environmentally friendly products

Think Sustainability When Wedding Planning

Green weddings have been on trend for many years. Some couples aim for “zero-waste” weddings, while others just want to reduce their carbon footprint. If you’re planning a wedding, don’t forget to think about the impact your celebration will have on the environment.

Up-cycled Wedding Styles   

Whether you call them vintage, secondhand or recycled, choose wedding items that are “mindfully curated.” There are many things you can recycle and reuse, from cufflinks and decorations to bridesmaid dresses and more. Go to estate sales to find an engagement ring or wedding set. If you do want diamonds, shop for ethically sourced gems. Ask friends and family if they have decorations that you can borrow instead of buying new.

Choose Seasonal

When you’re choosing a menu, think about what food is in season and produced locally to be environmentally conscious. Start with a caterer who works with local producers. Locally grown food often tastes better and is fresher. It might limit your menu, but it will be greener than shipping in a lot of items from far away. Raid your flower bed for your bouquet and boutonnieres. Seasonal flowers may not completely match, but they’ll be fresher than most of what you get at the flower store. Want greenery? Use houseplants to decorate your tables. At the end of the reception, let your guests take one home as a souvenir.

Choose a Vegan or Vegetarian Menu

Plant-based meals use less resources than those dinners that rely on meat. It might seem controversial not to serve meat at a wedding reception, but there’s no reason to announce it. Just create a meal around vegetables. Use meat sparingly instead of as the main course. Salmon appetizers instead of salmon fillets reduce the amount of meat you need to buy. Shaved beef on top of a salad instead of filet mignon as the entrée can give the appearance of meat on the menu without the high cost.

Rethink Your Wedding Decorations

Give up the confetti or rice toss after the wedding. Use flower petals or find an environmentally friendly confetti. Don’t use balloons or other paper goods that need to be disposed of at the end of the night. If you do have leftover décor, donate it. You could even plan your décor with another bride who can use your items before passing them on. This gives a new meaning to “something borrowed.” Consider your wedding favors, too. There’s a reason edible gifts are on trend. They’re more eco-conscious and guests love them.

Sustainable: Avoid Single-Use Items

Rent silverware, glassware and dishes for your reception. It might be more expensive than disposable items, but it’s certainly better for the environment. Rent linens and napkins. It will immediately make your wedding more upscale and reduce the waste in the landfills from your wedding. Choose paper straws for cocktails. Host a plated dinner instead of having a buffet to reduce your food waste, too.

Think About the Venue

You may want to be green, but if the venue doesn’t have the same vision, it might be difficult to find ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Ask the venue what it does to reduce its impact on the environment. An informal outdoor wedding can be more eco-friendly than a church wedding. Consider how you and your guests will travel to the venue. If a destination wedding is your dream, you’ll need to think about how to offset the carbon footprint of a flight and all the related expenses. Give your guests a virtual option. Hire eco-friendly shuttles to transport out-of-town guests for convenience and reduced reliance on vehicles.

Be Creative

If a green wedding is your vision, you may need to get inventive with your ideas. It will be worth the additional time and energy you spend making your event green.

Seven Tips for an Environmentally Friendly Wedding

Young couple enjoying an environmentally friendly setting

Everyone should have the wedding of their dreams, and more and more couples are choosing to have the festivities be environmentally friendly as well. Even if you are not super green, there are some simple, yet chic, ways to lighten the carbon footprint of your big day.

Buy an Ethical Engagement Ring

An ethical engagement ring is constructed of recycled materials and conflict-free diamonds from legitimate sources that have not been used to fund wars in African countries. These rings may even come in a box that has been locally made. Two companies that offer ethical engagement rings are:

Brilliant Earth has very high standards for the materials used in its jewelry and incorporates many Canadian diamonds in the designs. It also donates 5 percent of profits to African communities in need.

Do Amore offers a wide selection of lovely engagement rings made from 100 percent recycled metals and conflict-free diamonds. It has partners in third world countries who build water wells, and the company pledges clean water for life for two people for every ring purchased.

Another option is an antique engagement ring. If you are lucky enough to have a family heirloom, it can be resized by a jeweler if it does not fit. Purchasing an antique ring is also a great alternative because no new metal or stones will be mined in order to make it.

Use Online Invitations

Besides the actual wedding, it is common for friends and family to host other parties in connection with a wedding. This can add up to lots of paper. Sending online invitations will reduce waste and save money. If you really want to mail invitations, consider having them printed on recycled paper. The paper quality is constantly improving, and there are many options.

Wear an Heirloom

Some brides choose to wear their grandmother, mother or sister’s dress. If you have access to a family wedding garment that you want to wear on your big day, it can be a lovely way to add special meaning to the occasion, in addition to being ecologically conscious. Hiring a local seamstress who uses non-chemically treated, sustainable fabrics like organic cotton is another way to do it. Avoiding a dress that may be manufactured in foreign countries, under unknown circumstances, can help ensure what you wear is socially mindful.

Go Local

Instead of choosing exotic flowers from a far-flung destination, consider using what is in season and grown near the location of your nuptials. The same principle applies to the food you serve. Locally sourced ingredients can be fresher and better tasting than lobster tails flown in from the East Coast, unless your wedding happens to be in Maine.

Embrace Nature

Hosting your reception outdoors, rather than in a hotel ballroom, can be more visually stunning. It can also lower electricity costs and reduce the number of discarded decorations.

Skip the Party Favors

It is estimated that as many as 70 percent of wedding favors are left at the reception by guests. If you feel you must hand them out, consider giving something that supports a local business or a fair trade product such as a jewelry made by African women. These pieces are available online and from some arts co-ops.

Make a Charitable Contribution

The supremely socially conscious may even opt to skip a formal wedding altogether and donate the money they would have spent to a worthy cause. Another other option is to ask guests to make a donation to a charity you support rather than buying a gift. These approaches are definitely not right for everyone.

A wedding is one of life’s milestone moments, and the union will hopefully last a lifetime. Considering the way your nuptials will impact the environment can have a long-lasting impact as well.