Five Tips On Planning An Eco-Friendly Wedding

So the hard part is over, right? He asked, you said yes and the ring of your dreams sits atop your finger. Now the fun begins...wedding planning!  Pure Grown Diamonds offers five tips to plan an eco-friendly wedding.

The Invitations
While fancy, ornate invites may grab your guests’ attention, there are a number of equally gorgeous alternatives that use 100% recycled materials. Some invites, like those from Botanical Paper Works, are even plantable – embedded with flower, plant or herb seeds. If you prefer, you can nix paper all together and stick to e-vites or your wedding web page to share details.
 
The Dress
Cover your something old and something borrowed, by wearing your mom’s dress. If it’s not quite your style (hello 70s!), have it tailored to make it your own. As an alternative, check out local vintage shops for wedding attire. If you do buy a new gown, find a designer who uses sustainable fabrics – think organic cotton or silk.
 
The Pictures
Digital cameras are a must for a green wedding. Have your guests snap photos with their smart phones – most of which take high-quality images these days – and share online. Provide wedding-specific #hashtags, so photos become searchable, or try an app like WedPics that provides an easy way for guests to share snapshots in a single digital album.
 
The Flowers 
By choosing a local, organic florist for your bouquets, you’ll support both the environment and your community. Skip out-of-season blooms since they’ll have to be shipped (i.e., wasteful packaging, fuel, etc.). For the DIYers, why not craft boutonnieres and bouquets from paper (Paper-Source has easy crafting kits). For the reception tables, decorate with things you can reuse in your home after the wedding, like candles or potted plants.
 
The Reception
Utilize nature’s beauty as the backdrop for your special day by choosing a local garden, park, or body of water as your venue. Look for a caterer who uses locally grown food to create an organic menu. Since the food is coming from a shorter distance, less fuel is needed to transport it. Ditch the wedding favors completely or give your guests a donation favor by planting a tree in their name instead.
 
About IIa Technologies 
Pure Grown Diamonds (www.puregrowndiamonds.com) is the exclusive North American retailer and distributor of diamonds grown by IIa Technologies. Pure Grown Diamonds are cultivated at IIa (2a) Technologies in Singapore, which is Pure Grown Diamonds sister company. The company is named after the purest and rarest diamonds – Type IIa, which comprise less than 2 percent of all mined diamonds. Pure Grown Diamonds are Type IIa diamonds, which have a unique growth structure and remarkable clarity and brilliance. Few mined diamonds are Type IIa. They are very rare. Britain's Queen Elizabeth and celebrity Elizabeth Taylor are the few women in the world that have worn and owned Type IIa diamonds.

Top Photo by:Winsome and Wright