Life is hectic. But when you throw a major life event, like a wedding or new baby in the mix, it can get downright nutty. When it comes down to weddings, what really is the right size wedding? How much money is “justifiable” to spend? Where to begin when planning a wedding?

Today, Alicia & Sarah interview a wedding planner to the stars and pimp him for his secrets (and he’s got some good ones).

The pressures of a wedding are huge, to say the least; “the perfect day, dress, makeup, hair,” sometimes it just gets ridiculous. Women turn into Bridezillas just so everything will be perfect on this day that is perceived by society to be a day of perfection. When really, a wedding day is about the path that two people are about to embark on- spending the rest of their lives together, not a five hour long day. Planning a wedding doesn’t have to be an insanely stressful process, it can be quite enjoyable and should be- it’s a day to celebrate!

To gain perspective, Alicia & Sarah gather a round table of women who have been married anywhere from 11 to 63 years to share their perspective on what really matters in the long run. They reflect on their wedding day, what they would have changed and what they wish they should have done. When it comes down to it, the marriage is what is more important. A wedding day is wonderful, of course but what is important is that it’s the beginning of a marriage.

Listen and discover what really matters and how you can have your dream wedding with a fraction of the stress.

Life is hectic.

But when you throw a major life event like a wedding in the mix, it can get downright nutty. The logical question for practical and busy people is: how can I plan for a memorable wedding without it becoming all consuming? At Buttoned Up, we are huge believers in applying the 80/20 rule to event planning. If you aren’t familiar with the 80/20 rule – it basically states that, in anything, a relatively small handful of things really contribute to the desired outcome – so focus energy and attention on them and worry less about all the rest. Getting clarity on the “must-do’s” versus the “nice-to-do’s” is critical to getting organized and keeping your sanity in the run up to the big day. In that spirit, we’ve put together some tips on how to use the 80/20 rule to plan for your upcoming nuptials.

1. Ask a Question.

Looking for ways to make your actual wedding ceremony more special? One of the best-known ways to trigger your imagination is via free association. Find five married people whom you admire and ask them one, simple question: what was the most meaningful part of your wedding ceremony? Use their perspectives as a jumping off point for ideas on what’s really important and how to make your own ceremony special.

2. Decide Where to Stand Firm.

Weddings are one big up-sell opportunity for vendors (e.g. it is the most important day of your life…you wouldn’t want to go without x,y,z). Simply knowing where you won’t be up-sold and where you will allow a little of it can make a huge difference in your ability to stick to your budget. Given the input from others you gathered in step one, identify the things that you won’t scrimp on and the things you will. Then head online and take advantage of some amazing budget tools. The website TheKnot.com has great budget worksheets, which you can find on their site under the tools tab.

3. Skip the Musical Chairs.

Few things cause more pre-wedding angst than seating charts. Are Uncle John and cousin Becky still feuding? Will your conservative in-laws balk at sharing a table with your free-spirited family members? Will a college acquaintance be angry she isn’t seated at the same table as other, closer friends from school? When you consider that the typical guest will only be seated for about 1 hour of a 4 hour event, is it really worth wringing your hands over? No. Open seating is a stress-free option for hosts that is often more enjoyable for guests, because they get to choose their own dinner companions. If you must structure the tables somewhat for catering purposes, simply assign table numbers, don’t try to orchestrate who sits where at each table.

4. Don’t Skimp on Photos.

It may sound a little cliché, but the day itself goes by in a flash. Many brides say that they didn’t really experience their wedding until they got the photos back. Get a good photographer to document the day. Be sure to look for someone who has the ability to capture unscripted feelings and moments. Those are the ones you will cherish.

5. Food Is Love.

Food isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when someone says “wedding.” But, with a cost per guest of anywhere from $35 to well over $100, food is typically one of the biggest, if not the biggest, cost drivers for a wedding. If you are getting married at home or at a private residence, instead of opting for the same old chicken or steak routine, consider asking friends and family to give you the gift of food. Rather than buying a standard-issue gift from a registry, they can sign up to make a dish (with plenty of love, of course) for the big celebration. We know it might sound a little bit crazy – a pot luck wedding? But they can be just as classy as any catered affair. The key to pulling it off is getting organized and planning. For example If you prefer to have a bit more control over the menu, enable guests to “register” to make a certain number of servings of a particular dish (e.g. Caesar Salad, Lemon Risotto) or of a particular kind of dish (e.g.appetizer, salad, main dish, dessert).

6. Divvy Up the Thank You’s.

Sending heartfelt thank you notes is the perfect and perfectly appropriate way to complete your wedding celebration. Unfortunately, many brides take responsibility for the entire list, which means two things: (1) grooms don’t have any opportunity to express gratitude for gifts received, and (2) it takes twice as long to get through the list. Try this: the day after you return home from your honeymoon (or the wedding), make a master list of all the presents received and divvy up the thank you responsibilities with your spouse. You can divide the list logically by ‘guest of the bride/guest of the groom,’ by gift type (e.g. place settings for her, kitchen gadgets for him), or any way that makes sense for the two of you. To keep yourselves honest, set a deadline for thank you notes to be completed and establish a bounty, say of $5, for each uncompleted note.

Is It Ever Ok to Say No to Bridesmaid Requests

Visions of sugar plums still dancing in your head? The holidays are definitely the season of giving, but what you might not have realized that one of the things most given at this time of the year is proposals. One in four grooms proposes to his future wife over the holidays so if you’re not getting engaged yourself, you’re likely to get a phone call from one of your best pals with big news. After all of the congratulations and questions – how did he do it, what’s the ring look like, etc. – inevitably comes the most-loaded question – the “will you be my bridesmaid?” Of course it’s an honor and it’s exciting, but it’s also expensive and time-consuming. Is it ever ok to say no to some or all of the duties? What’s a maid to do?

Here are Three Things to Remember Before Saying Yes:

1. Look at Your Finances.

2. Take A Realistic Look at Your Calendar.

3. Find Out What She Expects.

Polyandry – Why you probably never heard of it

Article and illustrations by Alisa Singer, www.AlisaSinger.com

As we approach the season of romantic summer weddings, let’s spend a moment contemplating a different kind of marriage, one that’s not likely to be celebrated with a splashy affair at the Ritz. Imagine, instead, the blushing bride gliding down the aisle to face not one, but a half-dozen or so, eager grooms. I refer to the form of common marriage known as “polyandry”, in which a wife takes several husbands at a time, never very popular but still practiced today in certain remote villages in the Himalayas. There the custom is for a woman to marry all the brothers of a single family. This has the salutary effect of consolidating the brothers’ family wealth into one household and, theoretically, making “sharing” of the wife less of a source of tension. (And yet, somehow I can’t help but envision the mother of all cases of sibling rivalry.)

But as I said, polyandry is a trend that never really took off. This is not surprising. We can safely assume that a man’s preference would be for a marriage in which the wife-to-husband ratio is at least one-to-one. (Of course, his true fantasy would simply involve multiple women – skip the marriage part altogether.) And polyandry clearly presents some unique challenges for women as well.

To illustrate, consider the situation of the Himalayan housewife, let’s call her Chomolunga. In order to satisfy all of her husbands’ carnal appetites she is expected to orchestrate a nightly rotation of her “marital duties”, an arrangement which could easily rival, in terms of intricacy and exhaustion, the most demanding of carpool schedules. And then there are the extra meals, cleaning and laundry, and the overwhelming job of placating all those male egos. And though it’s nice to have a man around the house to operate complicated media equipment, a woman from a remote village in the Himalayas can’t possibly have enough DVR systems in her home to justify that kind of aggravation. And let’s not forget the inevitable debate over exactly whose baby it is and, by extension, who has to get up in the middle of the night to change the diaper. Picture this 2 a.m. dialogue among our Himalayan husband/brothers when 2 month old Mahendra wakes the household with his piercing cries:

Brother Barati: “Brother Paneru, the infant Mahendra is your son – you get up.”

Brother Paneru: “With all due respect Brother Barati, Mahendra was born on January 10th and counting back 280 days we arrive at April 5th, always one of your blessed nights.”

Brother Barati: “Pardon me, Brother Paneru, but please to remember that I switched with Brother Nawang that night because I had playoff tickets.”

Brother Nawang: “Yes, I do recall that Brother Barati, but anyone can see Mahendra has Brother Thakchay’s curly hair and skinny legs … “

I’m guessing that, before this debate ends, the weary Chomolunga will be the one to change Mahendra’s diaper and, since she’s already up, also the one to let the buffalo out. (Factoid – Most of the milk in Nepal comes from buffaloes.)

And so poor Chomolunga spends her days putting down upright toilet seats and cooking and cleaning for a family of twenty, all the while berated by a mother-in-law who, no doubt, thinks she wasn’t good enough to marry any of her sons, let alone all of them.

Which is not to say, however, that our current form of marriage is the best solution. In fact, forward-thinking women would do much better to negotiate an altogether different kind. What I have in mind is a sort of serial monogamy that borrows liberally from the vacation timeshare industry. It would look something like this: A woman marries, or rather “leases”, a man for a certain number of years, the choice of man and the number of years to depend on her particular needs and interests at the time. So, while she’s young and highly hormonal she can go for looks and chemistry. During her childrearing years she’ll seek the family guy who’s willing to read to the kids at night and pick them up from soccer games. (Cooking skills would also be a plus.) When it’s time to start paying those college tuition bills a man’s financial resources come into play. During the empty nest years, compatibility is key. At the end of life she wants him strong and healthy enough to be able to pick her up or wheel her around, if necessary, and good-natured enough to be willing to do so.

By my count that comes to an average of five husbands per woman but, more important than the number, the right man for the right time. And to provide for the possibility that something like love might show up along the way, the bride could negotiate up front for a lease-to-buy option or the right to extend the term. (And one could get very creative with the subletting possibilities.)

So my advice to future brides: When the clergyman asks “‘Til death do you part?” the proper response is, “Not quite – only ‘til the lease expires”.
Alisa Singer’s humorous essays have appeared in a variety of print and online newspapers and magazines across the country and in Canada.

She is the author of various gift books designed to entertain and amuse baby boomers. You can learn more about her work and purchase her books by visiting her website: www.AlisaSinger.com or contacting her at ASingerAuthor@gmail.com.”

Showering the bride with gifts for her new life is a wonderful wedding tradition that dates back well over one hundred years. Legend has it that a young Dutch couple wanted to wed, but the father of the bride disapproved because the young man was too poor. Friends and family disagreed with the father and came up with a creative way to give them her dowry. They ‘showered’ the bride-to-be by filling a trunk with treasured items of their own that they thought the couple would need in their new life together. Touched by the outpouring of support, the girl’s father relented and allowed them to marry.

Today, wedding showers are considered de rigueur. If you’re the maid of honor, this is one of the most important jobs you have. If the bride has not chosen a maid of honor, but people still want to shower the bride, any close friend or relative can take the lead in putting one together. No matter what your official role, if you are in charge of organizing the event, chances are, it is but one of a hundred things on your to-do list. How do you fit it in with everything else on your list without either spending a fortune or making yourself nuts? The secret: allowing for a little imperfection.

An imperfect shower? That sounds a little scary. No, we don’t mean throwing something together in a slap-dash fashion. We simply mean that by focusing on the relative handful of things that really are important and making sure those are buttoned up, you can relax and let go of the hundred or so other minor details that have the potential to make you nuts and cost you a fortune. We’ve broken down the planning process into five simple and low-cost steps. Focus on these 5 organizational tips, and your shower is sure to be a success.

1. Make a List of Attendees & Pick the Optimal Date.

The first thing you must do is sit down with the bride (or the bride’s mother/sister) and make a list of who should be invited to the shower and make sure that you have the email address or phone number for each person. Because the vast majority of attendees will be able to be reached digitally, you can take a quick poll via email on the best date and time for the event. Pick three dates/times and ask people to respond by a certain deadline letting you know which dates work for them. If there are important guests, like grandparents and great-grandparents who are not on email, call them to get their input as well. Go with the date that works for most (or the most important) people.

2. Organize Invites Digitally.

In this day and age there is no need to go to the expense of printing invitations. Set aside an hour one evening about a month to two months before the event to create and send e-invitations. Sites like Pingg.com enable you to create and send lovely ones for free and manage RSVPs online too. Be sure to add a short line to the bottom of your e-invitation letting people know how to contact you if they’re interested in helping out. If there are one or two people on the list who are not reachable via email, you can design and print your own invitation using a free invitation design service like www.InvitationLand.com and then send it via snail mail.

3. Identify Your Team & Assign Roles.

Most attendees would love the opportunity to help out; after all it is another opportunity for them to shower the bride with love. But you will never know unless you ask. That is why we recommended putting a line at the bottom of your e-invite letting people know that they should contact you if they’re interested in lending a hand. Start with those who responded positively and enlist their help with one of the following areas: (1) hosting the party at their house – if you can’t accommodate everyone at yours, (2) making a dish, (3) planning a game, (4) helping the bride stay organized on the day. If too few people replied, reach out to others in the wedding party or other family members to see if they can help.

4. Plan for Potluck.

Food is the glue at a shower – and it is so much more meaningful when others can make a little something with love for the event. Make a potluck signup sheet and circulate it. The list should include sign-up space for one or two appetizers, one or two side dishes, one or two main dishes, and at least one cake or set of cupcakes. Put your name down next to one or two dishes to get the ball rolling.

5. Map Out the Agenda.

The best showers have allotted time for chit-chat, food and cake, presents, and games. If you don’t have at least a rough schedule, you’re likely to end up having to rush through something. Decide what shower games you want to play. If more than one is to be played, split up the planning so that it doesn’t all fall on one person’s shoulders. Think about how to keep the gift opening process moving along. This is the part of the shower that takes the longest and guests can start to lose interest if it is poorly organized. Those who signed up to help the bride stay organized on the day of the shower should be at the ready – handing her gifts, taking away wrapping paper in an orderly fashion, keeping a list of who gave what, and making the ribbon bouquet. For a green and speedy twist – have everyone put their gifts in muslin bags tied with a ribbon so that unwrapping is less time consuming.

Life is hectic.

But when you throw a major life event like a wedding in the mix, it can get downright nutty. The logical question for practical and busy people is: how can I plan for a memorable wedding without it becoming all consuming? At Buttoned Up, we are huge believers in applying the 80/20 rule to event planning. If you aren’t familiar with the 80/20 rule – it basically states that, in anything, a relatively small handful of things really contribute to the desired outcome – so focus energy and attention on them and worry less about all the rest. Getting clarity on the “must-do’s” versus the “nice-to-do’s” is critical to getting organized and keeping your sanity in the run up to the big day. In that spirit, we’ve put together some tips on how to use the 80/20 rule to plan for your upcoming nuptials.

1. Ask a Question.

Looking for ways to make your actual wedding ceremony more special? One of the best-known ways to trigger your imagination is via free association. Find five married people whom you admire and ask them one, simple question: what was the most meaningful part of your wedding ceremony? Use their perspectives as a jumping off point for ideas on what’s really important and how to make your own ceremony special.

2. Decide Where to Stand Firm.

Weddings are one big up-sell opportunity for vendors (e.g. it is the most important day of your life…you wouldn’t want to go without x,y,z). Simply knowing where you won’t be up-sold and where you will allow a little of it can make a huge difference in your ability to stick to your budget. Given the input from others you gathered in step one, identify the things that you won’t scrimp on and the things you will. Then head online and take advantage of some amazing budget tools. The website TheKnot.com has great budget worksheets, which you can find on their site under the tools tab.

3. Skip the Musical Chairs.

Few things cause more pre-wedding angst than seating charts. Are Uncle John and cousin Becky still feuding? Will your conservative in-laws balk at sharing a table with your free-spirited family members? Will a college acquaintance be angry she isn’t seated at the same table as other, closer friends from school? When you consider that the typical guest will only be seated for about 1 hour of a 4 hour event, is it really worth wringing your hands over? No. Open seating is a stress-free option for hosts that is often more enjoyable for guests, because they get to choose their own dinner companions. If you must structure the tables somewhat for catering purposes, simply assign table numbers, don’t try to orchestrate who sits where at each table.

4. Don’t Skimp on Photos.

It may sound a little cliché, but the day itself goes by in a flash. Many brides say that they didn’t really experience their wedding until they got the photos back. Get a good photographer to document the day. Be sure to look for someone who has the ability to capture unscripted feelings and moments. Those are the ones you will cherish.

5. Food Is Love.

Food isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when someone says “wedding.” But, with a cost per guest of anywhere from $35 to well over $100, food is typically one of the biggest, if not the biggest, cost drivers for a wedding. If you are getting married at home or at a private residence, instead of opting for the same old chicken or steak routine, consider asking friends and family to give you the gift of food. Rather than buying a standard-issue gift from a registry, they can sign up to make a dish (with plenty of love, of course) for the big celebration. We know it might sound a little bit crazy – a pot luck wedding? But they can be just as classy as any catered affair. The key to pulling it off is getting organized and planning. For example If you prefer to have a bit more control over the menu, enable guests to “register” to make a certain number of servings of a particular dish (e.g. Caesar Salad, Lemon Risotto) or of a particular kind of dish (e.g.appetizer, salad, main dish, dessert).

6. Divvy Up the Thank You’s.

Sending heartfelt thank you notes is the perfect and perfectly appropriate way to complete your wedding celebration. Unfortunately, many brides take responsibility for the entire list, which means two things: (1) grooms don’t have any opportunity to express gratitude for gifts received, and (2) it takes twice as long to get through the list. Try this: the day after you return home from your honeymoon (or the wedding), make a master list of all the presents received and divvy up the thank you responsibilities with your spouse. You can divide the list logically by ‘guest of the bride/guest of the groom,’ by gift type (e.g. place settings for her, kitchen gadgets for him), or any way that makes sense for the two of you. To keep yourselves honest, set a deadline for thank you notes to be completed and establish a bounty, say of $5, for each uncompleted note.

It is the day before the audience taping and the Buttoned Up crew arrives in front of the apartment of Jennifer ready to help her surprise her fiancé, Rocky, with a clean, clutter free house.

There are a bunch of us: me, Nancy, Ash, Fran, Lauren, Marissa, and Leah….the whole gang out in the West. It is a strange feeling entering someone’s home that you have just met and digging right in to get them organized. But that is just what we did. With a simple hello and handshakes, we were set off to review the closets and drop spot we were tasked with organizing.

We came equipped with about 10 bags of organizing items from linen bins, to our Mail.sorter to even plenty of garbage bags. We were ready to get going.

Lauren headed up the hall closet and in no time had it cleared out and began sorting things into piles. She put items not belonging in the closet in one pile so they could find another home and before long was setting up the organizing accessories and putting things back. A job well done and done in about an hour.

Nancy was in charge of going through and then folding the linens and towels. Except for struggling with how to fold a Snuggie (you know that backward bathrobe thing), she was unstoppable and did a great job.

Ash and her team headed to the other closet which did require a bit more work and patience. Perhaps the most challenging task here was convincing Jennifer to donate or toss items she just didn’t need any more. Not easy work but one they handled skillfully and with great patience.

Finally, I started on the junk pile in the kitchen with Nancy. We sorted and put together piles and along with setting the family up with things like a Mail.sorter and Life.doc, we had the area tidied up and looking great in less than two hours.

Before I know it, 3 hours have passed and we are saying goodbye and admiring our work. What fun to organize someone and see the immediate results. And it was a fun Buttoned Up team activity as well!

Have any questions about the makeover? Email us at info@getbuttonedup.com

Where to start? Any time I do TV, I feel as though I am having an out of body experience. There is a rush of nervousness and adrenaline. I keep repeating to myself about the key points I need to make in the limited time I have on camera. Getting ready for Wedlock and Deadlock was no different.

We arrived around 2 ½ hours before show time. It was me, Ashleigh, Lauren and Charly Rok, who drove onto the lot in Hollywood and made our way along the long hallway to one of the small green rooms (which are not green, by the way). We have with us our products (life.doc and mail.sorter) and are ready to get started.

But there is so much to do first. I make my way into makeup sitting next to 2 other ‘maybe brides to be’ for the show. My makeup is done and I must say I look pretty good. I wish this woman could come home with me and be around each morning. I then head over to hair and promptly announce how my hair is ‘awful to deal with. So thin! So sorry about that!’ They tease it up, roll it up in curlers and somehow make it look like I have 5 times as much hair as I really do. Love it!

We head back to the green room to wait some more. One of the grooms has taken ill so there is a short delay. No one is sure what the issue is but most people are guessing it is nerves.

They call us down. Here we go. I get mic’ed up and we are escorted into the front row and briefed about when Dr. Michelle will call on us and how it will all go. With that, the show starts. Lots of energy and clapping. When it is our turn, I talk to Dr. Michelle about how getting organized is so important in any successful partnership (and it is!). Before I know it, our great couple is married and we are backstage eating wedding cake with the family and getting in the photos.

I love days like today. I feel like the Buttoned Up team has really helped jump start a couple who needed our help and that just puts a smile on all of our faces! Have any questions about the taping or the show? Email us at info@getbuttonedup.com.

Assess your “biggest closet problem” first: Do you have too many shoes for the space? Get a better shoe system like an over the door organizer or hanging shoe rack. Do you have too many clothes for the space? Get thinner hangers to make more room. Having trouble finding your items in the morning, divide the t-shirts, dresses, jeans, etc. into separated sections. Or is it that you have WAY TOO MANY EXTRA things in the closet? Find them a new “home” or contain them in one “extras” box in your closet. Whatever your biggest problem in the closet is, attack that first. The rest will be easier by default.

Recruit the Troops. No matter how much of a super mom or dad you are, the whole family should help with this task. Not only should it be your spouse and kids’ responsibility to organize their clothes, accessories and toys but chances are if you try to do it without them, you’ll throw away something that seems insignificant to you but important to them. Plus you’ll cut your cleaning time way down.

Schedule Time: Block off an hour on your calendar this week or next to tackle the problem. When you actually carve out out the time, it’s amazing what you can accomplish in an hour. If you don’t have a free hour, you should at least be able to break it up into two half-hour sessions. If you need to, arrange for someone watch the kids. Better yet, have your spouse take the kids out of the house for an hour while you go to work and then return the favor when it’s their turn to hit the closets.

Start from Scratch. Take the time to pull everything out of your closet and then throw away and donate what you don’t need. If you don’t take it all out, chances are you’ll just move the same unnecessary or unwanted items to another part of the closet.

Declutter quickly. The easiest way to declutter your closet is to get rid of anything that is not clothing, shoes, or accessories. Bank statements, insurance information, or tax documents should never be in your bedroom closets. Pick up a Life.doc to organize all of your most critical information in one, easily accessible binder. Then get a File.starter to file away all of your important loose papers in a file cabinet or milk crate.

Organize in Sections. Designate areas of your closets specifically for shoes, hats, sweaters, etc and stick to them. This will save you time in the morning when you’re looking for that black cardigan. If you only have areas to hang items, put in shelves as this will better utilize your space

Apply the 80/20 Rule: The majority of clothes you have probably go unworn. We don’t know if it’s true or not, but we’ve heard the statistic that the average American only wears 10% – 20% of the clothes they own. Try to eliminate some of the extras. As you rotate in your new wardrobe, put those items that you haven’t worn once in the previous season in a bag to give to charity or swap with friends. And anything with holes in it should be either thrown out immediately or put in the rag bin. Be ruthless!

Try the One in One out rule: For each new item you buy to put in a closet, force yourself to donate one item (or pitch it if it is past its prime). This will keep the pack rat in you contained!

Keep It Up: Use 15 minutes a week to straighten and deal with your closet for every week after the “big clean” organizing day. When you tackle it BEFORE it becomes a nightmare, you save more time and will have less stress over it later.

Reward Yourself: Give yourself a treat when this pesky task out of the way. Do something to celebrate the clutter free closets like buying a stylish hanging sweater organizer or even a new shirt. You’ll certainly have room for it!

Automobile carbon emissions are one of the biggest problems of pollution so if you have 100 guests driving 30 miles to commute from the ceremony location to the reception, the guests for your wedding alone will drive 3,000 extra miles. Multiply by the estimated 2.1 million US weddings a year and you’ve got 6.3 Billion extra miles driven. Divide that by the 12,000 miles driven by the average American per year and the guest commute would equal a whole year’s worth of driving for 525,000 Americans!

If you’re interested in hosting an eco-friendly wedding, simply start by hosting the ceremony and reception in the same venue. If you are taking your vows in a religious venue, find a reception venue within a mile or two of the ceremony – or better yet, one you can all walk to.Green weddings are a huge trend so here are five ideas for hosting a more eco-chic wedding:

1. Go Local

If your venue allows you to bring your own alcohol, bring locally brewed Beers and locally grown Wines. This cuts out the shipping emissions and with support your local businesses. Don’t be afraid to haggle with these businesses either. They will get exposure to 50-500 guests by being featured at the wedding so use that to your advantage when negotiate prices.

2. Go Natural

Many flowers in floral arrangements are shipped all the way from South America, Asia, and Europe, so the pollution impact from the shipping is high. In addition, you have no way of knowing what kind of environmentally harmful chemicals they use. Instead, use flowers that are in season and grown naturally in your area. For example, if you live in the South, pick Magnolia flowers from local trees and float the blossoms in vases on tables for centerpieces. Wild flowers from a friend’s garden can also add a very unique, personal, and beautifully natural touch to your wedding. If you want a more structured look, do an internet search for “organic florist” in your region.

3. Favors, Favors

Favors are a nice touch to any wedding, but the truth is, they usually just get shoved in a closet or worse, added to the already overflowing landfills. As an alternative, if you were planning on spending $5 per favor on 200 guests, spend $1 each for tiny live pine trees they can plant and donate the other $800 you were planning to spend in a donation to a local or national forest, a save the animals foundation, or whatever other charity you and your fiancé believe in.

4. Send E-vites

This tip may be shockingly unconventional, but sending electronic invitations will save a great deal of paper. As a bonus, this one will also keep more money in your pocket. If you have relatives or friends who don’t use e-mail, make your own simple invitations to send to those few people. Also create an online wedding website where you can feature your wedding style as well as maps to venues, menus, photos, etc. This will be a perfect electronic touch to your eco-friendly big day. On your wedding website you can also feature a section on all of the ways you are making your wedding green so guests will know why they didn’t get a paper invitation in the mail.

5. Attire

Your gown sets the stage for the whole day. But since you’re only wearing it once, it’s okay to wear one that’s vintage or already worn. If the money you’ll save doesn’t sell you on this idea, maybe this one will: try a charity like “Brides Against Breast Cancer” where sample gowns and donated previously worn gowns are auctioned and all proceeds go to Breast Cancer research. Recycling dresses is a great eco-friendly choice.

Remember: Even if you can only do one or two of these green options, every little bit helps! With approximately 2.1 million weddings a year in the United States, if every bride can make a few eco-chic changes collectively, the impact will be huge.