Green Your Caribbean Wedding!

One of the hottest trends in weddings this year, is "green" weddings. Society as a whole is becoming more environmentally conscious and therefore companies everywhere are jumping on the marketing bandwagon to appeal to this growing level of compassion. The travel and wedding industries are not exempt. Combine green-conscious companies from each of these industries and a Green Destination Wedding is possible! Let's start at the beginning, with the engagement rings. Green Karat sells conflict-free diamonds and will allow you to recycle any of your old jewelry and then creates a custom piece just for you!

Next it is time to send out the announcements! Twisted Limb Paperworks is just one of the green companies I found that offers 100% recycled Save-the-Date Announcements and Invitations that can be fully customized and come in an array of colors including a texted tan that resembles sand and the same pale blue as the Caribbean Sea.

Unfortunately, air travel is one of the evils of the eco-friendly modern age. Despite my green quest, I for one will never be able to give up flying. There are simply far too many places I lust for that I can't reach any other way. Terra Pass is just one of the many organizations popping up offering carbon offset programs. (I was in touch with them last year in hopes of working together and they never followed-up... but I still think their company is worth recommending.) While there are many debates about how and if these programs really work, I think it best to err on the side of "let's hope so".

Deciding where to stay will be the toughest part because eco-friendly hotels and resorts are springing up each month in the Caribbean! The Green Globe program is one of the oldest eco-friendly certification programs. The Caribbean, as a region, leads the world in the number of Green Globe certified properties. Currently there are 57 Certified Properties in the region. Here are some of my favorites. The Bucuti Resort, a small intimate resort, in Aruba has installed many water-saving devices and dozens of solar panels. Kudos to the Sandals Resort chain for making sure ALL of their hotels are Green Globe Certified. The purely luxurious Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada employs a "green team", a group of individuals who oversee and implement the environmental programs on property.

A room from the Cinnamon and Saffron Suites at Spice Island:

And because some of you don't want to return from your Destination Wedding to a house full of unnecessary gifts, there are all kinds of conscious wedding registries. My favorite this week is offered through the World Wildlife Fund and allows your guests to contribute to conservation in place of sending a gift.