What goes hand in hand with handmade and DIY nuptials? Green weddings! For this installment of the Handmade Wedding Series, Meghan Yudes Meyers from Portovert.com points out some eco-friendly how-tos and tips to help you greenify your Handmade Wedding. We also wanted to encourage crafty and environmentally-minded newly-weds out there to enter the DIY Wedding Challenge, over on Portovert.com (Pssst! Eco-friendly prizes and glory!). If you're still planning and preparing, then Portovert.com and the WeddingBee's BeeGreen contest is for you — you can win a $5000 eco-honeymoon!
There are a number of ways to throw a greener wedding (or party) — from buying environmentally friendly products to simply reducing your consumption — but, personally, I love to throw outrageous, fabulous parties and weddings are certainly an appropriate time to celebrate BIG! You can achieve high-drama with little waste (and at little cost!) by using found, broken and discarded objects and re-fashioning remnants and scraps.

I think it’s easy (and fun) to go green: the hard part is getting your planning underway. Start by asking yourself what mood you want your celebration to set. Are you trying to capture the spirit of Tuscany? Or do you picture getting married in a rustic barn? When you’ve pinpointed what tone your wedding will take, ask yourself what this means in terms of colors, shapes, lighting and props.

Now the creative part begins! A world full of waste awaits you; start to look at what might normally be discarded and ask if you can’t replace what you’re using with these more environmentally and economically friendly options. Here are a few quick ideas to get you started:

Fabric Scraps: 
Remnants are the perfect size to make your own silk flowers, which look lovely glued to bare branches.

Paper:
Skip recycled, tree-free and FSC certifications and go straight for the eco-gold: used paper! Whether it’s a sheet from your favorite music score or a page torn from your favorite book, silkscreening on a preprinted text adds a dynamic, meaningful layer to your invitation.

wondercabinet's art work uses this technique. Perhaps a custom order through Alchemy?

Glass:
Chalkboard paint is the new spray paint, giving objects a fresh, new look you can write on (you can even make your own!). Consider wine bottles or vintage jugs for centerpieces. After the event, spray with shellack to preserve guest messages of love and best wishes for years to come.

Found Objects:
I think small, simple details are what often elevates good design to greatness. Vintage crystals make some of my favorite embellishments. They have a lovely patina and add sparkle and light to a wedding. This site has a lovely tutorial on Wishing Trees with images that wow! This tree would be just as stunning hung with chains of vintage beads, bedecked in vintage crystals, or fashioned with broken necklaces and chains.

Natural Materials:
Often, our best supplies are just outside our doors. Fruits, nuts, shells and pebbles all make excellent place cards. The instructions for this easy apple seating card work just as well for pumpkins, pears and similar fruits.

A green wedding is a thoughtful way to start your new journey as life-long partners, and it’s about the cheapest way to throw a shindig there is!

Comment below if you have any eco-friendly tips to share!

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