Eco-Friendly Weddings: Start Your Sustainable Marriage

There is a lot to think about when planning the perfect wedding, but have you considered the cost regarding your environmental impact? An eco-friendly wedding focusing on sustainability is the way forward. 

Are Weddings Really That Wasteful?

Weddings are an expensive extravagance. Some of us lean into this and blow our savings to have a luxurious celebration with the finest food, high-end décor, and a stunning dress. But, we are soon left with countless single-use items in the trash, a lot of food waste, and a surprising carbon footprint. 

What Can We Do To Create A More Eco-Friendly Wedding?

Thankfully, there are lots of small changes we can make in our wedding plans that have a big impact environmentally. Sustainability, reusable items, and eco-friendly business practices all play a part in making your big day special with a clearer conscience. So, here are some tips that can help. 

Pick A Venue That Shares Your Values 

Your venue choice will help create the right vibe for the day ahead. Research the owners or brand, their practices, and their general views about energy use and the products they use. This will also give you a clearer conscience about spending your wedding night there. 

Of course, it also helps to have your ceremony close to home to lower air miles, rather than having everyone fly out to a big destination wedding. 

Find Caterers That Provide A More Sustainable Food Service 

Food waste is a massive issue across the world, and we can all make a difference in the way we prepare and serve food. This extends to catering big events. 

You might not avoid food waste entirely, but you can find caterers that use local suppliers with seasonal ingredients to create tasty meals with a lower carbon footprint. Additionally, you can explore donating or thoughtfully distributing any leftovers.

Think About What You Are Going To Wear

It has become the norm to buy an expensive dress or suit that you only wear once, which highlights the problems of fast fashion and waste in clothing. You can wear anything that makes you happy at the altar, from the dress worn on a first date to one worn at your grandmother’s wedding. There is also nothing wrong with finding a second-hand vintage sustainable wedding dress. 

Consider How You Want To Use Floral Decorations 

While walking down the aisle in that pre-loved dress or suit, you likely will want to carry some flowers or have floral decorations at the venue. 

Avoid single-use fake flowers and instead, go for seasonal flowers from local growers. That way you’re not only reducing plastic waste and single-use items, but you’re also supporting small local businesses.

On that note, it is better to throw flower petals and biodegradable paper confetti than anything with plastic or rice. 

Choose Eco-Friendly Wedding Décor Throughout The Venue 

Aside from the flowers, you will also want sustainable wedding décor on a grander scale. This includes the decoration around the venue and on the tables at the reception. 

• Put candles in recycled jars and get creative 
• Look out for paper and wood decorations
• Try to find local artists with a passion for the environment 
• Consider DIY wedding decorations

Request Gifts That Aren’t So Wasteful 

We can’t dictate what our guests wear or how they behave, necessarily. But we can request more environmentally friendly wedding gifts on a registry list. 

Alternatively, you could forego physical presents altogether and all that packaging in favor of donations to charity or gift cards for green brands that you love. 

Offer More Eco-Friendly Wedding Favors 

Just as you don’t want to receive wasteful gifts, you shouldn’t give them either, of course.

If you choose to give your guests a gift in return for attending, you can find some great sustainable wedding favors too. Think of little natural or reusable items, like:

• Wooden coasters branded with the wedding date
• Toiletries and soaps always go well, but try and find 100% natural ones that don’t use plastic 
• Little bags of sweets from local producers 
• Seeds so that guests can grow wildflowers in your honor 

Small Gestures Go A Long Way Toward Creating Beautiful Eco-Friendly Weddings 

You don’t have to completely throw out the rulebook when planning a sustainable wedding. A few small alterations to common traditions and themes will add up. 

The more of us that opt for sustainable weddings, the more of a difference we can make all together.