Eco Friendly Weddings on a Budget
Sometimes, environmental responsibility can be expensive, but it is possible to plan eco-friendly weddings on a budget. Following are some ways to have an eco-friendly wedding that not only don’t cost much, but they will even save you money:
Digital Invitations Save Trees
Traditional invitations use an excessive amount of paper. Many times, formal invitations include the invitation itself, sometimes in two envelopes, along with inserts for directions, registry information, and a reply card with an yet another envelope. Multiply this by hundreds and consider that most of these will end up being discarded at some point or another. That’s a lot of unnecessary waste.
Instead, consider sending invitations through email. Many companies offer gorgeous designs. As an added bonus, sending e-vites can also lead to a simple RSVP system in which guests can reply right then and there. A follow-up reminder – that won’t cost anything – to those who haven’t responded makes getting an accurate headcount more likely than with paper invitations.
Furthermore, your digital invitation can link to a wedding story site that tells family and friends how you met, where you will live, and more. You can also easily include helpful information for your guests, such as directions, nearby hotels, and local attractions – not to mention links that send them directly to your gift registries.
For older relatives and friends who may not have access to email, classic paper invitations or cheap silk invitations may be the best way to go, but if you’ve sent e-vites to most of your guests, you’ve still drastically cut down on paper consumption.
An Intimate Wedding is Eco-Friendly and Cost-Effective
Paring down the number of your guests dramatically reduces the resources your wedding will consume, and will also reduce your expenses considerably. But cutting down the numbers is no easy task. Start out with a list that each of you puts together without worrying about numbers. Then begin eliminating. This may take several rounds. While you might feel awful crossing people off your list, remember that the smaller the total number of people, the more meaningful time you will have with the people who are there.
Green Your Wedding Transportation
Transportation is a big part of many weddings. Not only do the bride and groom typically travel in limousines, but out-of-town guests fly to your wedding, and guests usually drive between the location of your ceremony and reception.
Afterwards, most couples fly away to their honeymoons.
But you can do things to reduce the carbon footprint left behind by wedding-related travel. For instance, try to arrange timing so that out-of-town guests arrive at the destination airport near the same time and hire a chauffeured van to take them to their hotel all together. In addition, try to keep everything as close to home as possible: Choose a location that’s not too far away, and keep the ceremony and reception near each other or, ideally, even at the same place.
For your honeymoon, think about not getting on an airplane at all. After all, the most important thing is spending time with each other. Is there someplace beautiful and romantic that’s a car ride away? Even if the ride is several hours, your impact on the environment will be considerably less than air travel is, and think of the money you’ll save by not purchasing flights.
As you can see, eco-friendly weddings on a budget are not only possible, they are easy to achieve. Keeping things simple, cutting down on the total number of guests, and doing your best to keep transportation necessities to a minimum saves you money and saves valuable resources to care for our planet.
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