Full Description

Green Bride Guide

Your Wedding: Beautiful and Sustainable. Just Like Your Marriage

The Green Bride Guide has everything eco-conscious couples need to make their event more sustainable. Green wedding veteran and environmentalist Kate L. Harrison offers hundreds of eco-friendly choices in one handy reference.

Emphasizing elegance and individual taste, The Green Bride Guide covers all aspects of the big day and beyond.

• Engagement
• Location
• Invitations
• Bridal party attire
• Flowers
• The ceremony
• The reception
• Gifts
• The honeymoon

Whether you want to include just a few green elements in your decor or have a carbon-neutral wedding with local organic food and a peace silk dress, you'll fi nd the resources you need to pull it off with panache. And you can plan a gorgeous green event on any budget - Kate offers options in every price category.

Paired with a website and complete with vendor worksheets, The Green Bride Guide is an invaluable reference for anyone interested in planning an elegant, exciting, eco-friendly wedding.

Say "I Do" and Save The Planet

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction
Why a Green Wedding?
How to Use This Book

Chapter 1
Rules of Engagements
Rings
Announcements
Parties
Planning Timeline
Hiring a Planner

Chapter 2
Location, Location, Location
Creating a Sustainable Vision
Weddings in the United States
Destination Weddings

Chapter 3
Here Comes the Eco-chic Bride
Gowns
Shoes
Veils
Jewelry
Hair and Makeup

Chapter 4
Greening the Groom and Bridal Party
Men's Haberdashery
Accessories
Bridesmaid Dresses
Unifying Elements
Children

Chapter 5
Say It Green with Save-the-Dates, Invitations,
and Wedding Websites
The Basics
Virtual Correspondence
Tangible Correspondence
Paper Correspondence

Chapter 6
Gathering the Green Flowers
The Dirt on Flowers
Ceremony Flowers
Non-flower Alternatives
Reception Flowers

Chapter 7
Going Green - Transportation and Guest Comfort
Transportation
Guest Comfort
Welcome Baskets
Making Kids Happy

Chapter 8
A Ceremony on Earth
Ceremony Decor
Ritual Objects

Chapter 9
The Green Reception
Setting the Stage
Organizational Elements
Table Decorations
Favors

Chapter 10
Gastronomically Green - Food and Drink
Catering
Cake and Dessert
Cleanup

Chapter 11
Green Music and Memories
Music
Photography and Videography

Chapter 12
Giving and Receiving Green
Thank-You Gifts for the Wedding Party
Registry

Chapter 13
Planning an Eco-fabulous Honeymoon
General Planning Tips
Minimal-Impact Travel
Honeymoon Abroad
Honeymoon in the United States
Carbon Offsetting Air Travel

Chapter 14
Conclusion

APPENDIX
Sustainability Worksheets
Recommended Reading
Key Resources
Index
About the Author

Excerpt

Excerpt

Introduction
In the fall of 2006, when my husband, Barry, and I began thinking about and planning our own green wedding, we were surprised by how little information was available to assist us. I read every book and article I could find on the topic and spent hundreds of hours surfing online for green ideas, supplies, and vendors. It was an extremely frustrating and laborious process - but we were delighted with the results! To save others from having to go through the trouble, I decided to compile my efforts into this comprehensive resource - The Green Bride Guide.

Throughout this book I have tried to include some of the answers to the why of different choices - why local, why organic, why fair trade, etc. - but first, the biggest why of all:

Why a Green Wedding?
I should mention off the bat that my husband, Barry, and I are both environmentalists - he's an environmental historian, and I work in environmental law and policy. However, when we announced our plan to have a green wedding, my father's first response was still, "Why would you want a green wedding - aren't weddings supposed to be white?" Although the confusion about green the color vs. green the concept was cleared up quickly, my father's skepticism remained. This is the first hurdle. Although green weddings are becoming more popular, it is inevitable that some of your friends and family members will not understand what a green wedding is or why you would want to have one. So let's begin with a few reasons why one might choose to have a sustainable event.

Sidestepping the Wedding Industry.
Put the emphasis on industry because that is what it is - a $70-billion-a-year industry. Many writers have discussed the phenomenon of being thrust onto the "wedding conveyor belt," and even well-intentioned, thoughtful couples can find themselves getting sucked in. Weddings are complicated beasts, fraught with emotions, expectations, social conventions, and etiquette, and it is all very powerful stuff. Brides feel a lot of pressure to make everyone happy and are willing to spend whatever it takes - about $30,000 these days - to make their wedding "perfect." Many couples go into debt (on average about $25,000 worth!) to pay for their weddings, so it is not surprising that ConsumerAffairs.com reported that 80 percent of couples cite money as the leading source of wedding stress. With a financial burden added to an emotionally demanding situation, it's no wonder the mythical "Bridezilla" lives on.

Part of having a green wedding is conserving resources - including money. This is not to say that a green wedding has to cost less than a comparable wedding - some cost more, and some cost less - but part of having a green wedding is thinking about who you are, what your values are, and what kind of wedding you would want if the industry were not constantly telling you what you should want. When planning a green wedding, you have to be prepared to take a step back and make choices based on a different set of values.

Supporting Green Business.
The wedding industry has spent a lot of time and money selling a certain "look" so that you will buy its products. These products include expensive single-use bleached white dresses, disposable aisle runners, chemically treated imported flowers, toxic makeup and skin-care products, mined gembased jewelry, individual packets of rice, little plastic picture frames with your names and the date engraved on them, and all manner of disposable flourishes and trinkets. With almost 2.5 million weddings a year in this country alone, the impact on the environment from our weddings is substantial.

Weddings offer an amazing opportunity to make a difference. In addition to saving energy, conserving resources, and decreasing pollution, imagine what a boost $70 billion a year could give to sustainable businesses. If we are going to combat the environmental problems of this century, we need to change the way businesses operate. We need to create demand. Other than a house, a wedding is generally the most expensive thing a young couple will ever "buy." By spending your wedding dollars on green goods and services, you send a signal to companies that it is time to change their ways. By simply bringing your awareness of environmental and social issues to the negotiating table with you, you can affect the impact of every purchasing decision you make and have each dollar you spend work to support your beliefs and values.

Educating Others.
One of the amazing things about a wedding is that it is the only time in your life when pretty much everyone you love is in the same place at the same time. The effect of this confluence can be rather surreal, and you may spend a lot of your wedding marveling at the bizarre combinations of people mingling around the room. They come from near and far, from childhood and adulthood, from school and work, and they have all gathered to celebrate you - both the person you are and the union you and your fiance are creating. In other words, you have a captive audience and a chance to let your eco-conscious values shine.

This does not mean you need to be preachy - you don't have to take the mic and start ranting about how we are destroying the earth when you are supposed to be saying "I do." It just means that in the same way that a wedding is an opportunity for you and your fiance to showcase your tastes, it is also a unique chance for you to showcase your values. Throughout this book I offer tips on how to let your guests know about the green choices you have made and how to create a ceremony and reception that will demonstrate that you do not have to sacrifice style, comfort, or tradition to be green. By infusing your wedding with a sense of respect for the environment, you will inspire your guests and transform your wedding into an event that they will remember forever.

How to Use This Book
To make this book as accessible as possible, each section is subdivided by topic (e.g., invitations) and type (e.g., paper invitations, electronic invitations, etc.). If you already know what you want to do, this structure should help you quickly and easily navigate to the sections that interest you most. Whenever possible, I have further subdivided by price, with three categories: $, $$, and $$$. These are only rough guidelines and do not signify actual values, because a $$$ dress can be thousands of dollars, where a $$$ website might only cost a few hundred. However, as almost every wedding has budget constrictions, this can help you prioritize and come up with creative ideas to meet your needs.

Be aware that pinning down the "best" green choice is often tricky or impossible. For example, a honeymoon at home is green, because you do not have to drive or fly (which contributes to global warming by adding CO2 and greenhouses gases to the air). However, many wildlife preserves and indigenous cultures rely on tourist revenue to survive - so if everyone stopped traveling, it would actually frustrate conservation efforts in many parts of the world. A similar dilemma arises when you are faced with the choice of buying something manufactured in the United States or buying something produced under "fair trade" conditions abroad. Or when you are faced with the choice between locally grown food produced with pesticides or organically grown food shipped in from out of state. There are no right answers to these dilemmas. The important thing is that you remain a conscious consumer. Which choice is right for you depends on what you value most. I have done my best to lay out the issues and hope the information I provide helps you come to the best answer for you.

Reviews

Reviews

Victoria Everman blog
Money and Love Have No Connection - Throw an Eco-Conscious Wedding on Any Budget!09 December 2008 By Victoria Everman 0 In Books, Green Living, Reviews

When I was young, I dreamed about having one of those big, fancy weddings that you see in celebrity magazines … until my parents got divorced when I was 9. After that, the idea of marriage was deeply tainted for me. Even after meeting my current beau of 4 years, I wasn’t sure if marriage was ever going to be the right thing for me.

Thankfully, I’ve found a love that makes me feel safe and inspired - truly marriage material. He hasn’t proposed yet, but we have talked a lot about it and we both know it is on the horizon. Being the immense eco-geek that I am, imaging me glee when I heard that The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget was just about to hit bookshelves!

If you are looking for an image-heavy, visually-focused book, then The Green Bride Guide isn’t for you. However, if you want loads of helpful information, creative suggestions, and sustainable options for every budget, then this is your eco-wedding bible! I can only imagine how long it took author Kate L. Harrison to gather all of the info for this book, but we are all deeply indebted to her.

Being on the cusp of preparing for my own earth-friendly wedding (within the next 5 years), this book will have a special place in my library. Though every ounce of info is priceless, my favorite chapters include: Rules of Engagement (which will be vital hear soon, I bet), Here Comes the Eco-Chic Bride (I am a fashion-geek as well), Going Green - Transportation and Guest Comfort, Gastronomically Green - Food and Drink, and Giving and Receiving Green.

Another immensely helpful aspect of the book are the detailed questionnaire worksheets in the Appendix, used to quiz everyone from the florist to the jeweler about their sustainable practices and supplies. Speaking of useful resources, there are a number of references to the book’s companion website, TheGreenBrideGuide.com, as well. You’ll find a constantly updated list of links to company websites, other useful books, and - most importantly - photos and commentary from couples who threw their own eco-friendly weddings.

The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget is nothing short of a goldmine of information for any couple. Needless to say, you can expect more wedding-related posts here on Victoria-E.com in the next year as I paw through the countless brands and ideas available in this book (and trapped in my creative mind). Until then, make sure to get your hands on a copy of The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget; Kate did a fantastic job writing it and deserves mammoth amounts of attention and thanks.

Here Comes the Green Bride

I just "leaved" through Kate L. Harrison’s new book, "The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget" ($14.95 from Sourcebooks). It just hit bookstores and is the perfect gift for the environmentally conscious couple. It’s filled with hundreds of comprehensive tips on sustainable choices for the bride and groom, and, coupled with it’s website TheGreenBrideGuide.com, it will help you plan a green fete at any budget. There are even tips on eco-friendly honeymoons! So, are you doing anything eco-friendly at your wedding celebration?

That Bride Blog
Kate, the author, knows what she is talking about. She graduated from the Yale School of Forestry, has a J.D. in Environmental Law, and had her own Green Wedding in 2006. In flipping through the book she definitely found ways to incorporate green elements for every budget, and I even came across a few sustainable ideas I hadn’t thought of, even through all of my blogging and obsessive wedding planning.

The problem I have with many green wedding sources, is they want to turn the entire affair into an organic, natural event. I always picture a hemp dress, with wildflowers, vegan cake, in the forest. Not every bride wants to have an event like that. Kate’s ideas are workable, and best of all, I don’t feel like she is judging me if I want to ship in Peonies from South America (note, I actually DON’T support shipping in flowers to create a certain wedding look, it’s always seemed rather silly and wasteful to me, but if you were that type of bride Kate probably wouldn’t judge you.)

Ethical Weddings Blog Katie Fewings
Pick of the week: The Green Bride Guide
Dec 11th, 2008 by Katie

Following hot on the vegan kitten heels of ‘The Green Guide for Weddings‘, I was chuffed to receive an advance copy of ‘The Green Bride Guide‘, now available from all good bookstores.

Where ‘The Green Guide for Weddings’ is written from a UK angle, ‘The Green Bride Guide’ by Kate L. Harrison comes from the other side of the Atlantic; but the ideas, arguments and even some of the resources are relevant wherever you are in the world.

The look of the book is gorgeous - the epitome of eco chic - and the quality recycled paper meant I didn’t want to stop stroking it! But I finally managed to tear my fingers away from its textured surface and started reading…

Now Kate L. Harrison is clearly not one to do things by halves. This is an extremely thorough book that delves into every possible nook and cranny of green wedding planning. From someone who works in environmental law and policy with an environmental historian husband, what did you expect?!

She begins by telling us a little about her own wedding in 2007 and offers some concise and well thought out arguments as to why you might want a green wedding - arguments that could come in rather handy for a green bride-to-be whose family and friends are so far unconvinced. As she explains, get them on side and everything else becomes a whole lot easier!

Throughout the book, as the sub-heading suggests - ‘How to create an earth-friendly wedding on any budget’ - there are options for every budget, marked with a user-friendly $, $$, $$$ code.

However, Kate is keen to point out that you don’t need to go completely green to make a difference, and certainly shouldn’t feel as if you’ve failed if you don’t. If you have to make difficult decisions she advises that you focus on the ‘big-ticket items’ such as how many guests you invite, the food you serve, or the flowers that decorate your venue: ‘…as a general rule of thumb’, says Kate, ‘the more expensive an item is, the more important the choice.’

For those who do want to turn a deeper shade of green, everything is here, even down to where to donate your hair (to an organisation that makes wigs for children with cancer - see page 50) if you decide to chop those locks after the big day.

At the back of the book, you’ll find a set of excellent worksheets with which to interview your potential wedding suppliers. You could grade them and hand them back with a ‘Must do better next time’ if need be!

If you’re in the early stages of planning your green wedding, grab this book and read it from cover to cover - you’ll be buzzing with eco-inspiration!

If you’ve got just a few months (or weeks, or days!) to go, get a copy anyway and you can dip in and out of the clearly labelled chapters to find the tips you need.

Made by Girl Jen Ramos
Although I’m not getting married, I know someone who is & they could benefit from this book. This book is a great resource for soon-to be couples & talks about "how to create an earth-friendly wedding on any budget". We all know that anything that is good for us, is usually more expensive. So, when someone wants to write about how we can get what is good for me on MY BUDGET, I read it. In this book you’ll find out how YOU can plan our ’special day’ without sacrificing style or the environment! The author, Kate L. Harrison, offers up 100’s of sustainable choices in one handy reference.

WeddingFrantic.com Katie Olson
“Going Green” is not just for a select group of people who care about the earth anymore. It’s “catching on”, so to speak, with everyone (well, perhaps not everyone, but a lot of people). And one particular event people are paying particular “green” attention to is, you guessed it, weddings.




With this interest in green lifestyles and green weddings, a wealth of information and resources have popped up - and thank goodness for that! Today I am so excited to share with you a fabulous new book on green weddings, by environmentalist and recent bride, Kate L. Harrison - “The Green Bride Guide”.




The book was officially released on December 9th, so if you haven’t already picked up a copy, get to it! I’m a big fan of books (and websites) with valuable information and ideas in them. Information that I can actually use, ideas that I can execute using the resources I have, resources that will actually lead to other valuable information and ideas, and generally useful. This is exactly how I would describe “The Green Bride Guide” - valuable.

Kate does a great job of helping earth-friendly couples put being green at the top of the wedding planning to-do list. Her book includes a monthly time line, tons of great, doable ideas, and one of my favorites, “Sustainability Worksheets”. She also includes a recommended reading list as well as a few resource page - all with valuable information on them. Some other features of the book include:

**Price indicators ($, $$, $$$) to help you get an idea on how much things cost
**Markers by information that is expanded upon on The Green Bride Guide website
**Side notes with FYI and idea-sparking tidbits and traditional wedding alternatives
**A whole chapter on “Planning an Eco-Fabulous Honeymoon”

So, if you’re a green person through and through and in the process of planning a wedding, I’d definitely recommend this book. But, I’d also say it’s a helpful resource for the “green” environmentally friendly couple, new to the idea of leading a green lifestyle together or planning an eco-chic wedding. You can go wrong with showing a little love for the earth!

Before you go, check out The Green Bride Guide website to find even more ideas and advice. You can also find eco-products, peruse real green weddings, learn from the lessons of current and recent brides, and grab a list of great reads.

MissMalaProp.com Mallory


I just finished reading The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget. No, no… I’m not planning to get married any time soon! (Although since my boyfriend and I have been together for over five years now, we have a few friends who keep asking if and when it will happen… ) The publishers of the book, Sourcebooks, offered to send me a copy to review, plus an extra copy to give away to one of you!

I actually really enjoyed this book, even though I’ve never been one of those wedding-crazed girls. The author, Kate L. Harrison, has degrees in Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development, and she’s currently finishing a degree in Environmental Policy and Law. She and her husband Barry planned their own green wedding in 2007, and she mentions some of their own green choices they made for their wedding throughout the book. Kate also has a website, www.greenbrideguide.com, where she provides additional information and links to sustainable wedding vendors.

The Green Bride Guide is a really great resource for anyone trying to plan an eco-conscious wedding. I’m going to pass on my copy of the book to my sister, who will be getting married this summer in a small, DIY affair. Kate does a great job of explaining both the why and the how of green wedding planning, and she covers everything from the engagement and bridal shower to the wedding location, transportation, ceremony, reception, food, flowers, and even the honeymoon! I really can’t think of a single thing she’s missed here.

Kate lists website addresses throughout the book where applicable, and she includes a lot of vintage, DIY and handmade alternatives, as well as more upscale, but still sustainable, green wedding options. In each section she’s listed the different options in order of relative price, so it’s easy to figure out what options will work best for your own needs and budget. And that’s something I really appreciated throughout the book — Kate often emphasizes that this is YOUR wedding and that there’s no need to buy into all of the hype and consumerism created by the commercial wedding industry unless it’s something that YOU really want for your own wedding.

At the end of the book Kate provides sustainability worksheets with checklists of questions to ask your wedding vendors, and she also includes a full list of further reading and all the website addresses mentioned in the book, plus there’s an index for handy reference.

The Budget Ecoist Blog
It might still be winter, but we’re bettering there are quite a few ladies out there dreaming of their summer weddings. Thankfully, And if you’re reading this blog, then it’s a safe bet that some of you are wondering how you can lower the environmental impact of your wedding, while saving some cash. Luckily Kate L. Harrison’s new book, The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget, has you covered. And so does The Budget Ecoist, by giving away a copy of The Green Bride Guide to one lucky winner.

Green wedding veteran and environmentalist Kate L. Harrison offers a comprehensive green wedding guide that emphasizes elegance and individual taste. Learn about:
* Eco-Engagements
* Green gowns, shoes and veils
* Green thank you gifts and green registries
* Eco-fabulous honeymoons

And for the budget-minded (who isn’t these days?) the author provides low, medium and high-end choices in every category, proving you don’t have to break the bank to have a gorgeous, green event.

Allie’s Answers Allie Larkin
A lot of time, effort, and money can go into planning the perfect wedding day. What if all those resources went toward planning the perfect green wedding day? We’ve talked a lot about voting green with your dollars. Planning your wedding is a great way to “vote” green.

The Green Bride Guide by Kate L. Harrison is a wonderful resource for anyone planning a wedding, or anyone who just enjoys dreaming about their wedding day.

Well organized and easy to read, The Green Bride Guide is full of suggestions for every wedding budget. Even though I’m radpidly heading toward my five year wedding anniversary, I still enjoyed reading this book and marveled at how creative Kate is. There’s a lot of practical advice for hiring caterers, scanning shops for vintage clothes and decorations, and making guests comfortable at your wedding while keeping your impact low.

Sweet Greens Jennie Lyon
I love going to the bookstore or library. As I am browsing, I am always impressed with the number of green books on the shelves. One that was recently sent to me is The Green Bride Guide (How to Create an Earth Friendly Wedding on Any Budget) by Kate L. Harrison. It is a fun book to read and easy to navigate. Each chapter focuses on a category that you will encounter planning your wedding. Kate is an environmentalist and green wedding expert. Her book is an excellent resource for any couple who wants to plan their special day with fabulous style and without harming the environment.

Intimate Weddings Christina Friedrichsen
You will not save the planet by having a green wedding (headlines like this one from the Toronto Star bring my blood to a rolling boil.) Using soy ink on your recycled paper invitations, and opting for a second-hand dress is not going to save Mother Earth, but if you are an eco-conscious individual who happens to be planning a wedding, green nuptials are a natural choice. After all, a wedding is one of the most significant events in one’s life and it usually reflects the values of the couple saying ‘I do.’

That said, just because you are environmentally conscious does not necessarily mean you know how to navigate the foreign land of veils and vendors with a ‘green’ compass. And that’s where Kate Harrison’s The Green Bride Guide comes in.

The Green Bride Guide is a comprehensive guide to help eco-conscious couples of all budgets make green decisions in all phases of wedding planning. The book covers everything from finding a ‘green’ venue to choosing the most eco-friendly wedding favors. In every chapter, the green choices that are offered are divided into price categories ranging from the least expensive to the most expensive.

According to Harrison, the size of a wedding has the biggest influence on how ‘green’ it is.

“The size of your wedding is the most influential factor affecting both the cost and sustainability of your wedding. Generally speaking, the smaller the wedding, the less expensive it will be and the less environmental impact it will have. A fifty-person wedding at $100 a head is $5,000. A two-hundred person wedding at the same location is $20,000 and has roughly four times the environmental impact,” she writes. {Chock another one up for small weddings!}

Harrison stresses the importance of communicating your vision of a green wedding to each of your wedding vendors. She includes an anecdote from her own wedding that highlights the importance of clear communication.

“My new husband and I were waiting with our friends for the arrival of what was supposed to be a biodiesel shuttle, when up pulls a pimped out (faux-leopard interior) SUV limo - pretty much the least environmentally friendly form of transportation you can imagine … We had been unwittingly ‘upgraded’ by our well -intentioned but environmentally uninformed transportation company,” she writes.

Harrison also discusses ‘greenwashing’ and advises couples to be vigilant about choosing vendors. Terms like ‘green’, ‘eco’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ are not regulated by the US government and can be used by anyone. (Just think of all the ‘organic’ shampoos on the shelves that are loaded with parabens.) ‘Green’ has become a giant money-making industry and oftentimes it’s difficult to know who is legitimate and who is simply out to make a buck. Harrison’s book and website help couples choose legitimately sustainable businesses that the author personally recommends.

One of the most important points that Harrison makes is that a green wedding is not only about making eco-friendly purchasing decisions, but also about spreading the gospel - in a non-preachy way.

” … in the same way that a wedding is an opportunity for you and your fiancé to showcase your tastes, it is also a unique chance for you to showcase your values.”

When it comes to creating a green event, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing: trying your best is what counts, says Harrison. And The Green Bride Guide will help you do just that.

Planet Green Jaymi Heimbuch
Planning A Green Wedding? 6 Books That’ll Make the Day Perfect

The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth Friendly Wedding on Any Budget by Kate L. Harrison

Budgets are as varied as brides and grooms when it comes to wedding planning. This book offers resources for going green at a wide range of price points. It’s especially helpful for couples new to going green, and want to reduce their footprint while keeping it chic . Additionally, the author has a website with vendor worksheets for extra help in laying out ideas.

Library Journal
Being environmentally responsible has become so mainstream today that many wedding books acknowledge it, but The Green Bride Guide covers the topic thoroughly. Going well beyond standard tips (like using recycled paper for invitations), Harrison’s book even explores options for slow-food receptions, touts buying locally, and encourages fair trade as Emily Elizabeth Anderson did in her shorter work, Eco-Chic Weddings. Like Anderson, Harrison is never didactic, even when broaching human rights issues related to diamond rings and pesticide-laden flowers. An environmental lawyer who recently married an environmental historian, the author enthusiastically shares sound ideas and current resources to help couples find a balance between the wedding industry’s hype and their own personal values. Recommended.

BookPage
Getting married is big business in America. The wedding industry accounts

for an estimated $70 billion to $125 billion chunk of our economy, most of

which is spent on things destined to be used once and discarded. The dress,

the invitations, the party favors, gift-wrap and alas, sometimes the gifts themselves

are one-use-only commodities. The less visible aspects can be wasteful, too: consider

how much gasoline it can take to get guests to the wedding—especially

a “destination wedding” to which every single person must travel from

somewhere else. Lately though, more and more couples are uncomfortable

with the disposable nature of a typical wedding. A growing trend of

couples looking for alternatives to waste, toxicity and consumption has

created a real demand for more information about how to make a wedding

greener. Three new green wedding guides handily meet the demand

with invaluable insights, ideas, vendor suggestions and resources.



The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding

on Any Budget, by Kate L. Harrison (Sourcebooks Casablanca, $14.99,

304 pages, ISBN 9781402213458) makes it clear that going green

does not have to mean going broke. The author is an expert in environmental

law and policy and knows the ins and outs of greening-

up any and all components of a wedding. Whether the bride’s

limit of eco-consciousness is a vintage gown and paperless invitations

or, at the other end of the spectrum, an entire event with

a zero carbon footprint, this manual can help. Each topic (such

as Engagement, Location, Invitations, Attire, Flowers, Reception,

Gifts and Honeymoon) is divided into type and price, which

makes it easy to know at a glance what will or will not be realistic.

Budget need never be sacrificed to inject a lot or a little green, nor

does style, creativity, comfort or fun. A handy addition is the set of

worksheets at the back of the book: these can simplify the interview process when trying

to decide between caterers, venues, florists and jewelers—especially with vendors

who do not advertise themselves as being green.

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• Length: 8.00 in
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