Its Earth Day!  Of course you already know about it because there are special events taking place all over the country.  I hope you were able to take a moment out of your day to do something nice for your Mother Earth!

We thought the best thing to do was offer some free planning advice (free … Not a word I throw around often) on how to host a “Green” event.  Seriously, there are lots of things you can do to make your event a little more environment friendly ranging from the extreme (and often expensive) to the simple (sometimes free).

There are people out there that would tell you the number one way to cut back on your event’s eco footprint is to cut back on your guest count.  Yes, I agree that is a fact.  Actually, that is the number one way to cut back on your budget as well (my current and past brides are shaking their heads right now thinking “how many times have I heard that line before”).  But let’s assume that you have cut your list as much as possible and cannot bare the thought of removing anyone from your list.  Here are my suggestions to help your event stay as eco friendly as possible, there are plenty of low cost items, because no matter how much you love your Mother, you also love paying your mortgage!

1.) Ask your catering company to  not use any bottled water.  This will cut down on your bar costs as well as the amount of plastic and waste at your event.  In most places (especially Chicago) you probably have excellent tap water, so enjoy it!

2.) insure that your catering company recycles as much as they possibly can.  It only takes them a little extra time to recycle everything but it makes a serious impact on the environment.  You cannot imagine the amount of waste there is at a wedding.

3.) Provide transportation for your guests.  If they can “car pool” or take shuttles you provide, then there are far fewer cars out on the road.  Every driver counts!

4.)  Send Eco-Invites!  There are tons of companies out there producing recycled and eco friendly invitations.  Also consider sending evites for your rehearsal dinner and morning after brunch (sorry guys, I cannot get on board with sending electronic wedding invitations – call me old fashion).

Here are a few places to get recycled invitations but don’t forget to check locally as well! Shindig Invites and Invite Site.  There are a ton more but I like these two.  We even sell a selection of green invitations so just ask for them!

5.) Shop Local.  This can make a big difference!  The closer to home you shop the less fuel and energy go into getting items to you and your event.  Look for local jewelry and dress designers, work with local designers and printers.  Ask your caterer if they can find a local source for your food.  All of this can make a giant impact while keeping money in your community, now who does not need that?

6.) Have guests take home left over sweets or food.  Most catering companies are not allowed to let you donate left over food for health code reasons. In fact, most shelters and soup kitchens cannot take the food for the same reason, but that does not mean it should be thrown out or wasted!  Send it home with friends and family that are not traveling a long distance … Good sweets never go bad (at least not at my house, they don’t last that long!).

7.) Consider a green dress or a “designer Second”.  Here in Chicago I like to send people to Here Comes The Bride in Addison, or Wedding Belle’s in Barrington.  Not only are you making a good “green” decision but it is going to save some green in your pocket as well!  

You can also consider having your dress made with eco friendly fabrics, check out Olivia Luca,  Conscious Clothing (where they have tons of different things made out of hemp) and  Rawganique.

7.) Look for a LEED certified venues and hotels, they are hard to come by but they do exist.  In chicago you might want to check out  Hotel Felix, Hotel Arista, Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago Botanic Gardens, Lincoln Park Zoo, Brookfield Zoo (they have beautiful new wedding pavilions) or even any of the Chicago Park District locations!

Hotel Monaco Chicago, Hotel Burnham, Hotel Allegro Chicago, InterContinental Chicago, and the Talbott Hotel all recently received Green Seal certification, an environmental lodging standard with requirements in waste minimization, energyefficiency, water conservation, waste-water management, and green procurement.  Not bad choices either!

8.) Give some thought to your guest favors.  Our favorite is not giving one at all!  Instead consider making a donation to your favorite charity in honor of your guests.  They will love it and not have to drag anything home at the end of the night! 

If you simply must give an actual gift consider native seedlings, bamboo, or a plantable paper flower.

9.) Last but not least, simply consider the when and where!  If you are willing to have your event on a non traditional day (think Friday or Sunday) or at a non traditional time (breakfast, brunch or lunch) you will save tons of money and that is green all by itself!  One of my all time favorite events was a morning ceremony and brunch in W Chicago Lakeshore’s Altitude.

Just for fun here are some cool pictures from that event.