Your Wedding Reception

Before you got engaged, your green sensibilities folded seamlessly into your lifestyle. You recycled dutifully, and you carried a reusable water bottle. Maybe you even biked to work and tended to your organic garden on the weekend. But planning a wedding is such a complicated and expensive endeavor. Do you really need to consider caterers that specialize in local fare, bouquets from organic flower farms, tree-free paper for invitations, and renewable energy credits to offset the carbon emissions caused by guests traveling from afar?

Truth is, you're probably afraid that all this environmental doom and gloom will put a damper on your big day. Besides, how can you worry about the greenhouse effect when you still need to book a photographer and you have yet to choose the color of your bridesmaid dresses? Well, before you throw all eco-friendliness to the wind, consider these simple strategies. With a little planning, you can have the wedding of your dreams — and get Mother Nature's blessing, too.

Food & Wine

Let's be honest here — if your parents and future in-laws aren't as eco-conscious as you are, you're probably going to witness a few eye-rolls the moment you mention using an organic caterer. While the elder-generation may not be concerned about offering delicious options for vegetarian guests or sourcing produce from local, family farms, the fresh flavors of organic food tend to speak for themselves.

Sample wedding menus from three of America's top organic caterers prove that healthful, natural, sustainable food needn't be austere. New York City's Cleaver Co. kicks off a wedding celebration with playful passed hors d'oeuvres — such as Peking duck rolls in scallion pancakes, savory profiteroles stuffed with Peekytoe crab salad, and mini grilled cheese sandwiches with pickled onions and fig marmalade. In their family-style wedding menu, Berkeley's Back to Earth Organic Catering includes porcini-dusted Pacific rock cod with sweet corn emulsion and micro greens, as well as pepper-crusted Marin Sun Farms sirloin with horseradish aioli. Chicago's Greg Christian Catering and Events offers a particularly hearty vegetarian entrée — Sesame Crusted Eggplant Steak, served over red Thai rice, with braised baby bok choy, tofu croutons, and chili oil — a far cry from the sad plate of limp pasta that many vegetarians have endured at typical meat-centric weddings. This Chicago caterer also suggests finishing off the meal with a slice of their Champagne Raspberry Cake, served beside a chocolate-dipped strawberry.

Unfortunately, high-end organic fare doesn't come cheap. And in many cases, the wedding packages offered by affordably priced reception halls don't offer much in the way of earth-friendly menus. If organic food isn't their game, they're probably not going to start supporting local farms on your behalf — no matter how much of an Eco-Bridezilla you may be.  Take this in stride, and look for other ways to green your wedding. Even if you have limited control over the food, you may be able choose a local or biodynamic wine to serve with dinner. Biodynamic wines are cultivated with organic farming practices — and without pesticides, chemical growth stimulants, or synthetic fertilizers. And if you're working on a small budget, you might consider offering a limited drink menu — you'll save money by serving selected wines rather than offering a full open bar.