Whether you’ve jumped on the ‘Go Green’ bandwagon or not, you have to admit, the idea of eco-friendly alternatives has caught on big time.  It is now very much in vogue to serve an organic menu at your reception.  In fact, many caterers now offer organics as an option in their menu selection.  Of course, as with any trend, it comes at a price; normally 10 - 20% more than traditional menus.

There are other ways, however, to put a little ‘green’ into your wedding without taking too much ‘green’ out of your wallet.  As with every theme, begin at the beginning - the invitations.  Consider using recycled paper printed with organic soy ink.  Even cutting down on the traditional double envelope invitation will help to save some trees in the long run.  Don’t try to pack all of your information into a single invitation.  Instead, set up a wedding website that gives all the details such as hotel information, reception location, directions, and phone numbers.  You can even have a place where your guests can RSVP online, thereby cutting down on the paper RSVP’s and the postage.

Have your wedding and reception at the same location.  Many churches have kitchens and fellowship halls that work nicely for receptions.  This way people don’t need to put extra miles on their cars or extra carbon emissions into the air driving from a wedding to a reception site.  Often the cost is much lower as well, since renting of a special reception hall can be quite expensive.

Decorate with potted plants instead of fresh cut flowers and donate them to a retirement center or hospital after the wedding.  Your wedding favors can also be earth friendly.  Plantable wedding favors are the perfect ‘green’ gift to give those who attend your wedding. 

As you leave your reception, consider having your guests use biodegradable wedding poppers instead of rice.  Today many reception locations frown on rice and even birdseed, not so much for their environmental effects, but for safety reasons as someone may slip and fall. 

Going ‘green’ is definitely gaining in popularity and if you’re one who feels strongly about eco-friendly ideas, it doesn’t take much to put them into practice, even at a wedding.

Making up a guest list can often times be quite stressful.  Here are a few tips that may help to make that job easier.

Decide on a budget.  Knowing how much you can spend and how much the caterer will charge per person will determine the number of people that you’re able to invite.  It is perfectly proper to invite some guests to the wedding without inviting them to the reception.  You’ll need to order separate reception cards and include these cards only in the invitations of those who are invited to the reception.  Omit this card from those who are not invited to the reception.

Split the guest list 50/50.  Unless one of you has far fewer relatives and friends, it usually works best to allow the bride’s family to make up half of the guest list and the groom’s family to do the same.

Although you are never required to invite children, you should always be sure to include the ’significant other’ of any guest that is invited.  It is not required to invite ‘dates’ for single guests.

If you need to cut down on the number of people you invite, try omitting children.  This is accomplished by simply not putting the childrens’ names on the invitation.  But make your ‘no children’ policy known to those who may be asked, such as your parents, attendants, etc.  You can also omit business associates or coworkers from your guest list unless they are very good friends.  Distant relatives are another omission possibility.

If you are receiving many regrets from your first mailing of invitations, it is perfectly acceptable to do a second mailing.  Be sure you are giving your invited guests ample time to respond.

The reception is when your wedding favors will be handed out to your guests.  Be sure you have ordered enough to give to everyone who has been invited to attend this part of your special day.  It is not required to give wedding favors to those who have not been invited to the reception.

Most wedding invitations include the invitation itself, a response card with envelope, a separate reception card, an inner envelope (ungummed) and an outer envelope.  Directions to the church and/or reception hall may also be included.  Many stationers will also include small sheets of tissue paper.

In order to assemble your invitation correctly, place a single sheet of tissue paper on top of the printed side of the invitation.  Place the response card face up underneath the flap of the return envelope.  If you’re including a separate reception card or directions, place these items underneath the response card.  Insert these items into the invitation (or on top of the invitation if it is a single card) and place inside the inner envelope.  Handwrite the names of the guests on the inner envelope and insert into the outer envelope.  The handwritten names should face the flap of the outer envelope. 

Always hand-address your invitations and do not use preprinted or computer-generated address labels.  You can have your return address printed on the response card envelopes and the outer envelopes when you order your invitations from your stationer. 

Before mailing your invitations, be sure to completely assemble one invitation and weigh it to determine the correct postage.  Many invitations will require extra postage.  Most people consider it a courtesy to include return postage for the response card.  This helps to encourage a faster response to your invitation, however, if you are trying to cut costs, this is not mandatory.  Expect to get more replies via telephone or email if you do not include return postage.

Invitations should be mailed 2 months prior to your wedding day.  An RSVP date should be printed on the response card.  A typical response card can read:

The favor of a reply is requested
on or before the fourteenth of June
M______________________
Number of Persons:_________
______accepts    ______regrets 

The date should allow you enough time to get an accurate attendance count for your caterers.  Talk to your caterers to determine how far in advance they will need to know this number.