summer beauty

With the environment a year-round concern, a new wave of brides and grooms is redefining the way they plan and execute their wedding. This concern for "green" colors all their efforts.

According to a poll by the Clinton Global Initiative and Microsoft, 66 percent of millennials believe there is solid evidence of global warming and about 75 percent say it is because of human activity.

In turn, these environmental advocates take action by planning weddings that rely less on disposable products and fossil fuels and more on sustainable practices that can lead to a healthier environment. Initial planning time offers opportunity to seek out and make a statement with vendors who see eye-to-eye.

Images: Grey Bridesmaid Dresses

These suggestions encourage a thoughtful approach to a wedding.

Choose earth-friendly vendors

Ask at an initial meeting what direction this might take. These businesses are committed to following environmentally sound processes when producing and delivering their products. This might range from paper flower or wooden bouquets to sustainable invitations. They might serve food on plates and trays that earn a high rating for "green" concern.

While etiquette perhaps has not caught up completely, a large portion of wedding correspondence can be accomplished by email or a card company may print materials on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper or alternative non-tree fibers. A business may pledge to plant a tree for every order made with it. Keep printing to a minimum. Provide informational links with guests.

Knowing your wedding had a positive impact on the environment will give an extra feeling of satisfaction when watching your wedding plan develop and the videos afterward.

Choose local venues

The less distance between locations of the celebration, the less pollution is invited into the atmosphere through the burning of gasoline in vehicles for the wedding party and other guests.

This seems like a small step, but consider how many cars will travel around town on the wedding day. Inviting 200 guests probably invites 50 to 100 vehicles onto local roadways. Confining events to the same building or ones close in proximity lessens this large carbon footprint. This also applies to transporting the wedding party – vs. just the bride and groom – for photos.

If a park or ranch is convenient to access, consider planning the occasion in a natural, woodland or other green setting with a beautiful, environmental backdrop in need of little embellishment.

Recycle flowers

Ask about re-purposing flowers. They may beautify a church the next day or be collected after weddings and earmark them for delivery to nursing homes and shelter facilities. Participating in such an arrangement passes along some of the beauty of the wedding to more people. If a company does not do these things, someone among friends or family may want to do it personally.

Mementos

Look around for items guests can put to good use, rather than be thrown away. Share a favorite oil, liqueur, seasoning or other food in a container that can be recycled. Let a shared experience, rather than a physical item, translate how much fans of the bride and groom care.

A couple may donate to a favorite cause, rather than sending guests home with an item to dust. Support also may be suggested on the registry of a philanthropic organization or charity.

Also see: One Shoulder Bridesmaid Dresses