Simple Ideas for the Green DIY Bride

by Wenona Napolitano May 14, 2010, 7:30 am 22 Comments

It’s wedding season.

(Groans in the background) Yes, I know, I know. Those of us who are married and have been married for awhile are so done with weddings. We’ve made the rounds, been to lots of them (and probably been in a few), planned our own and pray to never have to go through it again.

But there are plenty of bright and shiny brides-to-be out there planning their weddings who would love to go green and DIY- the two seem to go hand in hand.

Some of the simplest ways to be green are about making smart choices. Pay attention to the materials used. Are they natural? Biodegradable? Do they come from renewable resources? Think organic, renewable and sustainable when buying supplies. Even used and vintage comes into play in the green scheme of things.

Reusing is an area where you can get really creative. Reuse things other people had left over from weddings and parties. Decorate your wedding with things you can reuse in your newlywed home. Sell things after your wedding that other people can reuse, like those thirty glass bowls you used for floating candle centerpieces or the arbor you wanted to get married under but now you live in an apartment and have no place to put it. Or how about that chocolate fountain? There are online sites that cater specifically to getting rid of your used wedding items like Recycled Bride. And of course there’s always eBay, Craigslist and a multitude of other online auction and classified sites where you can unload your used stuff and make a buck or two.

As a green DIY bride you can easily add a little eco-charm to your wedding day by being creatively green.

What does this mean? The idea is to think outside the traditional wedding box. Look at normal, ordinary, everyday things in a new way. Put your green wedding goggles on and look at everything around you. Imagine the item transformed into something potentially wedding-ish.

Fabulous wedding décor and accessories exist all around you. Take for instance cardboard toilet paper rolls. In a million years you probably never would have considered that toilet paper rolls could play a roll (pun intended) in your wedding, but they can. A cardboard toilet paper or paper towel roll can be transformed in a fabulous favor holder with a bit of paint, ribbon, glue or flowers.

Other ordinary everyday objects that you might never think twice about are empty aluminum cans or glass pasta sauce jars.

Take a look at what piles up in your trash cans and recycling bins. Now look at it all again. Really look. Inspect every object and try to think of it with a fancy or funky coat of paint. Imagine these objects at your wedding reception. Can you see them there? You are probably thinking no way but ordinary can become extraordinary.

Just like the simple toilet paper roll that became a fancy favor box, other items can be transformed as well. Suddenly a soup can is reborn as a candle holder or centerpiece, a pasta sauce jar becomes beautiful Italian inspired décor or a fabulous soy jar candle. That discarded plastic ice cream pail becomes a beautiful flower girl basket.

You can save things from ending up in the landfill or at the recycling center by giving them a new purpose. Old things can become useful and beautiful additions to your wedding.

So look around, you never know what may inspire you.

[Image by bloosifer, used under a Creative Commons License]

Written by Wenona Napolitano

Wenona is married with three crazy kids that range in age from 4 to 18. She is a freelance writer, poet and the author of The Everything Green Wedding Book.

She enjoys reading, writing, crafting and gardening. She tries to do all of these as "greenly" as possible.

Her writing has appeared in several local and regional publications, Pack O Fun, Today's Creative Home Arts, and Indiana Living Green magazines as well as numerous online sites including PlentyMag.com, EthicalWeddings.com, MyEcoChicWedding.com, eHow, Associated Content, Suite101 and Life123.com.