1. Make sure that diamonds are certified to ensure there are no “blood-diamonds” involved. You could also use a vintage, heirloom ring, as you will be reusing it. Do a search online for “fair trade” or “conflict free” wedding ring/diamond.
2. Wear your mother’s wedding dress. This is a lovely, age-old tradition, which seems to have even greater meaning in our eco-chic era. If your mother’s dress isn’t an option, hunt around in your family. Find a great seamstress and have the gown tweaked to
suit your style.
3. Wedding Favors ~ Buy fair trade! Give favors with a story behind them. Carved soapstone pieces, wild olive wood hearts, and fair trade chocolate are just a few ideas.
Gifts with a story are less likely to be thrown away or buried in a drawer.
4. Decorations ~ Avoid using floral foam. It is composed of phenol and formaldehyde which are poisonous to the environment. Use fresh flowers which are locally or organically produced or purchase fair trade flowers. You can learn about fair trade flowers and where to purchase them by visiting: http://www.transfairusa.org/content/flowers/
5. Use fair trade coffee varieties at your wedding reception. There are many to choose from. Your guests will be impressed by the superior taste of fair trade coffee!
6. Eco-friendly invites ~ Use recycled paper to print out invites. Try to use paper that hasn't been through any bleaching process. Try using cotton or even hemp to create a unique invite. Soy based links are good choices for printing purposes. They also sell hand-made, fair trade wedding invitations online. Do a search online and you will find many great options.
7. Your honeymoon ~ Try to select an eco-friendly spa or resort as your honeymoon venue. If you are on a tight budget, you could even travel to a locale near your house.
8. Register for fair trade gifts. All fair trade items are guaranteed to be eco-friendly without the use of child labor. Gifts with meaning are items you will treasure a lifetime and they never go out of style.
There are some good books on this topic: The Everything Green Wedding Book: Plan an Elegant, Affordable, Earth-Friendly Wedding and Green Weddings That Don’t Cost the Earth.
Remember, every little thing counts. Even if you decide to incorporate
a few ideas, you are making a different!
"If you think you are too small to be effective,
you have never been in bed with a mosquito."
By Betty Reese
