If you asked bridal couples and event planners about the most frustrating aspect of organizing an event for many people, managing the invitation creation and guest responses would certainly come up. Greenvelope provides a service that drastically reduces this headache.

With Greenvelope, not only will you instantly deliver your customized invitation to your guests' inboxes, but you will also receive speedy responses from your guests. Besides the multiple disadvantages of creating and mailing out physical, paper invitations the traditional way, choosing Greenvelope instead means that the days of having to painfully wait for responses by snail mail, and manually keep track of those responses are over!

Managing RSVPs has traditionally been a frustrating aspect of event planning. Following up on errant responses and keeping a tally on the number of guests (and their meal preferences in many cases), is a tedious and frustrating chore. Our innovative system not only automatically tracks all of your replies but also gives hosts the option to easily send a group email to those who have not yet responded. Eliminate the waiting and phoning around and dramatically reduce the time it takes to organize your RSVPs, by sending your invitations and receiving the responses electronically with Greenvelope.

Looking for ways to make your wedding or special occasion more Eco-friendly? Look no further as we present you with five ways to ‘go green’ on your special day:

1.    Paperless Invitations

One of the easiest ways to make your event more eco-friendly is to send paperless invitations. Greenvelope provides an elegant electronic invitation service by emulating the experience of opening a “traditional” printed invitation. Our invitations are fully customizable - from the envelope they virtually arrive in, to the invitation card itself  - and are ad-free so nothing detracts from your chosen words and design. Save trees, time, and money by inviting guests to your wedding, special occasion, or corporate event using paperless invitations by Greenvelope.

2.    Attire

Many brides are choosing wedding gowns made from sustainable materials in an effort to be greener. Some are even choosing gowns that they can wear again for parties or formal events. You may even make the decision to select a dress that has been worn before and either wear it as it is, or recycle and rework it into a unique, beautiful bridal dress. When selecting outfits for your retinue, again consider choosing clothing that is both stylish and suitable to wear again, as opposed to a distinctively bridal-type dress they can only wear once.

3.    Location/Venue

Choosing a venue for your wedding or special event that is close to most of your guests will reduce carbon emissions by lessening the distance that guests have to travel by either airplane or car. In addition, when the weather permits it, having your wedding or special occasion outdoors, as opposed to in a ballroom or hall – that requires temperature control and lighting - is a lot friendlier on the environment.
Select decorations considerately as well  - use vintage items like vases, and re-usable linens, silverware, and glassware. 

4.    Catering

Boost your wedding or special event’s eco-friendliness by hiring a local catering service that serves organic, locally grown food. Also consider selecting wines that are local or regional. Hiring a local caterer whose focus is on creating memorable celebratory meals from locally sourced ingredients will cut down on fuel consumption, help support local farmers and vendors, and help reduce your event’s overall carbon footprint.

5.    Transportation

Organizing a hybrid-car pool for your guests will not only make getting to and from the event easier for them, but also help reduce carbon-emissions. In addition, guests who have had one too many drinks will be extra appreciative of the post-reception carpool. Businesses like OZO Car located in New York City, provide an eco-friendly car service for weddings and beyond in the New York Tri-State area. With businesses like these popping up all across the nation, one is able to plan transportation to and from your wedding or corporate event, with both the environment and your guests' convenience in mind.

When planning your special event, after making making the eco-friendly choice of sending paperless invitations through Greenvelope, follow through by making other green choices that you’ll feel good about. Who knows – you may even inspire your guests to consider making greener choices in their lives too!

Looking for an eco-friendly and US produced gift for a wedding or special occasion that you were invited to via Greenvelope? Look no further as we present you with three website suggestions to find the perfect green gift:

1. GreenBrideGuide.com

The Green Bride Guide is a website that serves a resource for planning eco-friendly weddings and includes a green gift shop and registry, as well as a directory of approved green vendors. The categories of gifts available include items for use in the kitchen, bedroom, dining room, and bathroom. Each category includes a vast selection of high-end green products that would be perfect eco-friendly wedding gifts. The website itself is even hosted through a company that uses 100% wind power and the Green Bride Guide wedding planning book sold on the site, is printed on recycled paper. They also offer free carbon-neutral shipping on any orders placed through the website, making it an excellent choice to find a high quality eco-friendly gift for your next special occasion.

2. NuBeGreen.com

NuBe Green is an independent family-run business based in Seattle, WA. The store opened in 2009 and boasts both a physical storefront in addition to their online store. NuBe Green is home to handmade products sourced from recycled, sustainable, and organic materials, which are then crafted by local artists. Even the in-store fixtures are made from sustainable materials and produced locally. NuBe Green’s unique green inventory includes clothing, bags, jewelry, furniture, as well as other home and garden products, and uniquely crafted gifts and games. Each product’s listing on the website also includes the city or town where the product was crafted. Prices vary but are affordable, which adds to the allure of purchasing an eco-friendly gift for a wedding or special occasion from NuBe Green.

3. GreenOstrich.com

Green Ostrich is an online store founded in 2009 when the founder realized that “the energy-intensive retail stores that we frequent do not offer many Earth-friendly, green products.” By contrast, Green Ostrich offers eco-friendly and sustainable products. They specialize in gifts for men, women, and kids, including a variety of great choices for Bar/Bat Mitzvah gifts and other special occasions. Green Ostrich is a member of a growing global movement of companies called “1% for the Planet,” which donates 1% of their sales to environmental organizations across the world.

These three websites offer a wide selection of innovative and affordable green gift ideas, which presents an opportunity to reciprocate the eco-friendliness of a Greenvelope invitation.

As living sustainably has become more popular, everyday people are investing more time and energy in green living. Unfortunately, minimizing your carbon footprint, daily waste, and energy consumption requires a lot of conscious decision making.

Here are some ways that you can help achieve these goals:

buying organic and local foods
using non-toxic and environmentally safe cleaning products
• using electricity from sustainable utility providers such as wind energy
recycling or disposing of waste responsibly
• reducing electricity consumption
• reducing water consumption
• and using public transportation or carpooling.

While eco-concierge services can be a useful tool to attain sustainable living, there are many ways people can make small changes independently. At Greenvelope we have helped almost 7,000 families, firms and individuals save trees, time and money by helping them switch to electronic invitations. Minimizing consumption and waste are two easy and tangible ways to reduce your impact on the environment and it is easy to implement on a small scale by individuals all over the country.

To read more visit "Personal Eco-Concierges Ease Transition to Green" by the New York Times.

Please let me know your thoughts,
Alex Morel
Community Manager

(Q13FOX.com - KCPQ) — Check out the lastest press from Greenvelope! Seattle entrepreneur Sam Franklin visited Lily Jang and Bill Wixey on Q13 Fox News Morning show to talk about launching and growing Greenvelope.com as a college student! For the original link please click here.

---