Choosing eco-friendly invitations for your wedding can not only reduce waste, it can also can communicate your committment to the environment to your guests.

Plant your paper
Always look for paper that hasn't been bleached and contains at least 30 per cent post-consumer waste. Your other creative option is to use plantable paper which is embedded with wild flower seeds. The paper is available in a variety of colors and shapes and whe guests are finished with the invitation, they can plant it.

Ink Solutions
Try to find a printer who uses soy or vegetable-based inks and take a calligraphy course (or hire a local calligrapher) to address the envelopes yourself.

Excess Packaging
The same way many product manufacturers now reduce packaging in an effort to become more green, ensure your invitations don't contain an excess of unneccessary paper. Avoid the pieces of tissue paper commonly inserted between each invitation piece. You can also consider trying to fit all of the information onto one decorative piece of paper rather than several.

And instead of using those reply cards and self-addressed, stamped envelopes for guest RSVPs, consider setting up an inexpensive toll-free phone number to your residence and creating an email account specifically for this purpose. I stole that tip from my best friend and used it for my own wedding years later. Trust me, guests are far more likely to remember to make a phone call or fire off a quick email with their response than they are to fill out a reply card and look for a mailbox to drop it in.

Use technology to your advantage
If most of your guests are computer saavy, consider designing a wedding web page and inviting guests through there. The bonus is you can provide much more information without creating additional waste. For out-of-town guests, include a section with local activites and attractions, as well as any hotel information where you have reserved a block of rooms. Car rental information, nearby restaurants, updates for travelers as the wedding gets closer - you name, you can provide it, all with the simple click of a mouse.

Trim that list
Of course the simplest option to reduce paper waste (amongst many others involved with a wedding) is to keep your wedding at a reasonable size. If you haven`t spoken to your university buddies since leaving campus years ago, carefully consider if they warrant an invite. And if someone asks if they`ll be invited (and they aren`t) use tact, but politely inform them you are having a small wedding, but would love to have them over for dinner when you return from the honeymood. After all, a wedding invitation should be a privilege, not a right or an obligation.

If you do want formal invitations you can send out, hit the jump to check out Green Field Paper Company. They`ve got a great selection of recycled, handmade and plantable paper for all of your wedding stationary needs.

» Green Field Paper Company