Guide to a Growing Trend The Green or Ecological Wedding
Posted By: Joshua Boyles
Article by Blake Kritzberg
Does it seem like the phrases "ecology" and "wedding" could hardly have less in common? With the average wedding costing well over 15 thousand today, one would think so. And yet, the "green" or ecologically-friendly wedding is gaining momentum across the nation. The green wedding, like any other wedding style, has its tribal features. By tribal, I mean the signs and signifiers that help tell the guests what the wedding is supposed to mean, and how the couple prefers to appear. From a tribal perspective, a green wedding can be hauntingly romantic, with its outdoor setting, its focus on living plants, and its less-formal gown (often made of hemp) that brings to mind fairy outings from 400 years ago. In personal appearance, the ecology bride is often the gamine type. Even on her wedding day, her fresh face forms a contrast with the heavily made-up cover girls of bridal magazines. When it comes to more functional aspects, the green weddings shape and flavor flow from three main goals: - Do no harm, - Patronize earth-friendly vendors, and - Reuse/recycle. 1) Do No Harm The green bride tries to avoid products or activities that could compromise the environment. For this reason, butterfly releases are rare (vendors are not always careful to ship butterflies only to appropriate, native environments). Similarly, beeswax candles are avoided, as is the use of styrofoam or soft plastics at the reception -- glass and porcelain are substituted. (Brides are often surprised to discover the caterer charges little extra for this service.) Many green bridal couples are vegetarian or vegan. In metropolitan or college-town communities, this provides a great excuse to serve dazzling ethnic foods at the reception at a reasonable cost! Hemp is widely respected among environmentalists, because unlike cotton, it can be grown without pesticides and returns most of its nutrients to the soil. When the green bride buys a new gown for her ceremony, she often looks to hemp fabrics. Surprisingly flexible, hemp can go upmarket ("hemp satin") or relaxed (cottony separates that can be worn after the wedding). 2) Patronize Earth-Friendly Vendors Flower petals in paper cones are environmentally friendlier than bubble solution in plastic containers, and require no clean-up. The trick is finding petal suppliers that dont use pesticides. These growers are more popular in the U.K. than the U.S. Green brides might also distribute harm-free favors, such as sachets made of pesticide-free herbs, live flowers, tree seedlings, or small packets of organic tea. In fact, some brides register at charitable organizations instead of department stores, and contribute to environmentally-active organizations instead of handing out favors. 3) Reuse, Recycle Even the most traditional wedding brings opportunities for reuse/recycling. For example, leftovers from the reception can be delivered to food banks, and flowers dropped off at hospitals or rest homes. The green bride often takes this a step further and chooses recycled paper for invitations and Save-the-Date cards, for example. She might also re-use a wedding gown (her mothers could be ideal, or failing that, one from a thrift or vintage store). Otherwise, the green bride might opt for a new gown that isnt too formal to be worn regularly after the ceremony. Just as at the grocery store, eco-friendly does not necessarily mean cheaper. Ecology brides are sometimes surprised to discover their weddings cost 10K and up, just like those of their more traditional sisters. Still, when she looks back on a wedding that opted for more "nature," less formality, and less conspicuous consumption, the green bride often finds it was time well spent - and perhaps nurtures the hope that a guest or two will be inspired to follow her path.
Blake Kritzberg is the proprietor of: http://www.favorideas.comVisit the site for easy, elegant, unusual, and affordable wedding favor ideas, wedding favor FAQ, and free wedding screensaver. This article may be freely reprinted so long as this resource box and URL are preserved.
|
Search
RSS
| News: |
 |
| Articles: | |
Latest News:
PARIS (AFP) - Researchers say they have created cloned piglets that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, the oil that is prized as being beneficial to the heart.Omega-3 is mostly found in fish, but this supply is threatened by overtrawling and clouded..
By Tom BerginYUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, Russia (Reuters) - The European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is likely to approve a
key loan to the Royal Dutch Shell Plc-led (RDSa.L) Sakhalin-2
oil and gas project in East Russia, despite strong..
The Inamori Foundation and the Kyoto Symposium Organization announced Friday that they will host the fifth annual Kyoto Laureate Symposium, April 18-20, 2006, bringing the three latest laureates of the Kyoto Prize to San Diego for a three-day cele..
J. BonasiaTue Mar 21, 7:00 PM ET
In the mid-1800s, few girls dreamed of growing up to attend college -- let alone of becoming scientists who would go on to improve the world.Except for Ellen Swallow Richards.
Richards (1842-1911) refused to be l..
JUDY MONCHUKSun Mar 19, 2:05 PM ET
CALGARY (CP) - In an entertainment universe where Botox rules and youth is the ultimate goal, the mere suggestion of a grey-haired Idol seems like a joke played on TV viewers.But Taylor Hicks, the effusive harm..
Sun Mar 19, 1:30 PM ET
MOSCOW (AFP) - A French explorer arrived on Moscow's Red Square with his 10 sleigh dogs at the end of an 8,000-kilometre (5,000 mile) expedition through some of Russia's most intractable territory in order to increase envir..
Rebecca SolnitThu Mar 16, 2:00 PM ET
The Nation --
At a dinner table last fall, I mentioned that Women's Strike for Peace
did some extraordinary things in the early 1960s, not least helping to
bring down the House Un-American Activities Committe..
By Alister Doyle, Environment CorrespondentWed Mar 15, 9:26 AM ET
OSLO (Reuters) - Exotic frogs and toads are dying out in
the jungles of Latin America, apparent victims of global
warming in what might be a harbinger of one of the worst waves
of..
|
Top Rated:
In his book, Our Final Hour, Cambridge professor and Britains "Astronomer Royal" Martin Rees predicts humanity has no more than a 50/50 chance of survival into the next century and that by 2020 a million people will perish due to scientific error or..
Rating: 4
CO2, Global Warming, and Pollen-AllergiesThomas OgrenThe benefits of added organic matter to the soil have long been known and are usually attributed to increased nitrogen, greater water-holding capacity and an increase in activity of soil earthworm..
Rating: 4
Energy Crisis Changes We Will See From: http://gasprices-usa.com/EnergyCrisisUSA.htm Home http://gasprices-usa.com
"America faces a major energy supply crisis over the next two decades. The failure to meet this challenge will threaten our nations e..
Rating: 4
Does it seem like the phrases "ecology" and "wedding" could hardly have less in common? With the average wedding costing well over 15 thousand today, one would think so. And yet, the "green" or ecologically-friendly wedding is gaining momentum acros..
Rating: 3
Because humans are losing too much of the natural, it is time to change the way people think about preservation. Stop thinking about what it would benefit the human race if this sea life is protected. To preserve the sea life, you should know the va..
Rating: 3
Asbestos Testing - Why?
Asbestos testing seeks to detect the presence of asbestos in any given material. When any asbestos containing material is disturbed, it releases very thin invisible fibers that may remain suspended in the air for many hours,..
Rating: 3
There are many ways we can use our human energy to lighten the load on natural resources and tread lightly on our home planet. Check how many of these you do already: 1. Recycle and re-use Wherever possible, separate waste into compost material, bot..
Rating: 3
GLOBAL PEAK OIL ENERGY CRISIS CHANGES WE WILL SEE From: http://gasprices-usa.com
". . the world has never faced a problem like this. Without massive mitigation more than a decade before the fact, the problem will be pervasive and will not be tempor..
Rating: 2
The concept of "nature" is a romantic invention. It was spun by the likes of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the 18th century as a confabulated utopian contrast to the dystopia of urbanization and materialism. The traces of this dewy-eyed conception of the..
Rating: 2
Fast Growth for Water Treatment Technologies due to World-wide Water Shortage
Clorox, Hendrx, ITT, and Siemens Identify Opportunities in Point of Use Systems and Waste Water Treatment
Fei Wang, www.Water-Stocks.com January 2006 Water is a booming ..
Rating: 2
|
|