Green is the new chic, and KC brides have lots of options for planning their wedding with an earth-friendly vibe. Read on to learn more on how to find sustainable vendors and venues for your Kansas City wedding.
How to Begin Planning a Green Wedding:
Start online. The Internet is full of resources to help find green wedding vendors in the Kansas City area. After you find a vendor that you like, have them make recommendations of companies in other vendor categories that produce green weddings or utilize sustainable initiatives with their products.
The Benefits of Planning a Green Wedding in Kansas City:
Having a green wedding doesn’t have to break the bank. The fact that a part of being green means using local vendors, in turn means less cost for transporting products to your wedding and reception site. As for flowers, organic blooms are pricier than standard flowers. HHowever, VeraFlora or FloraVerde certified flowers are comparable to standard flowers. Flowers that have this certification come from farmers who have done everything they can to go green but, are waiting for previously used chemicals to be rid in their soil.
Good Earth Floral Design Studio in Overland Park offsets the price difference by renting vases at no cost.
Whole Foods Market offers wedding cakes that are twenty percent to thirty percent less expensive than a traditional cake baker. The retail giant offers other services and foodstuff, allowing them to produce cakes made with no artificial ingredients or preservatives at a lower price than traditional bakeries. They can also produce allergy friendly eats, such as a wheat free cake.
Many of
Blue Window Creative’s invitations are self mailing, eliminating the need to buy envelopes. They also recommend using online RSVPs to reduce paper waste.
The Overland Park Convention Center offers centerpieces, real linens and china in their efforts to host green weddings. Having an all-inclusive price also helps couples save money. Plus, having the resources in the building means they don’t have to be transported.
How to Select a Vendor for Your Green Wedding:
Once you have found green vendors, there are many factors to consider in selecting which one to use.
Some overall questions to ask when interviewing Kansas City wedding vendors about green practices should include:
1. What is your trash to recycle ratio?
2. Do you compost materials that can be recycled?
3. Are the resources for your products local and/or recyclable and do they come from companies that practice green values?
There are also some specific questions you should ask when interviewing vendors for to verify if they follow sustainable practices:When meeting with caterers or cake bakers, you should ask:
1. Do you make your food with all organic, local ingredients?
2. Do you use artificial ingredients or preservatives?
3. Do you make your own natural fondant?
When interviewing Kansas City florists, you should ask:
1. Do you obtain their flowers from a local, organic or VeraFlora or FloraVerde certified farm that do not use chemicals on their flowers?
2. Do they rent vases to be reused for other weddings and special events?
When selecting a Kansas City stationary company, you should ask:
1. Do you offer self-mailing invitations (invitations that do not need an envelope) to cut back on paper use?
2. Do you use recycled paper?
3. Do you use decor such as ribbons and rhinestones or do you create a flat graphic that doesn’t use more resources than necessary?
4. Do your printers use soy inks and dispose of cartridges appropriately for the environment?
When scouting reception sites in Kansas City for your green wedding, you should ask:
1. Do you provide centerpieces that are reused at most weddings at that venue?
2. Do you provide real linens and china instead of paper products?
3. How do you clean your linens?
By knowing the right questions to ask and what to look for, you too can find the right “green” vendor to help plan your perfect Kansas City wedding.