My green(ish) wedding

A wedding day is about making promises for the future, about what you as a couple think is important - since Dave and I care a lot about the environment, it seemed logical to make our wedding as green as possible when we got hitched last year.

I’ve seen articles about people who had proper environmentally-friendly weddings, with hemp suits, hybrid cars and all-vegan menus. We’d never organised a green party before, and the eco-options here in Perth were limited then. So we decided to green what we could and not fret about the rest. Here’s how we rate according to Treehugger’s Guide to How to Green Your Wedding:

What we did well

• Reduce the size of the guest list: we preferred to just have people we were close to, rather than every relative this side of the Nullabor.
• Choose re-usable: the guys wore their own suits or bought ones they’d be able to wear again; the bridesmaids chose dresses that were more of a cocktail style and two have been worn again already; the decorations (vases, candles and table-runners) were re-used at my cousin’s wedding. I’ve worn my shoes again several times, since they’re pretty and suit several of my other nice dresses.
• Eco-friendly products: we used recycled, fair-trade paper from Paperwise (formerly EcoPaper Shop) for invitations.
• Choose local: we got married at a winery, so the wine was as local as it gets; the menu featured many foods from the South-West, like lamb from Gin-Gin and Mount Barker free-range chicken. It was delicious! Our venue also agreed to serve fair-trade tea and coffee.
• DIY: my bridesmaids and I made bouquets from beads and wire. They were a lovely alternative to flowers grown miles away and transported by cold-storage trucks to Perth.
• Our registry had some green options, and was short because we’re not into over-consumption.
• Communicating our greeniness: one of our readings was from David Suzuki’s book The Sacred Balance.
• Honeymoon: at Forest Rise Eco-Retreat, a 3hr-drive from home (better than flying, but still far away enough to get away from everyday life).

Where we could have done better

• I had plans for DIY green favours, but ran out of time. We ended up with jellybeans in cellophane, which was fun, yummy and cute, but not eco-friendly.
• Our cake used free-range eggs, but if I’d started sooner, I could’ve found someone willing to make this all-organic for me, or done it myself. We went with a local lady who made us a completely delicious cake so it’s hard to be worried about it
• Dave tried hard to find green transport, and came up empty-handed. There’s just not much of it in Perth. We looked at renting a Prius (none available at that time), or renting a hydrogen-powered bus from Transperth (not allowed). Our venue was too far out of the city for public transport, unfortunately.
• My dress wasn’t eco-friendly at all, but it was handmade here in Perth - no sweatshop or importing necessary.
• The rings: we bought our plain rings from a place that doesn’t use conflict diamonds. Perth doesn’t have much in the area of recycled or GreenKarat rings, and antiques aren’t my style.
• Offsets for bridal party travel, or honeymoon travel: we didn’t think of that until too late, and too broke!

If I get married again (just joking, sweetie!), I’d know better what green options to look for, and there are more green products in Perth every day. I’m sure I could have a greener wedding this year than I had last year. The only thing I’d really change is the favours: they’re not essential. I should’ve skipped them altogether and spent the time and money on a good massage instead!

We had a lovely day, surrounded by family and friends who support our eco-friendly attempts and wish us well in our marriage. I’m glad we tried to make the occasion as green as possible - it was one of the many things that made the day special, and reflected our hopes for the future.