What is a Green Wedding?



Cotton Bride

 Does is mean that everyone is wearing green to the wedding?

No, is the motif Green?

No, guess again.

Did you know - each one of the 2.5 million weddings this year in the United States will produce an average of 62 tons of carbon dioxide and 400-600 lbs of garbage.

If you think of all the material goods that go into a wedding: flowers flown in from different countries (fuel costs, boxes, shipping), packets of rice in plastic slips, wedding favors made of plastic and other non organic materials, bleached wedding dresses, tons of tulle (synthetic fabrics are mixed in tulle aside from silk) and mountains of paper products, the list goes on forever. It's green road kill.

Everyone knows the average wedding in America costs $40,000 so I am sure you are wondering how can I have an eco-friendly wedding and not spend a zillion dollars?

Well, sometimes the best effort is in small steps so if you can't do an entire eco-friendly wedding try to make a couple changes.

The most important item in a wedding - the Wedding Dress - there are many sites that sell organic wedding dresses:

• Thread Connections - made to order dresses with price ranges from $500 - $2,700. If you live in Knoxville, TN make an appointment at their studio.
• Get Conscious Clothing - Hemp wedding dresses and bridal dresses, made to order, price range varies by store but they are offering 50% - 75% off. If you live in San Francisco you can visit one of their retail locations.
• The Natural Bride Collection - Morgan Boszilkov presents the Natural Bridal Collection, an eco-friendly alternative to a designer wedding gown made with traditional material. Not sure of her price range but her studio is located in Atlanta, GA.
• The Cotton Bride - designer collection of cotton wedding dresses in the most sophisticated styles - Made in the USA. Prices range from $1,000 to $5,000 and beyond. Most are in the $2,000 category (which is the average price for a wedding dress). This is my favorite because the designs are deliciously green and great for spring, summer or weddings in warmer climates. Location NYC.




Cotton Bride


• Blushless - high end couture and ready to wear ethically responsible bridal dresses. Located in Germany and UK. If you have the green to spend then at least you are doing your part to save the planet.

Encore Bridal offers Vintage Wedding Gowns as another alternative for those of you that don't want a custom made creation or love the vintage look.

Stay tuned for more on Green Weddings and Eco-Marital Bliss with Mary Green.

Kate Middleton is Going Green for her Wedding

Kate Middleton

The future princess of England is going green for her wedding according to Ecorazzi. It was announced the that their style coordinator chose "Stella McCartney — our personal favorite — to provide “some fabulous leather-free shoes and accessories.”

There are many ways to go green for your wedding day, stay tuned for most posts on Wedding Green.

7 Easy Tips for being a little more green this holiday!

Are you looking for ways to be a little greener this holiday season? Here are 7 easy tips to help you be more eco-friendly this year.

1.    Wrap your presents in reused wrapping paper (save your paper from this year for next years use), shopping bags, old magazines, newspaper, maps, and fabric. If every family wrapped just three gifts this way, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. Reuse cardboard boxes and packing peanuts. Buy recycled or tree-free cards made from materials like hemp - or send e-cards!

Here is a great video on different ways to wrap gifts with newspaper:

2.    Regifting is not a crime! We all have had thoughtful friends who give us items that we either already own or do not need but we may know of someone else who would enjoy these items and if not there are many charities in need of these items. Also pass along family heirlooms. These items are more personal and can invoke great memories. Hand-made presents can also be very nice and more personal.

3.    Use sustainable candles made of soy or other natural materials like beeswax. Regular candles are often made of paraffin, a by-product of petroleum, which emits toxins when burned. You can cut down on oil usage and make your home healthier at the same time.

4.    Buy LED holiday lights, which use 90 percent less energy and can save you up to $50 on your energy bills. Who wouldn’t want to be more green and save money at the same time?

5.    Buy local and organic food to add to your holiday meal from Farmers Markets in your town. You are supporting local farmers who grow sustainable meat and produce plus you are getting the freshest healthiest food available to you and your family.

6.    Recycle your Christmas tree. Most cities have a Christmas tree recycle program. Visit your community website to find out the details or call (800) CLEANUP or visit www.earth911.org to find the tree-recycling program near you.

7.    Recycle your old cell phone. Getting a new cell phone for Christmas? You can drop off that old phone at any Staples store, as part of the Sierra Club cell phone recycling program. Each year, 130 million cell phones are thrown out, weighing approximately 65,000 tons. Recycling your old phone prevents hazardous elements like mercury, cadmium and lead from ending up in our landfills. There are also a lot of charities that will accept your old phone. Like battered women shelters or donate your cell phone to the troops. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence offers a nationwide mailing service for donated cell phones; they will even provide a shipping label for a box or padded envelope so you won't have to pay for postage. In addition, the NCADV offers a tax-deduction receipt. You can help the charity even more by applying your own postage. If you pay for the postage, they can put more money toward calling cards for the troops! Donated cell phones are sold to a company that recycles them. The money they receive from recycling cell phones is used to purchase calling cards that are sent to troops in need. Minimize weight and save on postage by mailing cell phones only. Batteries, chargers and accessories are not required but gladly accepted.

Happy Holidays to you and your family!!

Article information courtesy of:

http://www.sierraclub.org/tips/holidays.aspx

http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/shippingLabel_generic.html

http://www.ehow.com/way_5164347_donate-cell-phones-battered-women.html#ixzz18ljpS1LQ

http://us.oneworld.net/article/359135-green-holiday-tips