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Tonight at 8pm, cities, businesses, and individuals all over North America will be turning off their lights, computers, and televisions for the second annual Earth Hour. This global movement aims to make a statement about climate change while creating a positive environmental effect -- last year's Earth Hour resulted in a 10.2% reduction in carbon emissions for that hour. That's a pretty sizable impact for something so simple as turning off the lights.

The Earth Hour movement has inspired us to think of more ways your wedding can be not only the perfect day you've always dreamed of, but an environmentally friendly event. Our Green Weddings category has lots of ideas for you, and now we're going to focus on some Earth Hour-inspired ideas.


The idea behind Earth Hour is that the simple act of turning off your lights can make a huge difference -- so how about a wedding with no lights? That doesn't have to mean you get married in the dark. If you wed outdoors, do it in the daylight hours, or find an indoor location with lots of windows that can be adequately lit with natural light, and maybe the help of a few candles.

For a romantic and elegant electricity-free reception, light the room with candles and lanterns. If you're having a more casual outdoor wedding, a bonfire or some tiki torches can create a fun party atmosphere without using electric lights. Or just hold all the festivities before the sun sets. Simple!

You don't have to run up a huge electric bill to throw a great party. Think about some ways you can reduce your energy use to make your wedding a memory you can be proud of.