Eco-Chic Wedding
How to save money
Organic food, biodegradable flatware and other earth-friendly items tend to be pricier than their wasteful mainstream counterparts. To avoid doing serious damage to the green in your wallet, consider these tips:
Scale back
Consider a shorter guest list, simple bouquets rather than lavish ones, a simple wedding day meal, and a limited drink menu—you'll save a lot by stocking up on cases of biodynamic wine instead of offering a full open bar.
Go Local
Your eco-friendly decision to use seasonal flowers and food from local farms also conserves cash: While you are saving on the emissions caused by shipping these items, you are also cutting shipping costs.
Double duty
Ask your bridesmaids to recycle your ceremony bouquets by rearranging them into vases for centerpieces at the reception.
Friendly service
Rather than hiring an officiant to preside over your ceremony, ask a friend who shares your passion for the environment to do it for free. The Universal Church of Life, themonastery.org, offers free online ordinations, which give its ministers the legal status to officiate marriages.
Close to home
You don't need to travel halfway around the world for a nature lover's honeymoon. Save on airfare by choosing a quaint hotel or romantic bed-and-breakfast that's near a nature preserve, beach or state park that's closer to home.
