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While we can make a huge difference in the world through our pocketbooks, weddings require a substantial withdrawal from those same savings. So wouldn’t it be nice to know that the invitations you’re buying are environmentally friendly, that the dress you’re wearing might help cure breast cancer, and the reception dinner that your Aunt Mildred doesn’t eat could feed the hungry?

No matter how many guests you invite, your wedding provides a unique opportunity to make a statement about what’s important to you: your future spouse, your family, your community, the earth. To some, their vows to the earth can be as important as their vows to their partner.

The trend to go green for nuptials certainly seems to be taking off. Heather Clark, owner of Calluna Events in Boulder, Colorado, plans weddings for clients who are doing everything from printing their invitations on recycled paper to limiting the amount of disposables used at the reception. “My clients always want to imprint their personality on their wedding and I’m here to help them with that. If being eco-conscious is important to them, then we definitely want to carry that out and convey that message in the wedding.”

GETTING STARTED
One of the easiest and most obvious ways to begin your venture is through your invitations—go the extra mile by using plantable paper that contains its own wildflower seeds. Guests will get the idea right from the start that you’re using your wedding to give back to them and to the earth.

If you’d rather go the charitable route, print your invitations through a vendor that gives portions of the proceeds to charity. Register with idofoundation.org and, in addition to being able to set up charitable gift registries, you can also have 10 percent of the cost of your invitations—printed through Carlson Craft—donated to the charity of your choice.

While you’re at it, set up a gift registry through a fair trade vendor such as Global Exchange and allow your guests to purchase unique, exquisite items from around the world for your new life together.

GOING AU NATUREL
In planning her own environmentally conscious wedding, Chicagoan Meghan Mahan is including these elements into both the ceremony and reception. “My mother is contributing by growing her own flowers for centerpieces that she can pot, then re-use in her home,” says Mahan, who is basing her color scheme off of the purple irises her mom will grow.

Some brides are taking it one step further by growing their own flowers to actually carry down the aisle. Though it requires a long-term commitment (isn’t that what marriage is about?) and a certain shade of green thumb, growing your own flowers enables you to get exactly what you want, at a huge cost reduction. And you get the satisfaction of knowing that you put a little bit of yourself into your blossoms.

Keep the green theme by giving botanical gifts as wedding favors. Share the importance of replenishing oxygen with your guests by providing them with tiny seedlings in a box, personalized for your wedding, that they can plant and use to remember your special day for years to come.

Mahan is hoping that using these types of favors will mean something more to her guests. “I’m thinking about giving out bulbs—in addition to symbolizing rebirth and love, it’s better than a trinket that will likely end up lost or in the garbage,” says Mahan.

Another way to make a green statement? Think about the transportation needs of yourself and your guests and rent a hybrid or bio-diesel-fueled limo or shuttle to ferry folks between ceremony, reception and lodging sites. Companies including Eco-Limo are currently serving Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and New York with their environmentally friendly fleet of luxury cars. Or, choose a destination for your wedding that allows guests to walk between wedding ceremony and reception, eliminating the necessity for transport altogether.

GIVING BACK
Weddings are wonderful celebrations, but at the end of the day, they still are all about just one day. What to do with all the goods that would otherwise go to waste once the big day’s past? Three words: donate, donate, donate. Put your beautiful blooms to good use by passing them on to a local hospital or nursing home. Be sure to call ahead to find a suitable drop-off spot, and then enlist a family member to take them that evening.

While you’re at it, find a local food rescue organization that will take your leftover chow from your reception directly to a soup kitchen. Knowing that your food is going to a good cause means that you can order enough chicken cordon bleu to accommodate any last minute additions to the guest list, and not feel bad if there are leftovers.

And what about your wedding wear? Of course your gown will always be a cherished memory, but seriously, when are you ever going to wear it again? Instead, consider donating your gown to the I Do Foundation, who will in turn sell it through a partner and give the proceeds from the sale to your selected charity. And your bridesmaids may tell you they love their dresses, but the chances of them actually sporting their duds on another occasion are slim. Give those dresses to high school girls in need of prom attire through the Glass Slipper Project. Knowing your garments are going to people who need them makes the financial burden a little easier to bear, especially when you can write off your donations.

“Another trend I’m seeing is that clients are making donations to nonprofit organizations in place of traditional wedding favors,” says Clark. Couples print them on place cards, sharing information about the charity of their choice.

WRAPPING IT UP
When all’s said and done, your honeymoon can serve as the perfect ending to your already conscientious wedding. Book a trip to a conservation hot spot that needs your tourism dollars—like Africa or Central America—and get a once-in-a-lifetime experience while helping conserve an amazing array of biodiversity.

A wedding is indeed a special day, but when that day is over, it is gratifying to know that you can share the gifts of the celebration with others in need, help conserve our planet’s resources and leave your guests with the feeling that they’ve been a part of something bigger than themselves.

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