The goal of a wedding is to celebrate the union of two people who are madly in love. That’s the most important part. The only real requirements you need are the bride, the groom, an officiant and maybe a witness or two, and of course your nieces, nephews and godchildren! At the end of the day, does it really matter who wore what and who ate what?

Weddings cost a great deal, and the final price tag can add up very quickly. But today’s brides and grooms want to make sure their big day is eco-friendly. The choice to go green can also lessen the overall cost of the wedding as well.

You can start to protect the environment from the get go by buying a lab created diamonds that aren’t part of the blood diamond industry. Check out http://diamondnexus.com. I’ve known some couples who have opted for the lab-made diamond ring and plan to buy the “real” thing for an upcoming anniversary.

The Invitations
Couples can print up their own save-the-date announcements and wedding invitations. Instead of sending out two mailings (which will each require transportation and fuel to distribute), e-mail the save-the-dates and mail the invitations. 

• Use recycled paper and envelopes.
• Save time and money by announcing your wedding date when sending out your holiday cards.
• Ask for RSVP’s via e-mail and phone instead of printing out another card.
• To save paper, send a fancy e-mail and send paper ones to the non-techies.
• Create a website (many wedding sites offer them) to post plans, maps, and other information for the wedding.

The Dress
Ah, the dress. All brides wonder and worry about the dress. A bargain shopping bride has interesting options for dress shopping. Young brides are selling their dresses after the wedding to recoup costs and avoid storing it.

• Check consignment racks at the bridal shops or surf the web. A couple of consignment websites include: www.preownedweddingdresses.com, www.encorebridal.com, and www.woreitonce.com.
• Have the dress of your dreams made for less by a tailor. Sites, such as Etsy.com, have several vendors who make wedding dresses for far less than a bridal shop.
• Shop the sales at bridal stores. Be prepared for large crowds. Take back-up to help you. Maybe even your older nieces will want to help!
• Borrow the dress from your mother, friends, or sister.

Bridesmaid dresses don’t have to come from the bridal store either. Check your favorite shops for dresses you like. For several years, the trend has been to have the bridesmaids use the same fabric or color and wear a dress best suited for their body type.

For your darling nieces and nephews in the wedding, have the parents help you to scour sales racks for pretty party dresses and dashing suits. Again, the dresses and boys’ ties don’t have to be the same color. Teen-age nieces and nephews don’t need to wear the same dresses as the bridesmaids and rent the same tuxes as the groomsmen.

For the groom and the groomsmen, renting the tuxes is still the best option. Ties can match the bridesmaids’ dresses. If matching doesn’t matter, you can offer your bridesmaids and groomsmen the option to wear items they already own—it will reduce your carbon footprint, and save them money.

The Food, Centerpieces and Locales
Other than the dress, the food is one of the biggest costs for a wedding . As someone who has planned events, hotels make more money from their food than they do from renting the actual reception space.

Simplicity is best when it comes to décor and the tables. To have green centerpieces, opt for live plants, potted flowers, or even small trees. These can be given to guests or used in the couple’s new home.

Chair covers and extra tablecloths add more to the final bill. Ask yourself: are you and guests going to remember chair covers? Fancy tablecloths? Just include what you need.

Some venues will allow you to bring your own tablecloths and food, but a majority of hotels will not. Check the fine print in hotel contracts.

State parks and similar venues have less requirements but they still have rules for weddings. These venues may also have wedding coordinators on site.

It’s less expensive for the couple and the guests to have the wedding and reception in the same place.

The Bouquet
Choosing flowers in season will lower costs since they won’t have to be shipped in. By choosing rare flowers only grown on a Brazilian hillside, you will pay extra money, and the flowers will have to be shipped in via plane or boat. For one wedding I was in, we bought roses at a local grocery store the morning of the wedding, removed the thorns and wrapped up three roses in ribbons for the bridesmaids.

And who says you have to have flowers in your bouquet? A photo in a recent Martha Stewart’s Weddings magazine featured a bouquet made from paper butterflies, and because of that photo, I saw a listing on Etsy.com for a bride who wanted a paper butterfly bouquet. It’s unique and eventually can be recycled.

The Favors
You don’t need them, and you’re giving guests stuff that could eventually become clutter. If you want to do something, you can make a donation to a charity. Post a little sign on the tables or put a line on the invitation information saying, “In lieu of favors, we have made a donation to XYZ Charity.”

The one area that I believe in spending on is the photographer. Make sure the photographer is experienced and talk to references. Talk to other couples for recommendations as well. If relatives or friends offer to take photos and they’re not professionals, ask them to take random party shots and still use a professional for the official photos.

Skip the disposable cameras on the reception tables. Kids at the weddings wind up using them, and the photos you wind up with are dark and at strange angles. If you want to give your nieces and nephews disposable cameras to use, that’s okay and will be fun for them.

Of you are inviting children to the wedding, having a kids’ table at the reception is a good idea. Stock it with board games, puzzles, coloring books and washable markers. Serve them “kid” food versus the fancier stuff on the menu. Make sure an adult or two are in the area.

To have a greener wedding, make small changes or large ones. Either way, celebrate your big day with friends and family and make it special in your own way.