10 Tips for Planning an Eco-Friendly Wedding

First, Why Go Green?

The impact of the wedding industry is undeniable. There are almost 2.5 million weddings every year in the United States alone. When you consider that the average wedding creates 62 tons of carbon dioxide and more than 400 pounds of garbage, they add up to a lot of waste! Luckily for the modern bride, going green is easier than ever before.

Small eco-friendly choices can decrease your wedding's impact on the environment without sacrificing style or elegance, and can save you money, too. With the average wedding cost hovering around $40,000, the potential to save up to 40 percent by going green is another incentive to make eco-friendly choices. Whether you pick just one or two green options, go for an entirely eco-friendly affair or land somewhere in the middle, you'll be making a difference for the earth and increasing the joy of your day.

Start With the Right Vendors

Choosing the right vendors is a key component of a green wedding, and a great place to start your planning. But how do you know which vendors to trust when so many are greenwashing? A resource like the Green Wedding Directory at GreenBrideGuide.com can help connect you with trustworthy vendors. It takes all the guesswork out of choosing vendors because each company has been carefully screened and assigned a leaf rating through the Green Bride Guide's rating system. The back of the Green Bride Guide book also offers worksheets you can use to talk with vendors about their practices and work in simple substitutions to decrease the impact of your event. Don't be afraid to ask tough questions -- finding vendors who share your values and beliefs is essential to pulling off a successful green event.

Find a Green Location

More than half of the total cost of a wedding can be spent on the reception alone, and choosing an environmentally friendly venue can have a significant impact on the carbon footprint of your celebration. Consider holding your ceremony and reception at the same location, which will eliminate the need to provide transportation between locations and will cut your costs. If you can't avoid have two locations, consider renting an alternative-energy bus or some other form of group transportation to reduce the overall emissions.

Green Your Gold (and Your Silver and Diamonds, too ...)

Your engagement ring and wedding bands symbolize your love for each other, but much of today's jewelry, beautiful though it may be, has a violent and environmentally destructive past.

Metal-mining is a filthy, dangerous business that creates tons of mining waste and releases toxic metals into the environment. Diamond and gemstone mining can fuel civil war, and is sometimes done by enslaved children. According to Amnesty International, the sale of "blood diamonds" has contributed to 3.7 million deaths in Angola, Sierra Leone and the Congo.

You can find a list of retailers who have pledged to use environmentally friendly and ethical sourcing practices at No Dirty Gold (www.nodirtygold.org). Check out companies like Reflective Images (www.artisanweddingrings.com) or Ruff & Cut (www.ruffandcut.com), which specialize in custom fair-trade and ethically produced gold, silver, platinum and diamond jewelry. Brilliant Earth (www.brilliantearth.com) offers gorgeous modern designs in bridal jewelry made from recycled gold and ethically mined diamonds and gemstones. The best option by far, though, is to purchase an antique ring, which decreases the demand for newly mined metals and gems. A family heirloom is a wonderful option because it is eco-friendly and has special meaning.

Cut Down on Paper

Invitations set the tone for your wedding. Unfortunately, traditional papermaking creates a large amount of waste and uses harsh chemicals. Beautiful and chic invitations can be found through companies like Earthly Affair (www.earthlyaffair.com) or Spilled Ink Press (www.spilledinkpress.com) that use recycled and postconsumer wastepaper, tree-free paper or biodegradable materials. Some eco-friendly paper companies offer a one-piece option for the invitation. This style has a tear-off RSVP card, reducing the amount of paper needed. Using a Web site to post event details further reduces the amount of paper used and saves you money!

Go Local and Seasonal

Perhaps the simplest green option is choosing local and seasonal food and flowers. Since the average American meal travels 1,500 miles, choosing a caterer that serves local, seasonal foods has a huge impact on the carbon footprint of your wedding. Even better, your meal will taste fresher and will be more delicious. You can also serve local beer, wine and other beverages. The same goes for your flowers -- local, seasonal blooms don't have to be kept fresh as they travel thousands of miles to get to you.

Rethink the Wedding Dress

Contrary to popular opinion, a wedding gown can be elegant and beautifully made and still environmentally friendly. Most wedding gowns are single-use dresses made from heavily pesticided cotton dipped in bleach and other toxic chemicals, but there are several greener options for the eco-chic bride to consider.