Vancouver wedding planner Susan Johnston doesn't raise an eyebrow at some of the offbeat requests she gets from brides and grooms planning
environmentally friendly weddings.
"I love that so many people are talking about the idea of 'green' weddings and are actually taking the time to think about the impacts of these events," says the owner of Green Coast Weddings.
"I believe that those people who already live a fairly eco-friendly lifestyle will likely regard the planning of their wedding in terms of eco-friendly practices."
"It's often said that 'oh, it's just one day. You don't have to worry about the ecological footprint of the celebration of your wedding. It only happens once in your life."'
But Johnston says she thinks more people are rejecting this type of thinking and are coming to the understanding that inviting 200 people to drive, eat, drink and party all together on one day "can be incredibly hard on the environment."
When Tim Harris, 27 and Barb Puddy, 23, say their vows at their wedding this summer they will be making an environmental statement of sorts.
"We are having the ceremony and the reception at the same venue, eliminating much travel, and because the service is being held at an outdoor chapel, it does cut down heating a building or needing lighting," says Harris.
And instead of using musical instruments that require electrical energy, Puddy says they have decided to have a harpist and flutist to provide background melody for the service.
The venue - the Ancaster Old Mill near Hamilton, Ont., a popular destination for weddings - already offers organic and locally grown menus for their clients, so it's also "a good fit," says Harris.
So far "we've done three to five green weddings a year, but we see the trend is growing because couples want to go one step further and feel good about their big day," says Jeff Crump, executive chef at the pesticide-free venue.
Johnston says that typically by planning a green wedding, "couples tend to downsize significantly and don't invite long-lost relatives and instead plan more intimate events."
She says that some couples are asking that some of their distant guests buy carbon credits to offset the impact of their travel to and from an event.
Until a year ago, Johnston was planning corporate and private events for 11 years and took the company into an eco-friendly direction.
"We are really busy and have already carved a niche in a market that is inherently wasteful and prone to overconsumption."
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On the Net:
For more tips on holding an eco-friendly green wedding, visit these websites:
blueplanetwedding.com
www.greenelegancewedding.com
www.greatgreenwedding.com
