Sustainable, green, or eco-friendly weddings allow us to think differently about wedding traditions and to create solutions which are kinder to the Earth. Read on to find out your sustainable options to throwing rice over the bride and groom at the end of the ceremony!
Hey, John!
Sarah and I are planning our sustainable, eco-friendly wedding at Ainsworth House & Gardens next year. For starters, we are giving our food and flowers to women’s shelter.
We wondered: Are there creative, green alternatives to throwing rice at the end of our ceremony?
–Evan the Eco-Friendly Groom in Eugene, Oregon
Hey, Evan!
That’s a great question! And, yes!
We’ve found that there are several eco-friendly options available.
1. Release Monarch or Painted Lady Butterflies. There are several vendors who offer live butterflies which you or your guests can gently release. Like bees, the butterflies pollinate flowers, fruits, and vegetables. In certain cultures, a butterfly represents the soul of a loved one who has passed; seeing the butterfly and knowing that person’s love still surrounds brings you peace and comfort.
2. Release Ladybugs. Named for Our Lady (the Virgin Mary), the ladybug is honored in a children’s rhyne for the beetle’s ability to eradicate crop damaging insects.
3. Flower petals: Your florist may have petals left over after making your bouquets. Instead of wasting the petals, use them!
4. Biodegradable confetti
5. Toss paper airplanes (which can then be gathered and given to children in the hospital or a homeless shelter).
6. Fragrant herbs such as lavender or rosemary, a symbol of love during the Middle Ages.
7. Wheat (a symbol of abundance when tossed at newlyweds in France).
8. Allow your guests to blow bubbles.
9. If you would rather not be used for target practice, let your guests wave:
Flags
Ribbon wands
Paper streamers
Hankies
Sparklers
Or ring small bells
or play a kazoo. (Suggest a song everyone knows.)
If you’d rather not have anything to clean up, have your guests yell “Yippee” as you walk by them as you exit or if this is a Renaissance themed wedding, your guests can yell, “Huzzah!” If your guests are Texans, they can yell, “Yee Haw!”
You might be wondering why we tossed rice at newlyweds after the ceremony. The custom dates back to Ancient Rome to symbolize blessing the couple with fertility and abundance. The Italians updated this custom and throw candy and sugared nuts at the newlyweds as wish for them finding the sweetness in life.
Now you know!
If you have any other questions, please reach out to me.
Your friend in the wedding business,
John Shyne
The images above are courtesy of Pixabay.com.
Images below are from the Ainsworth House & Gardens wedding gallery.
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