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Danielle Venokur—the founder of events company dvGreen and our go to source for New York City—offers expert advice for Big Apple brides looking to travel in eco-style. |
When planning a green wedding, it's clear that brides have to revisit many of the traditional approaches to the main event—the dress, the food, the flowers, the invitation—but you also need to rethink how you're going to get there in the first place! While you may not clock a lot of miles getting from Point A to Point B on your big day, it's still important to introduce a more sustainable mode of transport. Why? Well, for one, each motorized vehicle on the road produces four times its weight in air-polluting carbon dioxide. Considering all the pre-wedding traveling you're likely to do between site visits and tastings, that CO2 might add up. So, when you're hopping from appointment to appointment, opt for public transportation when possible.
Another reason to consider green travel: It can be way more fun! Companies like Manhattan Rickshaw and Revolution Rickshaw, for example will squire you in eco-bridal style in custom-designed rickshaws for between $50-75 per hour—a nice treat for the wedding couple, especially if you find ways to save elsewhere. If you can’t budget that in, you can opt for a petroleum-saving hybrid instead. You can rent one or more for around $30 to $40 each per day from a company like Enterprise and enlist the help of responsible friends to serve as drivers. For those looking for something slightly swankier, check out a hybrid car service whose fleet comes with trained drivers. As my friend Todd Smith of NYC Green Car, one such luxury service based in Manhattan, says, the way you travel "is a statement to your family and friends of how you, as a couple, are going to care for others and the world."
As with so many of the small changes we can make in our lives each day, the collective effect we could have if every wedding utilized no- or low-impact transportation adds up to some pretty serious progress for the environment. So as you make your way to your big day, aim to take things one carbon-free step at a time.
