Published by Vanessa Brunner under Events, Green Living

One of my guilty pleasures is going online and looking at beautiful wedding photos.

I have been known to do this for hours on end.

Even though I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon, there’s something so dreamlike about these photos. I find myself bookmarking images, telling myself “Well. Whenever I do get married…my wedding will look exactly like that.”

What I’ve noticed more and more as I peruse my guilty pleasure, is that the amount of green and DIY weddings have increased exponentially. A combination of the impact of the recession and the growth of the green movement, we’ve all seen the impression that green/recycled/DIY has had on fashion, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see that transfer over to weddings.

Like any celebratory event or party, weddings have a lot of potential to be incredibly wasteful. But making your wedding green can actually be incredibly easy—and so much more meaningful. Handmade touches and thoughtful finishes leave a much more lasting impression.

It’s interesting, most wedding blogs feature interviews with the bride and groom, and over and over again you see couples saying “We didn’t start out trying to make our wedding green, but as we started incorporating things we do on a day to day basis, it just ended up that way.”

And that’s the goal! Green shouldn’t be a huge effort, ideally, it becomes a natural part of daily life.

Making your wedding green can be as simple as re-thinking what is usually thought of as a “must-have.” Little extras can be left out without any impact on the ceremony, and a positive impact on the environment. And of course, things can be borrowed or reused. One of my favorite tips I read is that nothing is truly green when it’s only used once. Buy re-used, or purchase things you KNOW you’ll use again and and again.

Weddings can be meaningful and special without money or THINGS–all that needs to be invested is time and thought.

For some of my favorite pictures, inspirations, and resources, please visit:

Eco-Elegant Wedding, a green wedding show that takes place in Portland, Oregon

100 Layer Cake: A beautiful wedding blog, with great DIY/Green tips

Sarah Seven: Gorgeous, handmade, eco-friendly wedding-wear

Urchin: Re.Design: Portland based wedding dress designs, made entirely out of upcycled old dresses:

Xtabayvintage Blog

Flutter

The Green Bride Guide: Great resources, and beautiful images from real weddings (my favorite!)

Eco-Guide: How I turned my wedding green (great tips from Feelgoodstyle)