"The Green Party"

With all that goes into a wedding, it’s easy to forget about the amount of our earth’s resources that go into making your big day extravagant and memorable.

Well, good news. “Green” weddings have become mainstream! There now exist scads of websites, vendors and companies who dedicate themselves to promoting eco-friendly nuptials.

Here are three ways to start your life together on a positive, peaceful and harmonious note:

Pre-Engagement: Avoid “blood diamonds” by buying “conflict free” engagement rings. This is so important. Many diamonds are mined in war zones and the profits fund conflicts and genocides. Start your engagement on a peaceful note. Here are some alternatives, thanks to Sierra Club(1):

• Go vintage. Family heirlooms and antiques have substance and history to them, which hold a romantic appeal. Gold can even be melted down and reshaped.



• Buy lab created diamonds. GreenKarat’s diamonds are set in recycled gold, too, like this ring called the Gatsby Redux:
  

• Research diamonds mined in peaceful areas, like Canada and Australia.
  


• Check out Amnesty International’s Buyer’s Guide to find out questions to ask jewelers to make sure your diamonds are conflict-free under the Kimberley Process (an ongoing effort to reform diamond mining in Africa).
  

Pre-Wedding: Use recycled paper for invitations, or paper made from an alternative fiber like hemp or bamboo.

According to Ariel Dekovic, coauthor of 365 Ways to Save the Earth, "Every ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, the energy equivalent of 380 gallons of oil, and keeps almost 60 pounds of pollutants out of the atmosphere." Go to Womancraft.net for recycled invitation paper. Also, rather than use a lot of paper for inserts, include a website with your wedding information. This is more useful, as it can be updated and can’t get misplaced (2)


Post Wedding: Donate your flowers to a retirement home.

Flowers are beautiful and healing. Studies also show that taking care of plants and flowers give senior citizens a feeling of control in their lives, improving its quality and brightening their day. Use potted plants, and then donate them (2).

1. http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2007/03/10_steps_to_a_g.html


2. Information found at http://www.theknot.com/