all up, that way helps with the drinking thing and cuts down on a few vehicles going

There is biodegradable confetti about.

Eco Wedding rings

Eco pressies

Friends of the Earth Weddings

More ideas

MORE ideas

Little bit more here

Oh stuff it Ark....................do you want me to be your green wedding planner??? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

savvy

Trees in Marry Me Wood for a wedding present

Tree Tubes look cool too................lol you could have a selection of different trees all around the world AND raise awareness to your guests!

Wedding Pack! Cards for all occasions!

tee_pee_2

if my wedding day had cost £20k there is no way I would have enjoyed it. Can't believe folk pay it. A close friend of my had a big wedding and the saving for it lasted longer than the marriage. I know that is not often the case but it is about the two people in love. My wedding cost about £4-k inc 2 wk in domincan all inc, you don't have to spend a lot.

Dress & Veil in sale.
Bridesmaid dresses in sale. £30
Invitiations closing down sale -local stationers ( friend wrote them no printing costs)
tiara Local Market
Cake friend made
favours did my own with almonds off local market sweet stall.

None of it looked bad, my guests would be shocked if they read this but no one knows, and a MSE wedding is the best kind, cos after the wedding no debt no loans nothing -clear. What a good way to start married life.

savvy

LOL Monmouth gets in on the green act! Just a couple of tips, looks like America have gone mad for green weddings, with all the links on Google

savvy

tee_pee wrote:

if my wedding day had cost £20k there is no way I would have enjoyed it. Can't believe folk pay it. A close friend of my had a big wedding and the saving for it lasted longer than the marriage.

LMAO I've seen that happen, I've never understood why people have to have a ridiculously expensive wedding either maybe some of it is just pleasing families.....................lol and I've never been able to please mine so tough! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

arkonite_babe

savvy wrote:

Oh stuff it Ark....................do you want me to be your green wedding planner??? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

How much do you charge