Green Venues

He asked, you said "Yes"..now it's time to pick the venue. As we all know, when it comes to weddings, it's all about location, location, location! And when you decide to have a Green wedding, picking your venue is crucial. Picking a place that cares about the planet as much as you & your fiance do. What's the point of trying to be eco-friendly when your venue is using all disposable decor or wasting tons of electricity? Not really the message you want to convey right?

Here's a few things to take into consideration:

Cut down your guest list- Yes it may sound terrible, but is it really necessary to invite your mom's co-worker's neighbor that you met one time a decade ago? By cutting back on your guest list you can cut out all the extras for that person (like the extra chair covers, favors, meals that often get wasted..etc). You'd be surprised how much those few extra people can impact the environment on your special day.


Pick a venue close to the majority of your guests- If you live in New Jersey and 90% of your guests live in Pennsylvania, why not consider a location there instead? Think about how much fuel stress you'll put on the planet by having the majority of your guests drive a longer distance to you, instead of 10% of you driving to them. Besides, it could be nice to give yourself a nice long weekend in an out of town location..consider it your pre-honeymoon!


Pass on destination weddings- Sure it sounds great getting married on the beach in Hawaii.. but think about how much damage you'd be doing to good ole Mother Earth. Flying yourself, your fiance, and your guests to your location...tons of fuel being used there. Then throw on top of that the rental cars people will need to get around and everything else. Differently not Earth friendly at all.

Go outside- Outdoor weddings are definitely "in" right now, so embrace it! Getting married in a field has a certain romantic simplicity to it. Saying your vows on the beach may be a dream come true for many couples. The park you two first met at may be the perfect place for you to start your lives together. There are tons of options!! If you want to be super Green, look into getting married at botanical gardens...and outdoor wedding, already decorated by nature!

But what if it rains...-That's why event extraordinaires came up with tents! But for those of you who are getting married in the fall or winters, when the weather might just be too darn cold to have an outdoor wedding, there are still plenty of options. (This is why I love Green weddings..creativity!) Have your wedding at an aquarium, it'll definitely be the talk of the town! If you love art, why not have it at a museum? Looking for something a little less formal but still posh? Look into local historic buildings. My all time favorite has to be the Liberty Science Center (Yes, I'm a total nerd at heart). Talk about thinking outside of the box!!


"We're more of a hotel kinda couple"- If you're anything like my family, pretty much every wedding you've ever been to has been in a hotel. Having your reception in a hotel has the bonus of not having to drive anywhere for your wedding night. Plus, for those of you whose guest loveeee the open bar and plan to partaaaay, they can safely walk themselves to their rooms after the reception is over. Eliminating DWI possibilities is always a plus for everyone! Hotels don't limit your chance to be Earth-friendly. In fact, there are tons of Green hotels out there (they belong to an association and everything!) Take the time to investigate and I'm sure you'll be able to find some amazing hotels that have low impacts on the environment.

Two for one- Have your ceremony and reception at the same place! It obviously cuts back on the traveling from place to place.