Easy Tips to Plan a Green, Earth-friendly Wedding: To Love, Honor and Cherish the Earth

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Our Just One Miracle thank-you cards helped support ovarian cancer research.

Our table centerpieces included nontoxic beeswax candles from the local farmer’s market, fall flower arrangements in glass vases we found at a thrift store and buckets of flowers from a local farmer. My bridesmaids and I spent the day before the wedding arranging flowers and decorating the site. We also borrowed some decorations from recently wedded friends.

Wearing green

Shopping for natural wedding clothes and accessories was great fun. My bridesmaids set a festive tone in their long, burgundy hemp dresses from Rawganique, a company that sells certified-organic hemp clothing that’s sweatshop free.

To dress up the gowns’ simple lines, they wore colorful shawls, handmade by Thai artist Thanyarat Sananpanich and purchased through Novica, an online, National Geographic–affiliated arts agent for artists worldwide. Moonstone necklaces handcrafted by Indian artist Alok Jain, also purchased through Novica, completed the elegant look.

My biggest environmental compromise was my wedding dress. My Zum Zum gown was made out of rayon and acetate, a petroleum substance that won’t make the “most natural” list anytime soon. Wedding dresses made from vintage and heirloom fabrics or natural materials are expensive, and I couldn’t find a used dress in a consignment store that spoke to me.

The good news is that my $135 dress will likely last forever, and I’ve started what I hope is a long cycle of reuse by donating it to the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, which uses the proceeds from selling my secondhand dress to help people with terminal breast cancer.

My feet were comfortable in a funky pair of clear sandals purchased from Zappos’ leather-free (“vegetarian”) shoe selection. My makeup from Burt’s Bees was natural, and my hair product from Aveda was organic.

My biggest lesson in planning this event, however, is one I probably share with every bride, “green” or not. The best part of my wedding wasn’t in the details—the flowers, my hair, the food—but it was the moment I walked down that aisle and saw the loving, proud smiles of my friends and family.

Have a green wedding (without spending all your green)

-Shop locally. Locally owned stores and local artisans may offer just what you need at a lower price—and your money boosts your regional economy.

-Visit your farmer’s market. Local farmers offer great bargains on flowers and food—without the environmental costs of transporting goods across the globe. Choose organic whenever possible.

-When a local alternative isn’t available, surf the Internet. Websites are fertile ground for natural alternatives for almost everything. You might start your search at OrganicWeddings.com.

-Reuse. Borrow decorations from recently married friends. Peruse thrift stores for vases and other inventive centerpieces.

-Shop around. If that $5,000 wedding dress made of vintage fabrics isn’t in your budget, find an equally lovely dress for $80 at a secondhand shop.

-Be willing to compromise. If organic food is out of your price range, ask your caterer for local foods or pick just a few dishes that can be organic.

-Remember that all that glitters is not green. Diamonds are expensive—for you, the environment and the social fabric of the countries where they’re mined. Find something else just as beautiful but more in line with your values. Heirloom jewelry or recycled gold or silver rings are good options. Or shop at GreenKarat for ecologically responsible jewelry.

-Ask for nonmaterial gifts. Offset costs by asking friends to lend their talents as musicians and photographers instead of giving a wedding gift.

-Match your wedding to your personality. If you’re not into fancy wedding cakes and limousine entrances, your family and friends will have just as much fun munching on homemade brownies and hanging recycled crepe paper off the back of your Prius.

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