Now that we have settled back into a routine several months after the wedding, it is a good time to reflect on the events of that day and the planning that preceded it. Kristy and I have moved back to San Francisco after a year in Boston, and she is developing affordable homes at BRIDGE Housing Corporation while I start my own green business consulting firm. We had actually expected to spend a year or two in New York, but our West Coast wedding made us realize how much we miss our friends and family out here in the Bay Area.

From the very beginning we knew we wanted to have a green wedding – one in which our awareness of the wedding’s impact would dictate many of the decisions we made during the planning process. While some couples might view this constraint as a negative, we found it to be a pleasant surprise. Instead of looking at hundreds of rings, we only perused the titanium ones. Instead of choosing between an incredible number of caterers, we only focused on the ones that prepared local, organic food. Instead of having to flip through hundreds of photos by hand, we were able to look at them all on our computers.

Channeling our efforts to select green vendors and ways of conducting the ceremony and reception made our planning process a lot easier, reduced our stress levels, and made us feel good about the choices we were making. But most importantly, it did not diminish the quality of our wedding. Our invitations, printed on recycled paper, were widely complimented for their unique design and high quality. The food at the reception. which included sustainable fish, local meats, and organic ingredients, was top notch. And the non-profit Japanese garden where we held both the ceremony and reception was widely admired by many guests.

In short, we didn’t have to compromise to have an organic wedding, even though we did have to accept the fact that we would have fewer choices. If you can get past that latter point, you can enjoy your wedding knowing you have made a real difference on your special day.