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Birdseed, bubbles, lavernder buds, flower petals, sparklers
We can't do ANY of the above so we are handing out little bells to ring.
I heard that throwing rice is prohibited because it actually kills the birds that eat whats left on the ground after a wedding. Most people use bubbles now and they look great in pictures! If you're having an evening wedding sparklers would be pretty too!
I have also heard that the rice is bad for the birds - and I suppose that is why people threw birdseed for a while instead. I think the real reason is that the venue doesn't want to have to clean up the mess. And even if you do it outside, people are tracking whatever it is into the church for the next week unless somebody sweeps it up. With birdseed, sweeping it into the lawn or garden means that somebody spends the next few months doing extra weeding, because a certain amount of it sprouted. Flower petals stain the floors and carpets when people track them around on their shoes. You really just have to check with your venue to see what they might allow, or prohibit.
I think that the rice exploding birds thing is a myth, but better safe than sorry.
I'll be having an evening wedding, so we're planning on having (select) guests make a path with sparklers. The only downside that I've heard of for this is the sometimes icky smell. Obviously you would have to check the laws in your state to make sure they allow them.
A friend of mine used bubbles in her wedding, but everyone was so excited and busy clapping that few people actually used them. The flower girl did have a great time with all of the extras during the reception, though!
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We used Wedding Rice that you can buy at Michael's, A.C. Moore, or Joann Fabric. These websites usually even have coupons online to get up to 50% off. We used 2 bags of wedding rice for just under 200 people. Each person only got enough to fill their palm and then toss at us. Since the mini-hearts are made of sugar, they get crushed into a powder when people step on them and then blow away in the wind or wash away in the rain. Ask the church first though! Here is a link to show you what we used: http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat2125&PRODID=prd33605
It really depends on what your venue will allow. If the problem is the bird-rice issue, there are things like eco-fetti and birdseed that are great throwing options. Evening sparklers are nice too. I've seen balloon releases, but those are not particularly eco-friendly either. Have you considered either releasing doves (white homing pigeons) or butterflies?
Please don't use butterflies. I worked at a hotel briefly and one wedding had the butterflies to be releaased, they shipped in days in advance frozen and the hotel kept them frozen until the day of when these small boxes were given to the guests. It looked like about half of the butterflies flew off, some dropped to the ground or never got out of their boxes which was especially tramatic for a few of the children and then the leftover butterflies were left in their boxes. After the wedding left, we didn't want to throw out the rest of the buterflies so we "released" them. Do you really want to kill a bunch of butterflies on your wedding day? That is not how I want to start my married life.
I have to be honest and say that I don't understand why anything needs to be thrown/lit/release/blown or whatever. We let our bridal party know that as we exited they should start clapping and everyone else followed suit. This way we didn't have to spend time getting it ready to go, we didn't have to have anybody ready to hand it out, and best of all, it was free!
we used flower petals. It was really fun and made for some neat pics :)
Also the bird exploding from rice thing is a total myth.
Thank you very much girls!! You all being so helpful. I got many good ideas from you. I really appreciatte the time you took to write those comments to me 
Bubbles are really popular now, but please PLEASE be sure to get ones especially for weddings. My sister-in-law's dress got irreparably stained from the bubbles they used.
I also think ringing bells are a cute alternative that you could either tie to or use as your favor.
First check with your church. They have their own restrictions and you can't automatically assume that what is allowed elsewhere is allowed there. Also, the bird exploding thing is a total lie. If it was true, there would be countless stories about dead birds in the rice paddies overseas, which does not occur at all, therefore, it can't possibly be true.
Granted, I have only seen anything tossed very few times. Most weddings I have been to either didn't allow anything, even at the reception site, but when they did choose to partake, then it was either rice or birdseed, both of which are biodegradable so they don't need to be cleaned up. Things that are not biodegradable (silk rose petals as opposed to real) should not be tossed outdoors. If a wind happens to pick up and carry something away, you're gonna have a heck of a time tracking them down to dispose of them, so it's better to go with biodegradable stuff so Mother Nature can dispose of it herself. Also, the weddings I have attended that did have a toss were at the very end of the afternoon/evening when the couple was getting ready to leave for their honeymoon.
Speaking as a guest though, stuff like rice and birdseed that gets tossed *hurts* badly if it gets thrown in your direction, with birdseed being the worst. So for that reason, I can't even imagine what it must be like to be a bride & groom getting pelted with it.
As far as bubbles, there is no difference between regular bubbles and "wedding" bubbles other than the price and packaging. They are both made from the same soap and water. Most fabrics will not stain at all if a single bubble pops against them. You would have to actually have to hold the bottle over the dress and pour it straight down. Even then, it depends on the fabric itself.
From the weddings I have been to and the pictures I have seen, I love how bubbles look as the bride and groom walk out. I wish I had a pic to upload for you to see, but I honestly think it's really pretty and creates great pictures:)
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I would like my guests to throw rice that after my catholic wedding ceremony but unfortunately I have hear it has been prohibited in some places. Can anyone suggest some other possible substitutions? Thanks in advance...