Follow The Green Trend For Your Eco-Friendly Wedding

A big trend in design and decor these days is the green theme. Recycled, reused, environmentally-friendly, and repurposed items are showing up everywhere. You can find recycled materials in home decor, building materials, dinnerware, clothing, jewelry, and accessories. And weddings! One of the hottest wedding trends is all about celebrating the big day with green ideas. Here is how to plan an eco-friendly wedding.

Start your wedding planning with eco-friendly invitations. The internet has many sources for beautiful, custom invitations printed with soy inks on recycled paper. Some remade papers are so thick and fine, you can barely tell they have been repurposed from something else. If you want a rustic and individual look to your invites, you can make your own paper simply with basic ingredients. It is possible to make paper out of egg cartons, newspaper, or old printer paper. Just add some starch and blend in a food processor. A thick, pulpy, handmade invitation is a very green creation, perfect for your eco-conscious theme. Print your invitation with a computer printer, with a pretty, nature-themed font.

Decorating a green wedding can be easy and fun. Just go with items you like and find an eco-friendly source. Green trends are all about recycling. Why not use unconventional, old containers for flowers, groomsmen gifts and candles? Mason jars, for example, can be made into simple flower vases for reception centerpieces. Add some river rocks in the bottom, and allow your beautiful flowers to burst out of the jars in all directions. Or place a simple handful of mood moss and some succulent plants in a recycled mason jar, creating a peaceful terrarium centerpiece. Mason jars can be made into candle holders and hanging lanterns, too. Soy candles and beeswax candles are much better for the environment than standard candles. Use them to light up the ceremony and reception.

Wood can be a beautiful, natural part of a green wedding. Go to a tree-cutting service or landscape company for discarded wood shavings, bark, and wood cuttings for your decor. Birch discs can be stacked and used to display candles, flowers, food serving plates, even the wedding cake. Birch shavings in all sizes and lengths can be added to floral arrangements. Place them all over a buffet table and bar for a woodsy feeling.

Flower arrangements for a green wedding can be fun to create. To be truly green, choose flowers that are locally grown and in season. Going local for your flowers cuts down on transportation costs, pollution, pesticides, and packing materials that hurt the environment. If you can, pick flowers from your own garden! If you donít have a garden, find a nearby farm or local floral grower and discuss your floral options. Even in winter, there are flowers and plants available that can look amazing in a bouquet. Imagine, for example, a wedding bouquet made of large bloomed purple ornamental cabbage. Gorgeous in a winter wedding! 

Wrap or tie your wedding bouquet with a recycled material. Get Creative! Burlap is great, and its raw edges are a lively texture next to vibrant flowers. Consider other recycled materials to wrap around bouquet stems and boutonnieres, such as twine, butcher paper, clean newsprint, old lace, or vintage fabric. 

For bridal fashion, the green trend is all about bringing up and reinvigorating the past. A vintage wedding dress is perfect for a repurposed theme. Look for gowns made of elegant fabrics from a different time. Antique linen, eyelet, vintage lace, and chiffon are lovely, not only for fashion but for bridesmaid gifts as well. Bring another era to your wedding with the dress; conjure up old Hollywood glamour with satin, or 50's fun with taffeta. Have the bridal party pick their own gowns and classic accessories too. Perhaps decide on a single color to look for, like red for bridesmaids dresses and copper for the groomsmen ties. If they find old, vintage gowns and neckties, they are bringing new life to items that might be discarded otherwise. 

Going with the green trend for your wedding can be a rewarding endeavor and is great for the environment too. No matter how you plan your green wedding, you can make eco-friendly choices that are beautiful and elegant too!

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Kate Garmora is a wedding consultant with Engraved Gift Creations.  She has helped countless couples achieve their dream wedding.  Her new focus on Eco-Friendly wedding trends and DIY designs puts her on the forefront of the Green wedding movement.  For more great ideas on groomsmen gifts and the latest in wedding accessories, visit her at Engraved Gift Creations.

For your local wedding planning journey please visit: Red Bow Weddings and find us on Facebook!

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