| TWISTED
LIMB PAPERWORKS
GREEN WEDDING IDEAS How to create an environmentally friendly celebration |
| Local customers, please see our list of other earth-friendly wedding vendors in Bloomington and South Central Indiana. |
| INVITATIONS
Buy 100% PCW recycled invitations that are processed without chlorine. Encourage guests to recycle their invitations, or have seeds embedded in the paper so that guests can plant the invitations and enjoy the flowers that grow from them. Check out our selection of recycled wedding invitations. |
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Most people do not realize that much of the gold left to be mined is microscopic, and is being taken from the earth at enormous environmental costs. The production of one gold ring generates 20 tons of mining waste. Visit www.nodirtygold.org to learn more. Purchase recycled gold, fair trade gold and platinum and/or conflict-free
diamonds for your commitment ring.
It can be equally fun and rewarding to search for the perfect antique rings together. The rings may even be in your family! Don't like glitter, but appreciate hand artistry and want something simple? Check out handcrafted wooden rings at www.touchwoodrings.com . |
| WEDDING
DRESS AND TUXEDO
Consider buying a vintage dress and tuxedo from a resale clothing store. Buy an organic silk/hemp wedding dress and/or suit. Conscious Clothing and Organic Weddings offer hemp silk wedding attire. Choose a simple dress and suit that you can wear again. Learn how you can donate your wedding dress for charity through the I Do Foundation. |
| FOOD and
DISHES
Find a caterer who will provide vegetarian and organic entrees. If you are having an outdoor wedding,
or will be having casual rehearsal dinner/weekend events for your guests,
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We can't recommend any green photographers here, but there is a great recycled frame company, Green House Framing, that creates high quality handmade frames from reclaimed lumber and finishes them with vegan and earth-friendly stains. Their mats are thick sheets of Twisted Limb's handmade 100% recycled paper. Check out their fun web site, www.recycledframes.com. |
| FLOWERS
Find a florist that uses flowers from local and/or organic farms. Both www.californiaorganicflowers.com and www.organicbouqet.com provide organic flowers and ship nationwide if you can't find someone local. Find a wildflower grower at your local farm market to create bouquets & table arrangements. Use potted plants in place of cut flowers for centerpieces. These can then be given as gifts or enjoyed in your home. |
| GIFTS
If you are already settled into a home, and do not need kitchenware or furnishings, you may prefer to state on your invitations: "Please no gifts" or "Your presence is your gift to us", or recommend that guests donate to your favorite environmental group in honor of this special occasion. If you are still establishing a home,
think about registering with an eco-conscious retailer to minimize
If you are going to be buying gifts
for the people standing up in your wedding,
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| RICE THROWING
ALTERNATIVES
Throwing birdseed is a good alternative to throwing rice ONLY if you are having a city wedding, or will be tossing birdseed in a manicured, non wild yard. Standard birdseed mixes contain invasive plants not native to your area, and throwing birdseed in a natural wedding spot, like in a nature preserve or state park,can cause havoc to that ecosystem. Alternatives to rice and birdseed
are throwing native wildflower seeds or petals,
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| PROGRAMS
Have your order of service printed on 100% recycled PCW paper that has been processed without chlorine. Use your program to let your guests know how important the environment is to you, and all the ways you have considered the earth in planning your wedding. Collect programs at the end of the ceremony and recycle them. |
| FAVORS
Instead of favors, let your guests know in the program that you have donated $1-$2 per guest to your favorite environmental organization. Visit the I Do Foundation web site where you can find out wonderful ways to raise money for charity through your wedding favors, gift registry, and honeymoon! Counteract all of the carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere
(contributing to global warming) by your guests traveling by plane or car
Another way to have a climate-neutral wedding is to offset the CO2 pollution
from your guests' travel
Give a recycled handmade paper bookmark
with wildflower seeds--this is a very useful gift, which can then be planted
for even more enjoyment.
www.ecoparti.com
offers earth friendly, all natural wedding favors and party accessories
as well as
Give tree saplings from the National Arbor Day Foundation. |
| LOCATION
Consider an outdoor wedding at a favorite natural spot to add to the beauty of your celebration and to remind yourself why you make environmentally responsible choices every day. Have the ceremony and reception at the same location, or at least near to each other to avoid having your guests drive between the two. |
| HONEYMOON
Visit www.greenpages.org to find a travel agent who can book you a socially and environmentally sensitive trip, including hotels that recycle and reduce the amount of unnecessary laundering, vegetarian, holistic and off the beaten path adventures and electric/hybrid car rentals. Visit greenhotels.com to find a listing of hotels in the Green Hotels Association. |
| CREATING
YOUR NEW LIFE TOGETHER
Practice making sustainable choices in your daily life together. For helpful ideas, visit simpleliving.com, simpleliving.net, simpleliving.org, newdream.org, greensense.com, greenmatters.com Invest in socially responsible companies
when planning for your retirement and financial well being.
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