Have Your White Wedding with a Touch of Eco-Friendly Green

As more people seek to "green" their lifestyles, a new type of wedding has emerged. A wedding is usually held so a couple can indulge and celebrate their union rather than make a socially-responsible statement. But in this time of increasing eco-consciousness, it's possible to hold an event that's both sentimental and kind to the earth.

A FEW SMALL CHANGES MAKES A DIFFERENCE
It's not necessary to make everything about your wedding eco-friendly. If you use just a few of these ideas, you're a good steward of your planet. And all of these options look just as fashionable as any other wedding, so you're not going to be accused of being a "hippie" bride or groom.

GETTING THERE
Encourage your guests to carpool to your event and hold the wedding and reception at the same location, or within walking distance.

THE JEWELRY
Diamonds are usually associated with Africa, but Canada is a recently-discovered source of conflict-free diamonds. Government-certified Canadian-mined diamonds are very high quality and can easily be traced back to when and where they were extracted from the mine. They cost a little more than other diamonds, but you know for certain your gem didn't fund a war. You can find Canadian diamonds at local retailers or online.

Gold mining releases dangerous chemicals into the environment. Consider wearing a vintage gold ring or have an existing ring redesigned into a one-of-a-kind piece.

THE REHEARSAL & RECEPTION DINNERS
If your budget allows it, serve organic or grass-fed beef, chicken, or pork. Organic livestock are not given any hormones, antibiotics, or conventional feed and have access to the outdoors; grass-fed beef may or may not be given hormones or antibiotics, but they're only fed grass. (Chickens and pigs are natural foragers so they don't have grass-only diets.) You could also serve wild-caught salmon, a healthier alternative to farmed salmon because farmed fish tend to be exposed to large amounts of antibiotics.