It's a Nice Day for a Green Wedding! Guest Blog Feature by As You Wish Weddings and Events

Guest Blog Feature! Wahoo! Please welcome Nicole Montenat, Owner and Consultant at

As You wish Wedding and Events

I’m sure we’ve all heard “Go Green!” an umpteenth amount of times in the last couple years. From hybrid cars to chemical-free cleaning supplies, recycled paper towels to organic fruit, going green is the hottest trend. But do we really know what that means? Going green or being Eco-conscious is more than simply recycling your toilet paper rolls although that is a good start. It has to do with creating an environmentally friendly lifestyle in order to reduce our (as in human) carbon footprint on the earth.

Many brides have jumped on the Eco-chic wedding wagon in recent years. So if you want to jump on that wagon too, but are unsure of what to do and overwhelmed by it all, fear not. A green wedding doesn’t mean you have to wear a hemp gown and go barefoot. Any attempt to decrease your impact on the environment is considered green. You can incorporate Eco-conscious choices into as little or as much of your event as you want. Here are some easy ways to go green without sacrificing the YOU that makes your wedding special!

LOL Letterpress

Stationary: Have you sat down and thought about just how much stationary is used for a wedding? From save-the-dates to thank you cards and everything in between (invitations, programs, menu cards, escort cards, table #s, etc.) buying from a company which uses recycled and post-consumer waste paper and soy inks will help save some trees and cut down on petroleum usage. There is no need for that tissue paper insert either! Decrease the amount of items in your wedding invitation package by using digital communication options, such as wedding websites for directions, RSVPs and more. Thinking this may be tacky? Wedding websites are quite socially acceptable and there are beautiful, creative and tasteful designs you can use to make it unique to you and your special day.

Lake Mohawk Country Club

Venue: One of the easiest ways to green your wedding day is to keep it central to where everyone resides. My October bride and her fiancé were both from NJ but live in Colorado. Instead of creating tons of emissions with car and plane travel for their guests, they came to NJ where the majority of their friends and family are located. For those out of town guests, get a unique carpooling vehicle like a trolley, so they can travel together from the hotel to the event. It also helps to have both the ceremony and reception in one location as well to avoid further travel.

Flowers: Everyone knows flowers are a huge focal point of a wedding. But did you know that the amount of fuel, packaging materials and chemicals used to transport exotic or off season florals creates pollution and waste and is more expensive to you? Some simple ways to green your wedding are to use flowers that are in season: think wax flowers and Dahlias in October or Gerberas and Cherry blossoms in May. Locally grown, organic flowers are pesticide-free and reduce fuel consumption and also help support the local economy. You can also easily reuse the ceremony décor at the reception to reduce the need to purchase as much and then donate the arrangements to a local senior home or hospital.

Melick's Town Farm, NJ

The Green Bride Guide

Food: Perhaps THE most important part of the day, right? Many venues offer boundless amounts of food for the cocktail hour, moving on to a huge 3-5 course dinner, followed by a roomful of decadent desserts. Is quantity really better? Where do all the leftovers go? Your guests will remember the quality of the meal they had versus how many different kinds of desserts were present. Not to mention you will be helping their waistline! Here are just two things you can do: 1) choose a venue with a simpler menu or ask to scale down the package and 2) work with your planner to recycle scraps and donate leftovers. Sometimes having a buffet is better and easier to reuse leftovers but having a sit-down is less costly because it is easier to regulate the amount of consumption. Whatever you decide, try to have locally and organically grown items on your menu. This will help create more green business and again, reduce resource consumption.

Favors: You know that knick-knack you got at the last wedding you attended? Where is it now? (hint: rhymes with crash) Instead of giving your guests a useless and wasteful trinket, edible favors are always received with smiles (and are usually gone before the reception is over). Items like seedlings are great because you are actually giving back to the environment! To eliminate any tangible waste all together, have a donation made in your guests’ name to a cause that is close to your heart.

Seedling Favors

We all need to do our part to create a sustainable earth. Weddings are a $70 billion per year industry so doing any little thing you can to green your wedding can make a difference. A wedding is a time to show the world your style but why not also show them your values and respect the environment?


A special thanks to Nicole from As You Wish Weddings and Events
For assistance planning your green wedding or event, please contact her at 973.970.3380 or info@asyouwishweddingandevents.net