You’ve seen it in all the movies:  The bride and groom joyfully emerge from the church as husband and wife as their admiring guests toss rice at them in jubilation.  This image lives in my memory; sadly, the image was not part of my own wedding day!  These days, many wedding ceremony sites ban the use of rice in celebration at the end of a wedding–not only is it difficult to clean up, it’s also quite slippery and is even said to be harmful to birds that ingest it.  Luckily, we here at Wedding Paper Divas have some alternate ideas that are easy to DIY and distribute to guests!  Celebrate!

1) Birdseed:  Although this doesn’t solve the problem of cleanup, it’s not nearly as slippery as rice and, obviously, not dangerous to birds.  Plus, it’s simple to make.  You can purchase large quantities of birdseed and any nursery or home improvement store.  Then, diving and conquer–package the birdseed into small favor bags and tie with a pretty ribbon.  You can even attach a sticker to tag to complete the look.  Try these great Polka Dot Organza Bags from Beau-coup.

2)  Flower Petals:  Another simple yes beautiful alternative to rice:  flower petals.  You can order petals from any florist in bulk.  Package them the same way you would the birdseed (see above) and you’ll have an environmentally-friendly ceremony toss with gorgeous color!

3)  Bubbles:  OK, not so DIY…but still adorable!  Blowing bubbles on the bride and groom requires no cleanup and still produces a gorgeous effect.  My favorites are these Wedding Bubble Tubes from Beau-coup.

4) Sparklers:  Admittedly, some parents may not be thrilled to have handfuls of sparklers in close proximity to their children, so proceed with caution based on your guest list.  However, if you have an adult-only wedding, this is an amazing alternative to rice.  I’ve seen some amazing wedding photography with all the guests wielding sparklers around the happy couple (see below!).  Plus, so easy to DIY…check out this tip from Martha Stewart Weddings:

“These can also be used as favors for the guests at an evening wedding, where they can be given out along with printed matchboxes or matchbooks. Tape a sparkler to the back of each matchbox to keep them from sliding about, and tie with a ribbon.”

Every time I go to a wedding where the tables are stacked high with cheap, plastic favors that no one will ever use again, I give silent praise for all of the beautiful, stylish and inexpensive eco-friendly favors that are available from sites like Etsy and Beau-coup.

Not only will these favors add eco-friendly heart to your celebration, they also bring a touch of style and elegance that plastic simply can’t touch.

Check out some of these sweet eco-friendly favors:

Here at Wedding Paper Divas, we’re celebrating Earth Day in style by carpooling to work, banning all paper plates and plastic cutlery and serving the entire staff a selection of delicious veggies, healthy meats and salad from a local restaurant. Several of our staffers are also planning to take advantage of some of these great Earth Day deals on everything from Etsy items to haircuts, computers, Christmas lights and more! Check out Yahoo! Green and The Huffington Post for more info.

How are you planning to honor Mother Earth today? This Nature’s Melody Save the Date Card is printed on our eco-friendly ecru paper. Will you be adding any eco-friendly details to your wedding celebration?