Your green wedding stationery

Even if you're a technology fiend you're going to use a lot of stationery over the course of your engagement. You'll need announcements, save the date cards, engagement party and bridal shower invitations and thank you notes, wedding invitations and RSVP cards, ceremony programs, place cards, menu cards, and wedding thank you notes. As easy as it would be to just send everything via email, having actual wedding invitations is always nice. Going green with your wedding stationery isn't as difficult or expensive as you may think. So, here are some awesome tidbits on how to "green up" your wedding stationery.

Paper Options:
Paper has only been made from trees for about 150 years now, so in addition to using recycled paper, you can look for tree-free paper. Invite Site is a great source for tree free wedding stationery. They also have great DIY kits for the crafty bride. Also, look for paper that is processed chlorine free (PCF). PCF paper is partially or totally recycled and is either unbleached or bleached with non-chlorine compounds. Though PCF paper is the most eco-friendly, also keep an eye out for these other common acronyms. ECF or elemental chlorine-free indicates that the paper fibers (virgin or recycled) are bleached with chlorine dioxide or other chlorine compounds. TCF or totally chlorine-free indicates that the fiber is 100% virgin and is either unbleached or bleached with non-chlorine compounds. Recycled paper cannot be TFC because the original processing of the paper is unknown.

Plant it!:
One of the greatest trends right now is plantable stationery. Foreverfiancies.com has an entire plantable collection! Their 100 percent recycled papers are embedded with wildflower seeds so your guests can plant your invitation! They also have save the date and announcement cards to match your theme.

Green ink:
Though many companies advertise themselves as using sustainable printing methods, there are a couple of options when it comes to ink. Soy based ink is popular and definitely more eco-friendly than petroleum based inks, but the best choice is actually vegetable based ink. Most soy ink is only about 20 percent soy, and it produces more volatile organic compounds (VOC's) than vegetable based inks. Vegetable ink is also considered more sustainable because it utilizes more than one crop, and it doesn't compete with the market for biodiesel fuel. Soybean oil, on the other hand, is used to make biodiesel.

Email RSVP's:
I highly recommend setting up an email address strictly for your wedding. Everything is online these days, and you'll want all of your online wedding information coming to you in one spot. Once you've set up your wedding email, save some paper (and some money on postage!) and have your guests email their RSVP's. Or, if you have a wedding website with an online RSVP feature, you can simply have guests reply there. Include your email address, or your website URL on your stationery invitation and give short directions for, including entrée choices, reply by date, and whether or not they will attend. If you have wedding planning software with bulk email capabilities, this step will be a snap.

With all of the stationery you're sure to be using over the course of your engagement, this is a great, easy area to go green. Happy planning, and more sustainable wedding tips coming soon!