Blue Planet Green Events
Current Event
Albright, T. Retrieved on June 1, 2013 from: http://wedding.theknot.com/real-weddings/green- weddings/articles/eco-friendly-wedding-guide.aspx?MsdVisit=1
This article about tying the knot in an eco-friendly fashion divides up all aspects of a typical wedding and sets the stage on how to keep it in green fashion. Those areas are: the venue, the stationary, the flowers, the catering, the favors, and of course the dress. After visualizing the sections, I realize that my company focuses on all of these areas so, so far so good!
When picking a venue with the least environmental impact it is key to stay away from big hotel ballrooms that often eat up electricity and put out large amounts of waste. Stick to a quaint, but often beautiful, venue such as a local farm. Plus, when you hold the ceremony and the reception in the same place, there is cut down on fuel emission and travel time. Blue Planet Green Events almost always holds outdoor ceremonies followed by nearby or on-site receptions.
Moving on to the next wedding area, the stationary. If you are a couple who wants to stick to strict eco-friendly guidelines then cut out paper all together. Nowadays an e-vite will suffice, and you can still make them as beautiful as ever. However, making this sacrifice loses a little of the sentiment, but it positively impacts the environment. If cutting out paper altogether is not your forte then simply cut down on the number of envelopes you use, or find a local stationary shop and have them make your set from recycled materials. Personalized recycled stationary adds a nice touch to any invite.
How a wedding's flowers are gathered and grown have a huge environmental impact, and that impact is not a good one either. Most people have their flowers shipped in from other countries or from far away which is terrible for the environment. Plus, most flowers are artificially grown out of season and used loads of pesticides to preserve the look of the flowers. Blue Planet only uses local flowers, within season, from places with sound and non-harmful growth practices. The first wedding I helped with even used flowers from the farm that the ceremony was held on. Buying locally not only helps out small companies, but the harm of the environmental is reduced.
Another major component of any wedding is the catering. It is amazing to be behind the scenes and visualize the huge volume of waste after each event. The article suggests having organic or vegan meals at your wedding. If organic food is not within your budget try choosing a caterer that uses locally grown food. Also stay within season when choosing the menu. Blue Planet works with specific caterers that follow these practices. Our caterers also compost and cut down on waste by giving all left overs back to the couple so nothing gets thrown out.
One of the most overlooked items at a wedding are the parting favors. In the article the most practical solution is getting rid of the idea of handing out party favors, and replace that portion of the budget with a donation to a local charity. This issue is one that I have not yet encountered on this internship , but is a great suggestion I will pass along to the girls! Some other alternatives to environmentally harmful party favors are handing out edible favors or give out local treats to help in more ways than one.
Last but not least, the wedding dress. Yes, even your wedding dress has a harmful impact on the environment, and no the article does not suggest walking down the aisle in your birthday suit. Even though, that option would have a zero impact on the environment I do not suggest it. A fun alternative to a terribly harmful dress is to dig out your mom's old one and have a seamstress put a twist on it with your style. A recycled dress can turn out to be even more beautiful than a brand new one. This is also a cool idea I want to pass on to the ladies.
I am so glad to have read this article because it is helping me understand more about the green companies and little tricks of the trade. There are so many alternatives to harmful practices, that if brides and planners pay a little extra attention, the practices can be carried out. Seeing more and more articles about eco-friendly weddings is good for Blue Planet Green Events. It means that more brides will want to go down this path, and since they have been in this area for four years now they are ahead of the curve. I look forward to continuing my knowledge through experience and current events.
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