10 Tips for Planning an Environmentally Friendly Wedding

I'm excited that you've found this article – that means you're interested in protecting this beautiful planet, which is something I'm passionate about! As an event producer, I see firsthand how wasteful the wedding and event industry can be. Below is a list of 10 steps you can easily take to make your wedding more environmentally friendly and sustainable. Implementing even just a few can make a big difference. Mother Earth thanks you!

1. Upcycle that dress

My girl, Miss Tashina, is incredibly skilled at taking a vintage wedding gown (maybe your mom's or your auntie's) and giving it new life. She starts with a dress that's decades old and creates modern masterpieces that suit each bride perfectly.

I do not doubt that there are skilled gown designers in every major city who can create the perfect gown for you. My suggestion? Start by checking Etsy for someone local.

2. Choose local cuisine

When choosing your wedding day menu, ask potential caterers to create a menu based on local and easily available cuisine. Your caterer shouldn't be shocked or thrown off by a request for local ingredients. In fact, I'm sure they'd jump at the opportunity if it isn't already part of their regular practice.

Not only does creating a locally sourced menu ensure that you'll get the freshest ingredients, but it means that fewer planes, trains and automobiles are used to bring the food to your beautiful event.

3. Choose local flowers

I know you LOVE peonies (who doesn't?), but, if you're getting married in November, skip them. The environmental footprint left from shipping these gorgeous blossoms across the globe during the off-season isn't worth it. You can undoubtedly find beautiful, locally grown flowers wherever you're getting married.

And, if local flowers aren't plentiful, opt for something like succulents or whatever naturally exists in your wedding locale (geodes, herbs, wheat, fruit, vegetables, etc.). Have fun while stepping out of your comfort zone and take advantage of the beauty that exists near you.

4. Drink local

Ask your bartending or catering service to source local ingredients for fresh mixers and garnishes. Stocking the bar with local beer and wine is also a great way to create a wonderfully sustainable event.

5. Reuse

We encourage our clients to use our massive stash of decor items for their wedding rather than purchasing new items or making something new. If you don't have access to a wedding planner with a stash of décor, try Craigslist. Brides are always looking to get rid of the items they only used once for their wedding day.

6. Book ecotourism

For your honeymoon, consider choosing a trip based on ecotourism. Ecotourism is tourism that’s sensitive toward exotic and often threatened natural environments, with a special focus on supporting conservation efforts and wildlife.

Costa Rica leads the way in ecotourism and has an abundance of protected land to explore while honeymooning. Other great ecotourism destinations include Norway, Kenya, the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, and Brazil, to name a few.

7. Work with a recycling service

Consider hiring a local recycling service to ensure every bit of waste from your event is sorted, recycled and disposed of properly. Environmentally responsible caterers such as Contemporary Catering make using a service like this a priority on their events. Every little bit helps!

8. Choose your location

Try choosing a location for your wedding with natural beauty to keep decor to a minimum while embracing the best of what this planet has to offer.

9. Carpool

Encourage guests to carpool to your wedding or use a rideshare company that services the area of the wedding. A great place to note this option is your wedding website or an inset sent with your wedding invitation (or a note on your electronic invitation if you're attempting to save paper).

Also, consider carpooling to meetings with family or your wedding planner. It leads to extra productive car time.

10. Go with a conscious gift registry

Consider registering for gift cards or experiences instead of gifts that are shipped in excessive packaging and gift wrap. Please keep it simple. If you're looking for ideas, check out 10 Unique Newlyweds Gifts to Send During a Pandemic.

Thank you for doing what you can to make weddings and events more environmentally friendly. We can all do something to make the wedding industry better, and this is a great place to start.