With the average wedding costing anything up to ?25,000?far more than would be needed for a deposit on a property?and omitting an amazing 14.5 tons of CO2, it is little wonder that an increasing number of couples are looking at green wedding alternatives; not just will they be helping save the planet, they will probably be saving money too.

But it is not always easy to know where to start when planning a green wedding. Should you go the whole hog & have a 100% environmentally friendly wedding or should you just drop a few elements of the celebration in favour of green alternatives? The answer, of course, is that you should do whatever you feel most comfortable with.

The following are just a few ideas that can assist make your special day more environmentally friendly.

Hired Clothes
 Hiring your wedding dress & suit means that one of the main expenses will be drastically cut while you will be "re-cycling". If you do not like the idea :idea: of wearing something that is already been worn, ask around as some wedding outfitters have brand new hire clothes available & while these will cost more than standard hire clothes you will still be making a enormous saving on what it would otherwise cost to buy new. If you are not happy :) to part with your dress, an nice alternative is to buy a vintage dress.

Re-Cycled Invites & Similar
 Invitations, table cards, order of service sheets & other printed paper are all available from most suppliers in re-cycled, unbleached card. To further save on paper, select postcard style invitations (no envelopes). Use the invites to inform your guests that you will be holding a green wedding and, after the ceremony, gather in your order of service sheets to be recycled.

Organic Food
 Even though this may work out more expensive than standard catering, not just is organic food is a more environmentally friendly option, it is a healthier choice too.

Flatware & Stemware
 By renting glasses, dishes & cloth napkins you will avoid having to use harmful, disposable alternatives.

Alternative Flowers
 To reflect that you are holding an environmentally friendly wedding, use wildflowers in your bouquet & as decoration. Some florists specialise is wild flowers so do ask around. Potted plants also make lovely, living centrepieces. After the wedding they can either be given away as gifts or used in your own home.

Confetti?
 Rose petals have become an increasingly popular alternative to paper or foil confetti (foil is especially damaging to the environment) but there're other alternatives available to use at a green wedding. Native wild flower seeds can be often used but it is important you do not buy standard birdseed as these mixes contain invasive plants that are not native to the area & can therefore cause havoc with the eco-system.

Blowing bubbles at an environmentally friendly wedding is a fun alternative to petals. Bubble fluid can be made at home by mixing washing-up liquid or baby shampoo with water & can be stored in recycled containers. Make a few pans of bubble mixture beforehand to be certain of the correct mix & leave the liquid overnight to thicken.

Favours
 Instead of giving favours you could give your guests a hand-made card decorated with pressed wild flowers. There is more. The card should read something like: "Thank you for joining us today. A donation to charity has been made in your name." Another nice idea :idea: is to wrap a bulb in a piece of muslin & tie it with jute. Add a note explaining that they should plant it in a pot or garden as a lasting reminder of your day together.

Choosing just a few environmentally friendly options is better than making no changes at all and, who knows, your green wedding may be the catalyst needed for others to make some green adjustments to their lives.

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Sharon Jacobsen is a full-time freelance writer living & working in Cheshire, England.

For a competitive fee she will happily write compelling, informative articles on just about any subject from weddings to wine making. Do you follow? To contact Sharon or to download sample articles & her ratecard, please visit http://www.sharon-jacobsen.co.uk