April 13th, 2009 · No Comments

By Laura Elizabeth May
Green Right Now

Every little girl dreams about the perfect wedding growing up. Missing from that dream is the large amount of waste caused by that wedding. When it came time for 29-year-old Tara Brown-Selders to walk down the aisle, she could not imagine having an event that produced so much waste. “When I learned how much waste is produced by a single event, I knew I could not have the traditional wedding,” she said.

Her then-boyfriend, 31-year-old Michael Selders,  proposed with her great grandmother’s diamond that had also been used by her mother. By reusing the diamond, the couple had a green start to their wedding. GreenKarat also has earth friendly options for engagement rings and wedding rings using recycled metals and fair trade gems.

When it came time to plan the wedding, Tara knew that she knew nothing about planning a green event. She had always been passionate about recycling and eco-friendly initiatives, but knew nothing about planning a green wedding. After doing some research, she came upon Green Lily Events and it was a match made in heaven. Green Lily Events is based in Houston and is an eco-friendly event planner. Together Tara and her wedding planner Jessica Zapatero started to find ways to make every aspect of her wedding green.

“There is a common myth that eco-friendly events are more expensive but that is not true,” said Tara. “Although many green products and services can cost more, some do not and it’s about making wise, informed decisions.”

The wedding and groom’s cake were made by an organic baker Monica’s Divine Delights. They saved a total of $400.00 based on the quote they received from a non-organic baker in town. The choice was clear for Tara, and she said “the cakes were delicious, organic and fabulous.”

One wasteful aspect of the wedding can be the invitations. After doing some research, they discovered Invitesite an low-impact invitation company. Tara and her fiance would be saving $600.00 by using the earth friendly company. Not to mention they invitations were printed on tree free paper and post consumer recycled paper. “We did not have to sacrifice elegance for an eco friendly invitation, rather I was just the opposite,” she said. They also used the same company for their menu and place cards. Other companies such as Earthly Affair, Green Field Paper Company and Twisted Limb Paper all offer earth friendly options to the invitations.

The couple also made sure that they had an eco-friendly option to the flowers in the wedding and reception. They contacted a local florist and expressed their desire for an eco-friendly option. They were able to get some flowers from local Texas farms. After the ceremony was over, some of the flowers were reused in the decor for the reception. After the wedding, the floral centerpieces were donated to a local senior care center so they were not wasted. By using a local florist, they reduced their carbon footprint and helped out the local economy.

They couple originally wanted to have their wedding at a boutique hotel, but that did not pan out. The Four Seasons hotel in Houston was more than happy to help the couple with their green wedding vision. The hotel already had a few eco initiatives like compact fluorescent bulbs and was a member of Chef’s Collaborative Association, which promotes sustainable cuisines and local cooking. They hotel worked with the local recyclers and Tara insisted on training the staff to recycle for her big day.

If the wedding venue you have selected does not offer organic food, find a company in town who does organic and have them cater the event. When planning for the big day, make sure you make arrangements ahead of time for the leftover food to go to a homeless shelter or another organization. The key to waste free successful green wedding is planning.

The couple knew they would be having lots of out of town guests and wanted to reduce the carbon footprint. By having the wedding and the reception at the same location, the guests would waste less gas. The hotel offered pick up service from the airport, which meant that the guests had no need to rent a car.

Tara’s environmentally sensitive favors consisted of potted plants and lavender seeds. “Several of them told me that they planted their seeds since the wedding and love to watch the lavender grow,” she said. Other green favor ideas include organic chocolates, reusable cloth tote bags, or seed packages.

It was very important to Tara that her dress was made of natural fibers. She was able to locate the perfect dress at Paloma Blanca, a bridal gown company located in Toronto, Canada. Some other green dress ideas include wearing a vintage dress or a family members dress.

No wedding is complete without the time honored tradition of throwing rice at the bride and groom. This practice simply just wastes rice. Ecofetti is a great alternative to rice. It is biodegradable and water soluble and available in a wide variety of colors.

“There are green alternatives to almost every aspect of a wedding,” said Tara.

Tara also says that planning a green wedding no more stressful than planning a wasteful wedding. “Planning a green event does not add any additional stress. Sometimes is almost makes things less stressful because you know that your actions are not causing extreme harm to the environment,” she said.

Tara did have one piece of advice for green brides-to-be, is hiring a green wedding planner. “The best thing about hiring an eco event planner is that they are there to serve not only you but the planet as well,” she said.

After the wedding, Tara decided to start her own recycling pick-up service. Recycle4U and Tara are helping to make recycling easier in Houston. What more could you ask for a fairy tale ending?

(Photo credit: Green Lily Events)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

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