Sage Design: January 2010

http://www.twigandfig.com/

The wedding stationary is usually the first peek your guests get about the big day. It sets the tone and tells them what to expect from your wedding. Will it be big or small, fancy or low-key, elegant or casual? All this information will be conveyed by pieces of paper. Wedding stationary can get quite elaborate, and often brides think that to be green they need to give up beautiful invitations. Feeling reticent about the aesthetic sacrifices you think you will have to make for Mother Earth? Fret not lovely brides who treasure everything opulent. Having an earth-friendly event doesn’t mean restricting your stationery choices to evites and homemade paper (not that those two things are inherently bad) but there are many, many beautiful choices available.

When it comes to choosing an environmentally friendly stationery set for your wedding, the first thing to consider is what you really need and how much of your correspondence can reasonably sent in other methods (electronically, word-of-mouth). Many stationers are making recycled paper an option in their wedding stationery. You can choose between 100% recycled, partially recycled or entirely tree-free paper depending on your stationer. Not every area has a stationer who offers greener paper options, so consider using an online retailer for your recycled stationery, as they will also have a wider variety of choices to pick from. Personal favs are: Green Paper, Green Field Paper, and Earthy Affair.

Once upon a time using the Internet to send any information about your wedding was considered a major etiquette fopaux. Emily Post wasn’t around when Al Gore invented the Internet, so it took some people a while to catch up that in some instances (note: some instances) it’s okay to use online invitations. Think beyond evites; there are great online invitation companies that make really great electronic stationary. Paperless Post is my absolute favorite. Use these online invites for the surrounding wedding festivities: the bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, and the postwedding brunch. If you need to update your guests about the wedding happenings, and provide directions and hotel information, having a website is a great option. However, I really feel it is still best to mail a physical invite to the wedding itself. This is your wedding. One of the most important days in your life. Just like it’s nicer to receive a thank you note in your mailbox instead of inbox, there is something really magical about sending and opening a “real” invite. There are many ways to cut down on what you mail to make this the only thing going through the postal service. I really like a simple invite with a postcard response card. Or, you could just do the RSVP online.

Another great tip that few brides think of is to have as many items hand-calligraphed as your budget allows. Not only is calligraphy gorgeous and elegant, it's totally eco-friendly. Envelopes and escort cards are pretty standard, but you can calligraph menus, table names and numbers, and even the invitation itself. If this isn’t an option remember that most large printers still use traditional printing methods, but there's no harm in asking if yours would be willing to try soy- or vegetable-based inks.

These are just a few ideas to help. In Emily Anderson’s book, Eco-Chic Weddings, she writes that more then 500,000 tress are destroyed each year for wedding paper items in the US alone. Yikes. But luckily, there are many brides who want to help reduce that number.

Next time on green weddings: flowers