As a green wedding planner I’m noticing more and more traditional wedding couples are wanting ideas “How to green their wedding plus how to save costs on their wedding?”

They’re asking “How do we approach our venue coordinator if we want eco-choices without costing the earth?” and “How can we logistically reduce transport and costs plus make a positive impact on the environment?”

How To Save Wedding $’s

Event and wedding catering and transportation can be expensive. Thinking Green will save you money if you ask the right questions and employ the “Recycle, Re-new, Re-use” rule as part of your event and wedding planning.

Venue Catering

Choosing food that is grown or raised locally helps to support small and mid-sized businesses in your area, reduces transportation, labour costs and benefits you.

In NSW if you live in the beautiful Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands you have a myriad of green choices but what if your wedding is in a capital city? Are there the same environmental and cost effective choices?

8 Key Questions To Ask Your Venue Coordinator.

Here are 8 key questions to ask your venue coordinator:

1. Do you use locally grown or produced ingredients?
2. Are your suppliers certified organic growers?
3. Do you buy meat products from farms that raise their animals naturally?
4. Is your waste recycled separately – plastics, paper, glass, metal?
5. Do you use organic vegetables, meat, dry or frozen organic ingredients?
6. Can we bring in our own organic wines and beers?
7. Is your coffee and tea fair trade, organic, locally grown?
8. Are the paper napkins made from recycled materials?

If you have set your heart on a particular venue that does not support positive environmental catering choices and not willing to do so, consider off-setting your wedding researching the many carbon neutral websites on the web.

Transportation

Wikipedia says Green Transport refers to any means of sustainable transport with low impact to the environment, and includes human or animal muscle-powered vehicles, low-carbon fueled vehicles, any kind of vehicle using a renewable source of energy for its propulsion.

Unfortunately, hybrid limos are not yet available but there are still a few eco-friendly options for your wedding day. The best option would be to choose a site that eliminates the need for transportation by having the ceremony and reception all in one place. If that is not possible, choose your wedding ceremony and reception sites within walking distance of one another or travel by horse and buggy saving you heaps of dollars!

Wedding Day Budget Conscious Travel Options.

Here are 7 Wedding Day Tips  to save you dollars

• wedding ceremony and reception at the same location
• wedding ceremony and reception walking distance of each other
• arrive/depart by horse drawn carriage
• travel by rickshaw or bicycle
• hiring of hybrid cars or borrowing
• one car only (repeat trips) for both bridal parties (bride, groom, families)
• shuttle bus for guests

Innovative “Thinking Green” and reducing the wedding and event environmental impact certainly is a positive upward trend. I take my hat off to one on my innovative brides – she planned to leave her wedding reception with her new husband pulling her along in a Billie-cart.

How do you plan to save money? Are there any green suppliers you would recommend near you? Let us know below and share as we’d love to hear from you.

Happy Planning.

LEE CASS

Tips for your green wedding

Without costing the earth you can easily include green choices in your event planning. Incorporate the mantra – Recycle, Renew, Reuse in your wedding planning process and you’re on the right path to reducing your event carbon emissions.

Wedding dress

Today it’s environmentally “eco chic” to hire, borrow, buy pre-loved or wear a vintage wedding dress. And it’s not just brides snapping up these vintage gowns to wear or restyle, couture wedding designers are buying pre-loved gowns for their antique lace, crystals and beading treasures as well.

Include visits to your local ‘op’ shops and secondhand shops, buy pre-loved on-line or ask if you can wear your mother’s or grandmother’s gown – what an absolute honour.

Wedding dress fabric

Did you know synthetic fabrics are made from non-renewable petro chemicals creating greenhouse gases? Use natural fabrics such as silk, hemp, cotton, linen or bamboo.

Zero carbon your wedding

WeddingWire has partnered with carbonfund.org website to determine the level of carbon emission your wedding event will emit into the air. To Zero Carbon your click on the site above site. If not sure of your exact figures they offer pre-set offset options.

Also greenweddingguide.com.au has developed an emissions guide in association with the Carbon Reduction Institute.

If you choose these sites or others always thoroughly check their authenticity and certification.

Part 2: How to ‘Green’ Your Catering, transportation and wedding rings