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Green Weddings at Hoyt Arboretum

If you are interested in having your wedding in a lovely outdoor setting like the Hoyt Arboretum, you may be interested in ideas for a "green" wedding -- in other words, an event that doesn't come at the expense of the environment. Few events offer as many opportunities to make caring choices than a wedding. At an average cost of $25,000 to $30,000, weddings can have significant effects, and these need not be harmful to the environment .  

Here are some ideas for alternative choices which may be more eco-friendly than many of the more traditional wedding elements:

• Use local and seasonal flowers for the bride's bouquet and decorations instead of burning fuel transporting flowers from other states or countries.
• Design the menu using local, organic foods in season.
• Search for web sites offering biodegradable plates and napkins, organically grown flowers and food, and use tablecloths made from organic cotton.
• Find vintage clothes to avoid the waste of wedding gowns and suits that will never be worn again.
• Find venues and caterers who recycle.
• Decorate with potted plants that can be transplanted instead of thrown away after one use.
• Use soy-based candles, rather than those made of petroleum-based wax.
• Purchase locally brewed beer and organic wine.
• Look for rings that are 100 percent reclaimed, recycled, ecologically responsible gold.
• Use mass transit or shuttle buses that run on bio-diesel fuel to move guests between sites.
• In lieu of traditional gifts, ask guests to sign up for renewable energy and reforestation projects.
• Purchase small, native plants to give as favors to guests.
• Calculate the mileage guests will travel and offset their carbon emissions by donating to places like Hoyt Arboretum that plant trees or preserve rain forests.

Hoyt Arboretum
4000 SW Fairview Blvd., Portland, OR 97221
(503) 865-8733
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