- How to plan an eco-friendly wedding
- / BLOG
ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY WEDDING IDEAS
/ FOR THE COUPLE WITH A CONSCIENCE
Your wedding day will literally be one of the happiest celebrations of your life. However, whilst the dancing, hugging, eating, drinking, laughing and crying lasts for just one day… the tossed paper, thrown-away food and trashed flowers have a much longer lasting impact on our earth. Luckily, with just a little consideration, it’s actually really easy for couples to plan a more eco-friendly wedding without sacrificing their budget or vision. In an effort to see more environmentally conscious weddings I’ve put together my top 6 tips for planning an environmentally-friendly wedding day below.
SMALL CHANGES = LARGE IMPACTS
Now I’m not saying that you have to incorporate all of these suggestions into your wedding day (yay if you do!). Even if you’re just able to implement a few you’ll already be making a difference. Anyway, you’ll see that they’re all really simple and easy to do. And remember, at the end of the day wedding vendors are businesses and businesses deliver according to the demands of the consumer. By requesting sustainable, eco-friendly practices from your chosen wedding suppliers you are helping to shape a greener wedding industry for the future.
1. RESPONSIBLE RINGS
So we’ve all seen old Leo butcher the South African accent in ‘Blood Diamond’… making most of us pretty familiar with the negative consequences of the diamond industry in certain African regions. Not cool. Don’t make the dreaded mistake of using a conflict stone to symbolise your eternal love! Be informed. Chat to your jeweller and track the origin of your stone via The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme.
Lab-grown stones and inherited jewels are also great, environmentally-friendly options.
2. SUSTAINABLE STATIONERY
As millions of trees are toppled every year in the pursuit of paper products, why not make an attempt to make your wedding stationery more sustainable. When it comes to your wedding invitations there are a number of eco-conscious options available to you. Look out for stationers who offer recycled paper products and vegetable-based inks. Plantable paper is my personal favourite option. This is a biodegradable paper that is embedded with seeds (how cool!). This means that your guests will be able to turn their wedding invitation into a beautiful pot of flowers or herbs rather than sending it to the landfill. You can purchase plantable paper from Growing Paper.
Of course going completely paperless is also a fantastic option and is even kinder on the earth. It is increasingly common for ‘save-the-date’ invites to be sent electronically and your wedding invitations can be too. Setting up a wedding website is an awesome, eco-friendly way to keep your guests informed and allow them to RSVP electronically. You can take a squizz at available website options here.
3. LITTER-FREE CONFETTI
The exit toss is always one of my favourite shots, at any wedding! I also believe it’s absolutely the easiest part of your wedding to turn green. Ditch the paper confetti or rice and opt for an eco-friendly (and super pretty) alternative. Leaves, petals, dried flowers, herbs or lavender are plant-based, biodegradable options that won’t wreck the local ecosystem.
Nella and Rogan made their petal confetti available to their guests in Kraft-paper bags which are easy to recycle. Alternatively, host all the confetti in one large container, allowing guests to grab a handful as they pass.
4. CONSCIOUS CATERING
Food brings people together and is often at the centre of any celebration. And now, more than ever, it’s possible to serve dishes that are as delicious as they are earth-friendly. Simply look for caterers who focus on local, sustainable and seasonal cuisine. In-season, locally-grown products are kinder to mother earth as they require less fridge time and less fuel for transportation. Plus supporting local businesses is super rad and means your food is super fresh! Win-win.
For an even lower impact on the earth without any sacrifice to taste consider serving plant-based dishes at your wedding. Plant-based meals require far less resources to produce and you won’t be harming any animals in the process.
Got leftovers? Please don’t let food go to waste. Consider donating leftovers to a local homeless shelter. In the name of food safety make sure you have this organised ahead of time so that the food is properly packaged and ready to go.
5. EARTH-FRIENDLY FLOWERS
When it comes to flower arrangements your most eco-friendly option is to choose blooms that are both local and in season. Seasonal, locally-sourced flowers will also be the freshest and most cost-effective option too.
Another earth-friendly choice is to go for potted flowers and plants as your centrepieces and other decor. This will allow you to take your blooms home after the wedding. For flowers that you don’t want to take home with you, consider donating them to an old age home or hospital.
4. GREEN GIFTING
It’s easy to gift your guests with a small favour that’s kind to Mother Earth. Choose a plantable favour such as potted herbs or succulents or go for an edible option. Alternatively you could you go for a charity donation instead. Let guests know that you’ve made a donation to a meaningful cause in lieu of favours. You could even pick a few and then let guests choose which one they would like you donate to on their behalf.
If you’ve chosen to put a registry together why not use this as an opportunity to make your lives greener. Choose items that are sourced from sustainable materials and will help you be kinder to the earth on a day-to-day basis.
6. THE HONEYMOON
Your eco-friendly wedding ideas don’t need to stop once the big day is over! When booking your honeymoon I highly recommend taking a look into Kind Traveler. Not only do they offer advice on how you can be a more sustainable traveler but they will also donate to some great charities on your behalf when you make a booking through them.
You could also consider volunteering a bit of your time to a local initiative whilst on honeymoon. Participating in a beach clean up, for example, is a great way to insure that your visit has a positive impact.
If you would like to donate a bit more of your time I highly recommend looking into how you can become involved with All Hands and Hearts.
