Weddings are a beautiful celebration of love between two people committing to a lifetime of partnership, but often our partnership with mother Earth is forgotten about during the actual planning. By no means do you have to sacrifice style to plan your perfect wedding while also keeping the environment in mind. Here are a few eco-friendly tips to keep in mind while planning the wedding of your dreams!
Invitations
The waste can start very early on in your planning. Your save-the-dates and wedding invitations are some of the first steps you’ll take in the planning and they’re more than likely be discarded once your wedding has passed. Rather than creating more trash, consider looking into greener invitations. Some companies source the paper from recycled materials. Another great option is to research plantable wedding invitations that contain seeds that will eventually bloom as the paper decomposes.
Clothing
Your wedding will be a marathon of different events, many of which you will feel compelled to purchase nice, new outfits for. While you might need more formal options fitting for wedding showers and the rehearsal dinner, buying new clothing only contributes to your carbon footprint. Consider shopping secondhand on an online thrift store to give clothing a longer life and partake in a more sustainable method of fashion. By utilizing a secondhand clothing resource such as thredUP you can find reliable and stylish brands like Free People, Ann Taylor, and Torrid which would be perfect for any of these wedding occasions. Not only will this lessen your impact on the environment there’s also the added bonus of saving some cash.
Venue
While picking your venue, there are a number of factors to take into consideration that can help you reduce your wedding’s carbon footprint. By having your wedding and reception outdoors, you could save energy consumption that would otherwise take place if it were inside. Let mother nature light your happy day and think of the great natural lighting it would provide to the photographer! If the unknown weather is an issue and you’re looking for a venue indoors, be sure to think about places that have built-in decor or pleasant aesthetics. This way, you can avoid using decorations that are for one-time use or get thrown away after the reception, causing unnecessary waste. Another important aspect to keep in mind is whether or not the venue can provide the dishes and linens. This ensures that your reception is using items that are recycled or reused from each prior event avoiding the excess of disposable reception items, like napkins or glassware.
Flowers
Flowers are a very popular and beautiful way to add interest to you wedding. However, the sourcing of flowers could be potentially detrimental to the green efforts you’re making if you’re not careful. Avoid having out-of-season flowers as shipping them from another location can have a carbon footprint effect. While roses are a very popular flower associated with weddings, find out where your florist gets their fresh cut flowers as you’ll want to avoid traveled rose bouquets often coming from other countries. Even better than using cut flowers, consider using potted plants throughout your venue and in your centerpieces that will go on living well after your wedding day. When you make David Rothstein Music your Chicago wedding band, you have the option to donate all of your flower arrangements to a nursing home or other care facility where they will be appreciated long after you big day! That way, nothing goes to waste.
