Weddingbells: How much impact does having green invitations make?
Emily Anderson: Couples can make a tremendous impact on the environment simply by choosing recycled paper for their invitations. They can take it even further by reducing the amount of paper items they use for their wedding. One great tip I like to suggest is to send your invitations earlier than usual, so that way you can skip the save-the-date card. If you want, you can always send an e-mail reminder, pointing guests to your website. Creating a wedding website is a great way to reduce the amount of paper you use. In terms of the physical impact of choosing tree-free or recycled paper, every four weddings consume about one entire tree; so if you choose recycled paper, you will definitely make a difference.
WB: How can you ensure that your invitations are eco-friendly?
EA: Ask your stationer or printer to use recycled or tree-free paper (which just means it has been created from hemp, cotton, or recycled fibers). Also, be sure that your invitation design is recyclable–often the ink or the paper finish makes the invitation non-recyclable.
WB: What’s the easiest way to make your stationery green (ink or paper)?
EA: The easiest way to make your stationery green is by choosing recycled paper. You can go the next step by requesting that soy ink be used in the printing. Another way is to make sure your invites won't be thrown away–make them a keepsake that the recipient will want to hold on to. You can do this by using a one-of-a-kind illustration, a vintage inspired postcard invite, or you can make them by hand. Some brides even choose to design and print their own invitations at home. You can go to a do-it-yourself invitation site, such as Uniquity Invitations (uniquityinvitations.com). That way, you get to choose the paper you want to use. You can also work with a vendor who you know has an eco-chic product, such as Baron Cards (baroncards.com). Just remember, you have a lot of beautiful choices, so you don't necessarily have to go with paper that has seeds and flower petals in order to be eco-friendly.
WB: Can you recommend a few places?
EA: There are a lot of great eco-friendly invitation resources. Here are a few I recommend: Oblation Paper + Press (oblationpapers.com), Brown Sugar Design (bsdstudio.com) and Earthly Affair (earthlyaffair.com).
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