REDUCE, reuse, recycle (and my fourth ‘R’ - repair, but that’s a topic for another day). Weddings can get excessive (no, really?), and even if the choices are eco-friendly, the question of consumption still arises. There’s one key question you need to ask yourself: do I really need that? Remember, NEED is different from WANT.

Ariel at the excellent Offbeat Bride blog:

“…I definitely get concerned when I see wedding trend articles that lay yet another financial concern on engaged couples, yet another way in which brides can whip themselves into a frenzy. “I must have tea candles on every table — and they must be SOY CANDLES!â€� How about just skipping the candles? As my friend Esther pointed out, it’s a little frustrating that the article seems to ignore the “reduce, reuse, recycleâ€� aspect of environmentalism, focusing on green products couples can buy instead of suggesting that couples take the truly radical step of just buying less. “

Buy less, consume less - reduce. A radical idea…

Another reason to consider reducing the wedding “stuff” - there’s no doubt that making eco-friendly choices is more expensive than sticking with mainstream, mass produced stuff. By cutting stuff, you free up the budget for organic meals, flowers, etc.

This list is highly individual, and every bride will make different choices as to need or want, but here are some things to think about. Do you need:

• floral centerpieces for the tables?
• candles?
• individual place cards?
• a newspaper announcement?
• a ring pillow?
• toasting goblets?
• a ‘going-away’ outfit?

Run through your checklist. What are the things you can cut out?

John Reeve at Digital Web Magazine published an excellent article yesterday: How to Build a Green Business. The article covers many things you can do to build an eco-friendly business, and clearly defines some buzzwords like “sustainability”.

5 take-away points from the article

1. Recycle everything you can, including old electronic equipment and inkjet cartridges.
2. Reduce your consumption of everything, including power (turn things off when not in use) and paper (don’t print emails).
3. Use green products: everything from post-consumer waste recycled paper to green cleaning products.
4. Alternative commuting, including taking the bus, biking, working from home, carpooling and driving energy-efficient vehicles.
5. Revamp your product line by eliminating the inefficient and harmful.

Check out the article for more great ideas on running an environmentally-friendly and ethical business. Share your ideas in the comments on how you you run an ethical and environmentally-friendly wedding business.

“Many will embrace willful waste as a sign of confidence or luxury.”

Seth Godin (my favourite marketing guru) riffs on waste. He talks about a hotel room that was fully lit (with incandescent bulbs - gasp!), overly warm and so on. He talks about a watch that seemed to be more extras than watch. The theme of his post was excessiveness.

Many (dare I say most?) brides want a luxurious wedding, and weddings are often a venue for displays of wealth and excessiveness. It’s still possible to have a wedding that’s chic and glamorous but easy on the environment.

Most of the choices come from not sacrificing the glamour, but knowing where the different elements come from. You can have the big diamond, but choose an ethically sourced diamond. Have a fabulous dress, but choose organic fabrics. Have a sumptuous meal, but go organic and local. Make ethical choices for your once-in-a-lifetime blowout.

Check out the 95 Ideas To Make Your Wedding More Environmentally-Friendly.

Where do you see waste in your day-to-day life?

The candlelit ceremony is one of the most beautiful, romantic wedding scenes I can imagine. Are candles eco-friendly? That depends on these three things:

1. Materials used to make the candles. Use beeswax or soy candles, not paraffin candles. Paraffin candles are oil-based; beeswax and soy candles (and candles made from other natural oils) are made from renewable sources.
2. Transportation of the candles from the factory. Choose locally-made candles and avoid the carbon impact from transporting the candles across the country or from overseas.
3. Reusing old candles. Ask for old candles from churches. Some churches use new candles for every service, and end up with lots of candles that get thrown out. These candles can have many hours left in them, and reusing them keeps them out of the landfills.

It’s hard to beat the candlelit ceremony for sheer romantic impact, and you can minimize the environmental impact by following the three tips above.

Check out:  “Green wax” from The New Scientist