We constantly hear it reported that a green wedding can nearly double your wedding budget – as the leading source for green (and stylish!) wedding information, we’d like to once and for all let you know that is just NOT true! In fact, going green will SAVE you green!
In the spirit of Earth Day, we wanted to remind our readers that you don’t need to buy your way to a greener future. Re-using what you already have is about as earth-friendly as you can be. So, we decided to take the FREEGAN challenge, and share tips on how to have an earth-friendly, consumer-free wedding celebration:
The Invitations: Cost $0
Pingg offers stylish, free digital invitations (and party planning options) – with no advertising
The Decorations: Cost $0
Choose a local, native plant or flower. Native plants provide food and shelter for local wildlife, support regional ecosystems and require no pesticides in their natural environment. We’ve found the best native look a likes to today’s most popular wedding imports.
Popular Imports Native Copycats
Calla Lily Sarracenia
Gardenia Magnolia
Lilac Larkspur
Orchids Iris
Rose Lisianthus
The Dress: Cost $0
Handy with a sewing machine? Remake your mother’s or grandmother’s wedding gown. Antique and vintage lace is stunning when refashioned as cap sleeves and used to trim veils, gowns and trains.
Alternative:
Rent: Tuxes aren’t the only wedding apparel for rent these days. (Cost: $100)
The Location: Cost $0
Nearly half of the wedding budget is spent on the reception location. Keep it small and simple, and you’ll save a bundle.
Our favorite picks:
Backyards
Public Lands (Cost: $0-200 for permit)
Alternative:
We recently read about an Etsy couple who tied the knot at an antique salvage lot. The site provided the rustic chic they were looking for – needing few additional embellishments. And it was dirt cheap. We love that the location says “buy used!”
The Menu
Freegans celebrate an anti-consumer, vegan lifestyle. Celebrates homegrown, cheap eats that are good for you and the planet with a mushroom fondue menu. Fondue is a romantic meal for two, or twenty! Learn how to grow your own mushrooms here.
For more on Freegan Weddings, read our advice here:
