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Letting guests know about the eco-friendly theme?

Merisea211Merisea211 member
Fourth Anniversary First Comment
in Eco-Friendly Weddings
I'm in the process of planning my wedding, and I'm hoping for a reasonably eco-friendly affair. That said, I don't want anything to scream "RECYCLED" or "TREE-HUGGER," because "living green" should be about LIVING, and not about throwing green in everyone's face all the time.

THAT SAID. I would like to let my guests know in an understated way that we are making every effort to take the environment into consideration when planning our wedding. I want our guests - who aren't terribly eco-conscious - to see that a wedding can be less harmful and less wasteful without being any less formal or awesome or meaningful. Raise awareness without shoving it in their faces - right? But how best to go about this? 

I've been thinking about small wedding favors with a card attached to each (on recycled paper, etc.) that says "Thank you!" on one side, and on the reverse, something like "We took the planet into consideration with our special day! We're very happy to let you know that our impact today has been reduced by the following:" and then list off a few of the major things we did. Small, attached to an eco-friendly gift, no fanfare....   Any other ideas? It might be more eco-friendly to have one little sign somewhere at the reception that mentioned this... one sign versus 150 gift tags.. We could have the MC make a little announcement, but we're going to have his sister MC, and she's not really an eco-person, so she might not be the best person to announce it... 

Any ideas would be lovely! :)
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Re: Letting guests know about the eco-friendly theme?

  • mandi195mandi195
    500 Comments First Anniversary 5 Love Its
    Personally, I think that if it's not about throwing it in anyone's face then it's unnecessary for you to make cards saying all the things that are eco-friendly. I say just plan the eco-friendly wedding you want, and leave it at that. No need to draw attention to it.
    Praying for a miracle!
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  • lizlovescupcakeslizlovescupcakes member
    100 Comments Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    I'm with mandi...your intentions are certainly good, but I don't think there is really a tactful way to do this, short of having them donate to an eco-friendly cause in lieu of gifts or something like that.

    However, you can do subtle things, like I am planning to do - print on plantable/compostable/tree-free paper, or do e-vites. Or if you want to do paper, maybe have them RSVP online, and say that it's in the interest of the environment.

    Also, be careful with things like recycled paper - sometimes the processes/chemicals used to recycle are worse than just throwing it out.
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  • laylasauruslaylasaurus member
    100 Love Its 100 Comments Name Dropper
    edited March 2013
    I think using paper (recycled or not) just to tell your guests how eco-friendly you are being, isn't really being environmentally conscious. Refraining from using paper as much as possible is.  I think a list of the ways that you are being eco-friendly might also come off as a bit pretentious. Leading by example is enough in my opinion, though I think a few subtle hints here and there would be fine, as mentioned above in terms of having guests rsvp online, that sort of thing.  Your sign on the favor table idea is a good one, though I would still refrain from specifically mentioning how low impact your wedding is unless it specifically pertains to the favors.  For example, if you are handing out say little succulents, or small plants, seeds, etc, you might say something to the effect of "Thank you for coming yada yada and in keeping with our efforts to be environmentally conscious on our special day, we would like to present you with these gifts to take home and make your world a little greener".  I'm sure there's a way to say that more eloquently but you get the idea. 

    Good luck!
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  • PeachesNCream22PeachesNCream22 member
    10 Comments 5 Love Its
    What about word of mouth? If you're really that worried about it, you can just tell a few people and hope it gets around. But it seems like you want two opposite things: for people to find out and for you not to have to tell them about it. Why not just tell them in a way that you're excited about? In my experience people only resent "tree hugging" mentalities because they feel judged or less-than. If you just make it something you're excited about, they'll get excited too.
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  • michellef2014michellef2014 member
    10 Comments
    I don't see a problem with that, but I wouldn't write a specific list. Maybe you can put some cute icons like they do on fancy eco/vegan makeup or products.
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  • hellohkbhellohkb mod
    Moderator Sixth Anniversary 2500 Comments 500 Love Its
    This is from 2012 so I'm going to lock it. Going around telling people that your wedding was eco-friendly isn't the best idea, anyhow.


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