How Green is Your Wedding?

Let's face it: Weddings make a lot of waste. The average couple spends about $20,000 on a wedding—and that doesn't take into account the environmental cost of travel, wasted food, thrown-away favors, and dresses only worn once.

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How to Go Green: Weddings
Plan Your "Green Wedding" with Green Elegance Weddings

Trimming your guest list means you're trimming everything else, from the centerpieces and appetizers you need to the programs and postage. Of course, if you've always had your heart set on a big wedding, choose eco-friendly vendors.

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"Nice Day for a Green Wedding"
Where to Get Green Wedding Supplies
Set Up Online RSVP for Your Wedding

Finding a local jeweler isn't hard, but finding a gem sourced from your hometown is, in most cases, difficult (to say the least). Choose a man-made stone or an antique ring to cut the carbon footprint of your wedding and engagement bands.

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How to Go Green: Wedding Engagement
TreeHugger Picks: Tips for a Green Wedding
Choose a Green Wedding Dress

While handmade lace is most likely the more energy-efficient choice, the other three options—sustainable fabrics, dress rental, and reusing a family gown—will make a bigger impact in making a lighter impact.

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Wholly Jo's Ethically Made Wedding Dresses
Organic Wedding Gowns by M.L. Marsh that Look Awesome
Say Yes to the Dress

Choosing gifts that are handmade and don't require a huge shipping commitment helps prevent your registry from becoming a resource drain, but the first question to ask yourself—even before, "What is this made of?"—is, "Do we really need this?" (Just ask the bride with a cabinet full of unused appliances.) It's more important to register for what you need than to do it all at one or two stores.

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Green Your Wedding: Choose a Green Gift Registry
Try Alternative Wedding Registry with "Changing the Present"
Romanti & Green: Illinois Couple Buys Solar Power System Using Wedding Registry

The average British wedding gives off 14.5 tons of carbon—on just that one day. To put that in perspective: The highest per capita carbon footprint in America belongs to Lexington, Kentucky, at 3.81 tons—so one U.K. wedding gives off as much carbon as the annual output of more than four people in Lexington.

While the rest of these choices have the double bonus of saving you money and energy, choosing organic flowers may cost more—but the savings of pesticides and chemicals will be worth it.

Read more:
Green Your Wedding: Be a Cheapskate
Money Saving Tips
Say it With Organic Flowers

Though diamonds are still the most popular kind of engagement ring stone, man-made gems, synthetic rocks, and alternative choices—like amethysts and sapphires—are gaining ground. If you're too traditional to give up the classic style, look for an antique or family ring for a greener symbol.

Read more:
Green Wedding Engagements: By the Numbers
Green Wedding Engagements: Engagement Rings

While flying is often less eco-friendly than driving, it does depend on the distance of the trip; buying new luggage to replace pieces still in good condition—even if your new set is made of a sustainable fabric—requires unnecessary processing expenditures and excess consumerism.

Read more:
Ethical Weddings on Honeymoons by Rail
Going to the (Green) Chapel & We're Gonna Get Married...