eco-friendly wedding

A wedding might not seem like the time to skimp on extravagances, but a “green” wedding doesen’t have to be any less special or elegant. Alan Dunn and Diann Valentine, hosts of the new Wedding Day (premerieres june 16th), give us their advice on how to have your (environmentally friendly) wedding cake and eat it too:

Sustainable From the Start

Print save-the-date cards and invitations on recycled paper. Or, for an even more green notice, send them out electronically.

Wear White, But Think Green

Save money and the environment by wearing a vintage wedding dress from a consignment shop. Dunn and Valentine do not suggest holding onto it after the ceremony. “Any mother who thinks her daughter is going to want to wear her old wedding dress is sadly mistaken,” Valentine says.

Use the Locals

Contract with nearby vendors for food and flowers to cut down on transportation costs and carbon emissions and to support the community. On their show, for example, “we’re not flying in orchids,” Dunn says.