Rent your dishes and linens This is a pretty common practice these days, but renting china, glassware, and linens is more environmentally friendly than single use plastics or paper products. They also can give your wedding a more sophisticated feel! Venues will often provide these materials to couples and include it in the rental costs, but make sure to check because not all venues do! If your venue does not rent materials, you can always check with the caterer.
Compost your wedding flowers. Often wedding flowers go to waste after the wedding and just get thrown away. And even if you do take them home, they die eventually! If you want a green option you can always compost your flowers! Composting is a great way to turn waste into a useful product. If you aren’t sure how to compost or where to start, check out this website —> https://sowamerica.com/composting/
Pick a caterer that uses local ingredients. Picking a caterer that uses great local ingredients cuts down on carbon emissions as there is no need for shipping! It also guarantees you fresh, wonderful ingredients — and you may even discover your area has some pretty neat foods to offer!
Give succulents or potted plants as favors. Favors are … falling out of favor (sorry, I had to!) with couples lately, however, if you want to hand out favors you might want to consider succulents! They’re more functional gift than some other favors and they’re green (literally!).
Skip the paper invitations! Trade in the paper invitations for virtual invites! Virtual invites have become very popular during this pandemic as dates change (and may continue to change) and couples can’t afford to send out new invitations over and over again. These days, many companies offer a E-vite version of their beautiful designs that you can send out to friends and family. This is a great green option as it cuts down on paper use and even saves you a little money!
Register for “experience gifts” instead of physical ones. This is becoming a very popular trend especially on registry sites like Zola. Guests can give couples “experiences” like massages, contribute to the honeymoon fund, etc. instead of buying an object the couple may or may not use. By cutting out some of the tangible items you cut down on shipping emissions as well as packaging waste which usually consists of plastics and paper.
Break out the kegs! No, seriously. Kegs can be a great way to cut down on waste from glass bottles and aluminum cans if you are BYOB to your wedding. Always make sure you are using a professional bartender to serve alcoholic beverages at your event though . . . this isn’t a tailgate!
Reuse wherever you can! Still need something borrowed or something old … why not an heirloom wedding dress? or maybe heirloom jewelry! Reusing items cuts down on production emissions, shipping emissions, and the general carbon footprint associated with the items. Other things like mirrors and decor from your home or your relatives homes can be a green option as well as a cost-saving one!
Opt for outside Having your wedding outdoors might already be part of your plan, but did you know it is also a green option? Having your wedding outside in the natural light cuts down on energy consumption as there is no lighting or heating or cooling needed! Also, if you’ve always wanted your nuptials in the beauty of a national park, proceeds from renting the park space are often used towards conservation and upkeep of the park!
Go for romantic candlelight instead of electric lights. Candlelight gives your event a beautiful, romantic vibe and is environmentally friendly, too! Make sure you check with your venue on their policy, some venues do not allow candles at all and some only allow ones that do not have an open flame (ex. votives).
So there it is! If you are worried about the carbon footprint your day may leave or if you just want to be a little more environmentally conscious, these tricks are great easy ways to go green at your wedding! Follow us for more tips and tricks on how to make your big day all that you ever dreamed of!