It is tricky because there are a lot of people, food gone uneaten, and flowers and decor that get left behind, and that is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of wedding waste. Luckily because of the social push to make sustainable choices, you can probably get the venues, vendors and wedding planners on your side to make more sustainable choices when it comes to throwing a big wedding.
Get your guests involved and let them know that it is your goal to not make a negative impact on the environment, or even have a zero-waste wedding. Here are some general tips to follow for planning a more sustainable wedding.
Go Digital
The easiest thing you can do to start off the eco-friendly wedding vibe is to avoid as much paper trail as possible, which means digital invitations. Most wedding websites will not advise you to do so because traditionally paper invitations signify a suit and tie event such as a wedding.
On the other side, traditional weddings have not put the environment first, so if that is your objective start by going digital. Make a wedding website and manage to save the dates, RSVPs and invitations through there.
As a Millennial, you will probably find it more convenient than mailing and receiving RSVPs, but you might need to help your elderly family or community members manage.
Vintage Dresses & Ethical Gems
Another easy way to make things more ecological is when it comes to the dresses, tuxes and of course, the rings. Most diamonds are not ethical or sustainable, but there are many options these days for ethically mined gems or gems grown in laboratories.
You probably never thought of the dresses as an unsustainable aspect of a wedding, but if you are never going to wear it again, it is not exactly a sustainable choice. Look for a vintage dress if you can or buy a dress that you can alter and wear again.
As for the bridesmaids and groomsmen, allow them to wear something they already have or that they would like to wear again in the future to avoid clothing that goes to waste.
Work With The Venue On Eco-Friendly Solutions
If you are really committed to going green on your wedding day, pick a venue based on their commitment to choosing sustainable options as well as working towards zero waste. Due to sustainability being such a tremendous lifestyle trend, more and more venues are becoming experienced with zero-waste events and even prioritizing it themselves. Find a venue that matches your vision, and vendors as well.
At a wedding, often there is food waste, talk to your vendors and caterers about what can be done to prevent waste, such as donating leftover foods. Many organizations will even come and pick it up for you.
Request Sustainable Gift Options
Wedding gifts have some issues when it comes to sustainability, first of all, do you really need more plates and fancy household items? Or is there a way to ask your guests for gifts that are more useful for your lifestyle?
Check out sustainable wedding registries, that also offer alternatives to wrapping paper as that is another source of waste when it comes to gifts. Unwrapping gifts is another tradition that is bound to go away over time as it isn't sustainable to use paper once and waste it.
Registering with a company that has sustainable wrapping, allows your guests to also choose an eco-friendly option. There are also many registries that are not strictly items, how cool would it be to be gifted an experience or even money to contribute to the cost of the wedding?
Make Clean Decisions On Decor & Clean-Up
Finally, like any big event, a source of waste comes from the clean-up after the party. Talk to the venue about how to clean up with going down, to make sure that liter is not just picked up but properly disposed of. Choosing decorations that are biodegradable ensures that there won't be an issue with recycling.
If you are having live flowers at your wedding, see about donating them after the event so that they don't go to waste.
Cleaning up the event is just as important as planning out sustainable logistics, otherwise what was all of that for? See your eco-friendly wedding plans through until the clean-up.
