Earth Day and Green Weddings
Photo Credit: Blooming Photo Company
In celebration of Earth Day, we wanted to mention some easy, and impactful ways to add eco-friendly and sustainable elements to your wedding:
- Use estate jewelry, vs buying new: this can be accomplished by using a special piece of jewelry from a family member (Grandma’s engagement ring; Great Aunt Barb’s wedding band), or buy visiting an estate jeweler and buying a beautiful heritage piece.
- Buy a vintage gown and rent or re-wear attire you already own: Repurpose a loved one’s wedding gown, or ask your bridesmaids to raid their closet and rewear a dress they already own.
- Don't throwing confetti, rice, flower petals, or other single use items: Make sure to also check with your venue. In addition to not being great for the Earth, many venues no longer allow items like rice and confetti that are time consuming to clean up. Bubbles and streamers on sticks are easier and more Earth friendly options to have your flower girls “throw” or have your guests use when you make your entrance or exit.
- Make items do double-duty with favors or dessert as your table centerpieces: Who says you can’t have dessert first?? Put a platter of cookies or cupcakes out on the tables as the center pieces, and your guests will absolutely indulge. No leftovers to worry about boxing up at the end of the night! Another idea, you’ll notice in the picture above that we utilized pumpkins and gourds as centerpieces for a fall table scape. These items were then reused for festive décor after the event!
- Do edible favors - or forgo them all together: it has become very common to forgo favors. If you are looking for areas to cut from your wedding budget, consider this first, as many guests forget to grab the favors on their way out, and many go to waste.
- Find a venue with built in charm, a gorgeous view, or décor elements to minimize what you need to buy: Rustic décor; walls of beautiful greenery and vines; built in charm and interesting artwork can go miles in saving you from having to purchase or create décor.
- Go digital with most (or all) of your invites and/or RSVPs: Older guests may not like this, but even if you cut your physical invitations and RSVPs down by 80%, that’s 80% less paper (and postage cost!).
- Buy décor secondhand and sell your décor after your event: if it’s in good shape, it can be reused many times, reducing the need to buy new.
- Rent as much as you can for service ware, tents, tables, chairs, etc. (we offer chalkboard signage to our couples to cut down on printed paper!): In the same theme as buying décor second hand - the less you have to buy new, the better!
If you can’t commit to a fully green wedding, that’s ok. Small, impactful decisions can have a big impact to making your event as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible.
