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Preparing for your wedding is a time of wonderful opportunity to show your style and personality. It is also a great way to share your sense of concern for the environment. There are fabulous ways you can make your wedding day special and do great things for the earth.

From caterers using organic foods to tree-free invitations to favors that help the homeless your wedding can be a statement of doing good things from beginning to end. When making wedding choices put your dollars to work for the environment! We hope you find Organic Weddings’ ideas and resources inspiring.

timeline

The first thing you need to start a planning timeline is your wedding date. Once the date has been set use the guidelines below to help you focus on making the right decisions on time. Depending how long your engagement is you will have flexibility as to how quickly you need to finalize your plans.

So many decisions! So many things to buy! Feeling caught up in the wedding rush? If so take a minute to get your eco-savvy feet back on the ground.Remember the first step to planning an earth-friendly wedding can be choosing not to buy something at all! Don’t get spellbound by the wedding industry’s notorious promotion of excess. Your dream wedding can become a reality without it.

Set your wedding date.

Trying to decide on a wedding date with meaning? Check out these dates to see if there’s one that strikes your fancy. Finalize your guest list. Set an overall budget as well as how much you want to spend on the major wedding expenses.

By setting spending caps on each type of wedding expense you will be better able to reach your wedding day without going over budget. Remember that the wedding industry in general will capitalize on a bride’s enthusiasm for planning her special day.

Remember to consider greener lower cost alternatives when planning your wedding.

Determine your wedding style

What type of a wedding do you want to have? Formal informal big small evening morning traditional contemporary? The possibilities go on and on. Once you have narrowed in on a style you can search for the ceremony and reception locations and determine their availability.

Determining your style should also help you determine what time of day your will hold your ceremony and reception. Morning and early afternoon events are typically more informal than late afternoon and evening events.

Make sure your budget number of guests and wedding style are all in concert with each other! When beginning your planning it is easy to underestimate how much costs can add up. It is better to scale back on your guest list or on your wedding style than to increase your budget. Don’t get caught up in overspending to achieve a wedding that is beyond your means.

Beautiful eco-friendly weddings shouldn’t cost more than your comfortable budget level. If you don’t want to shrink your guest list consider a wedding reception that offers a lighter menu such as an afternoon tea or a dessert bar. These are fun alternatives to the more typical lunch or dinner receptions. Not serving a full meal can really cut down reception costs.

Some couples might consider offering limited bar hours or no alcohol at all in order to cut down on the cost of alcohol and other beverages.

Reserve your ceremony location and officiant.

Decide on a bridal gown style find a gown you love and order it.

  • Reserve your reception location.
  • Choose your caterer.
  • Choose special friends and family to be in your wedding party.
  • Ask each of them once you have made your final choices.
  • There are many wedding professionals available to bring a unique style to your day.

However you may already have friends and family who are skilled in one or more of these fields. If so ask them if they would consider helping out at your wedding. It will usually keep costs lower even if you decide to compensate them for their efforts.

Not to mention people are usually happy to help you out. If you plan to use the following services at your wedding begin to gather together contact information make choices and sign contracts:

  • Photographers
  • Videographers
  • Transportation
  • Florists
  • Wedding cake bakers
  • Musicians or disc jockeys
  • Hair and/or makeup stylists