Brides, grooms can vow to make ceremony Earth-friendly

Green is the new white in trendy weddings.

Brides and grooms everywhere are looking for ways to be more eco-friendly on their big day.

There are dozens of simple and beautiful green wedding options that can turn your event into a smashing success — without having to sacrifice your beautiful white gown for a hemp-hewn potato sack frock.

Christine Richmond, senior editor in chief of Natural Health magazine, is in the midst of planning her own green dream wedding.

"You don't have to completely overhaul your wedding. You can just make decisions along the process of planning that are greener,” she said. "Rather than thinking of it as a huge green message, you can just break it down to invites and dresses and flowers, and look for ways you can green things up along the way.”

For her Oct. 11 wedding, she just sent out "save the date” cards made of recycled paper. She plans to buy locally grown flowers for decoration.

And she is working with her caterer to make sure most food served at the reception is grown locally and organically.

One of the most environmentally unfriendly aspects of many weddings, Richmond said, is the wasted food. Good food often goes to waste that could have been used by an organization or taken to a local shelter. Some local food banks will take your donations under the right circumstances. Call the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma at 972-1111 or God's Food Bank at 260-1412.

Likewise, consider donating flowers from your wedding to local retirement homes and nursing homes.

Wedding favor companies have some clever ways to appeal to the granola-girl green wedding. For example, you can buy personalized "thank you” notes that can be planted and will grow into flowers.

"You can really tailor it to your own style and the message that you want to put out there,” she said. The June issue of Natural Health features many ways you can plan a green wedding without breaking the bank.

"For us, and I think for a lot of people, everybody's realizing that there are small steps that we can take every day or when you're planning something bigger that have a big impact on the planet but still feel like you,” she said.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the details of planning your wedding. Going green doesn't have to further complicate matters.

"You're celebrating with your family and friends and you're also making a statement about you and your fiance, who you are as a couple, the values that matter to you, so when you can think of it that way, it's an opportunity to bring in a more mindful way of putting together a special party.”

Here are some tips from Natural Health for creating a wedding that makes a big impression but leaves a small footprint.

Use green paper. Most invitation companies now offer recycled paper. You can even have your invites printed with biodegradable ink.

Go tree free. Consider eschewing traditional invitations. Send your save-the-date note as an e-mail with a link to your Web site or call your guests.

Shop vintage. Ask family members if they have a dress you can tailor to suit your style. Another option: Go to a consignment store, where you can find discount designer gowns.

Some designers create couture dresses from recycled fabrics and other eco materials.

Look for sustainable fabrics. If you'd rather not wear a pre-owned dress, consider having one made from planet-friendly fabrics such as hemp or ahimsa silk (which is harvested without harming the silkworms; available by the yard at www.organicavenue.com).

Ask about recycled gold. The Environmental Protection Agency says gold mining wreaks havoc on the environment. Look for recycled gold rings or those made with gold that's free of cyanide, a contaminant that separates rock from metal. Tiffany & Co. ( www.tiffany.com) sells rings made from cyanide-free gold.

Look for Canadian diamonds. When diamond shopping, find a reputable seller who guarantees the stone is conflict-free (not associated with human-rights abuses) and mined under environmentally and socially responsible conditions. Go online to www.bril

liantearth.com to find fine Canadian diamonds and jewelry from ethical sources.