You might not have stopped to think about it, but every aspect of a wedding has environmental consequences. From the save-the-date cards before the wedding to the flowers at the farewell brunch, each choice a couple makes for their big day has an impact on the air, soil and water systems of our planet.
With almost 2.5 million weddings a year in the United States, each averaging more than 150 guests, the environmental impact of the wedding industry is enormous. Think of everything that goes into a typical wedding- a single-use bleached white dress, chemically treated imported flowers, toxic makeup and skin care products, mined gem-based jewelry, and knick knack favors that typically get thrown in the trash, to name just a few – and then multiply by 2.5 million! That’s a lot of waste. If each of these 2.5 million couples made even one or two choices with the earth in mind, those earth-friendly choices would make a huge difference overall.
So how does the modern couple add eco-friendly touches to their celebration without sacrificing personal style and elegance? It’s easy. Here are some of the simpler ways you can decrease your celebration’s impact and still have the wedding of your dreams.
Location, Location, Location
Wedding-associated travel can result in serious carbon emissions. One of the easiest ways to cut down on your wedding’s travel footprint is to have your ceremony and reception in the same place. Consider a wedding with about one hundred guests: if each car carries two people, that’s fifty vehicles driving from one location to the next. A single location eliminates those carbon emissions and saves your guests the hassle of going from one place to another.
If separate locations are necessary, you can mitigate the emissions problem by arranging transportation for your guests, such as the rental of a bus, van or trolley. You can also encourage your guests to carpool by setting up a ride share board on your wedding website.
Green Your Gold (and Your Silver and Diamonds, Too…)
Your engagement ring and wedding bands are meant to symbolize your love and your enduring commitment to each other. Most couples carefully choose these jewelry items; they want them to be beautiful and long-lasting, like their marriage. Sadly, much of today’s jewelry, though it looks beautiful, has a violent and dirty past. As more couples learn about the environmental and human damage caused by destructive mining practices and the gem trade, they choose to begin their journey together with more sustainable jewelry choices.
Metal- and gem-mining is a filthy, dangerous business that produces tons of mining waste and releases toxic metals into the environments. Mines are notorious for environmental damage such as soil erosion, flooding, and water pollution. Dangerous, unjust labor practices employed by large-scale mining operations often go unregulated. This makes it hard, if not impossible, for smaller and less destructive mines to compete and stay in business. Mines historically have been breeding grounds for harsh conditions where workers are beaten and tortured, and child labor is common. According to Amnesty International, the sale of “blood diamonds” has contributed to 3.7 million deaths in Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Congo.
In the last decade, the world community, with the help of the UN, various non-governmental organizations and the diamond industry, decided to create a system to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate diamond supply chain. The agreement that was reached is referred to as the Kimberley Process, a system of mine-to-market documentation for each stone to ensure that from the point of extraction to the point of sale it follows legal, traceable channels.
Even with the Kimberley Process in effect, it is still extremely difficult to know the exact origins of a diamond. While the Kimberley Process has eliminated many of the human rights abuses associated with the diamond industry, some conflict diamonds still enter the market through a loophole that allows rough conflict stones to be certified by the conflict-free country that cuts and polishes them. In addition, the Kimberley Process does not take into consideration the environmental impact of mining, nor does it regulate any other gem or metal mining practices. Every newly mined diamond, gem, or piece of metal carries a cost.It seems incongruous to choose a ring with these origins to serve as the symbol for a lifetime of love.
You can find a list of retailers who have pledged to use sustainable and ethical sourcing practices at www.nodirtygold.org. Check out companies like ReflectiveImages or Ruff & Cut, who specialize in custom fair trade and ethically produced gold, silver, platinum, and diamond jewelry. GreenKarat offers gorgeous modern designs in bridal jewelry made from truly recycled metals and eco-friendly created diamonds and gems.
The best option is to purchase an antique ring, which will help decrease the demand for newly mined materials. Diamonds that were mined before 1880 predate large-scale mining operations. Purchasing an antique ring is a glamorous way to recycle, and it ensures your ring did not contribute to mining pollution. With vintage styles at the forefront of wedding trends, you’re sure to find something that fits your personal style.
A family heirloom is also a wonderful option because it is eco-friendly and carries a special meaning. If you have a piece of heirloom jewelry but don’t like the look, you can have the stones reset to match your style, or have the metal melted down and fashioned into your dream ring.
Choosing local, seasonal food and flowers supports local businesses and eliminates the impact of having to pack and ship items that were grown thousands of miles away. Investigate the options available during the season of your wedding, and talk to potential florists and caterers about their willingness to use only local and seasonal flowers and foods for your celebration. Your guests will enjoy their fresh and flavorful meal, and your flowers will be vibrant and gorgeous. Another bonus: you’ll probably save money with this eco-friendly approach.
Earth-Friendly Paper
Paper is used for save-the-dates, invitations, RSVP cards, seating programs, menu cards, seating cards, thank you cards, and more. If you laid out all the paper used in wedding invitations alone in one year, it would cover the island of Manhattan! That’s a lot of trees.
As if the sheer amount of paper used weren’t enough, the processes used in making paper also can be problematic. To make paper pulp white, paper mills add bleach and chlorine to the mix, adding hazardous and carcinogenic compounds to the mill’s wastewater. These toxins find their way into the streams and rivers nearby, where they go on to pollute the soil, water, fish and wildlife.
There are many wonderful eco-chic alternatives. If you and most of your guests are computer savvy, you can go entirely paperless. Glö, a company founded on the belief that weddings can be modernized without sacrificing sophistication, offers online invitations in a variety of styles to suit any wedding. Create a wedding website to house all of the transportation and hotel information for guests, and to get RSVPs, and voila! Paperless wedding!
If you and your guests aren’t quite ready for a paperless experience, you can easily find a solution that works for you. Many eco-conscious couples find a middle ground: they choose a company that uses recycled paper and soy inks for printed invites that are just as lovely as their traditional counterparts. Companies like SpilledInkPress offer gorgeous invitations made from earth-friendly papers and processes. Most invitation companies are now offering some eco-conscious alternatives; for example, Crane & Co. offers couture letterpress invitations on recycled cotton paper.
Another creative solution to the paper problem is to find ways to reduce the amount of paper in your invitation package. Perhaps you choose online save-the-date cards, and then have your invitation company craft a gorgeous one-page wedding invitation. Eliminate the need for additional inserts by referring your guests to a wedding website to find reception information, directions to your venue, etc. With so many different options for limiting the amount of paper, you’re sure to find a solution that fits your style, budget and personality.
Giving Back
Many wasteful elements of weddings can be reinvented as ways to give back. A couple who already owns home goods could consider a charity registry instead of a more traditional gift registry. You can also donate your leftover food and flowers and, if you grew out your hair for the wedding, consider donating those soon-to-be-shorn tresses, too.
While donating a wedding gown is a tough sell for many brides, there are wonderful charities that make it worth considering. BridesAgainstBreastCancer is one such charity of many. They collect donated gowns to resell, raising money to grant wishes to breast cancer patients. Just-married brides can donate their wedding gowns to help others, and brides-to-be can purchase couture once-worn gowns at discounted prices.
While it may be difficult to part with the dress of your dreams, you can really make a difference for someone by donating it instead of keeping it all wrapped up in plastic. Similar charities exist for bridesmaids’ gowns, which are notorious for being one-time wear pieces of attire. TheCinderellaProject and OperationFairyDust are two charities that collect bridesmaids’ gowns to give to young girls who cannot afford formal dresses for their proms. All of these charities provide ways to give bridal party attire a meaningful second life instead of a place to collect dust in the attic.
What if you could give back something on behalf of your guests instead of sending them home with a trinket? Making donations in honor of your guests is a thoughtful alternative to a traditional wedding favor. You can honor a charity you believe in, and share your personal values with your guests. Print out a card on recycled paper telling your guests about the donation you’ve made on their behalf, and perhaps even share some information with them about the organization and why it is important to you as a couple.
A Sustainable Start to a Sustainable Marriage
Any of these simple choices will reduce the impact your wedding has on the earth, but none will reduce the style and elegance of your special day. Whether you make just one green choice, or many, every choice makes a difference, and making eco-friendly choices will likely make your big day even more special for both of you. Your eco-chic wedding will be a beautiful, sustainable start to your beautiful, sustainable marriage.