How to Plan an Eco-Friendly Wedding

Weddings usually cause a lot of waste when it comes to food, decor, lots of people traveling to and fro, and other wastage that creates a carbon footprint on the planet. But marriage ceremonies don’t have to be like that anymore. You can choose to go sustainable plus save a lot of money by considering the green wedding theme ideas suggested by 5-Minute Crafts below.

1. Choose an eco-friendly venue.

Creating the entire wedding venue from scratch that includes transportation, amplifies the carbon footprint. Instead, you can choose a permanent building like a country house, a hall, or a barn that hosts regular events. In this way, you’ll get your eco-friendly wedding infrastructure sorted out, and it will get you in touch with local suppliers as well. You can choose a wedding venue at a location that is nearby where the majority of your guests live so you can cut down on the conveyance collectively.

Cutting down on the number of guests will add more to the sustainability and money-saving too.

2. Consider going eco-friendly with the wedding invites.

Weddings call for using a lot of stationery too. You can choose to send digital invites to your guests, but if you really want to go the conventional way of sending a card, go for wedding invites made of plantable seed paper. These cards are made of recycled paper and have seeds inside. You can later dispose of them or plant them in your own pot to see beautiful flowers grow.

3. Opt for sustainable decor elements.

Options are endless when going green with the wedding decor. Instead of paper, you can use real leaves as place cards for guests to find their seats during the reception ceremony. For centerpieces, you can use glass jars, tin cans, glass bottles, and a lot more. Rather than throwing paper confetti, you can use a mix of herbs and flower petals for the exit toss.

If reusable decor is not available to you, consider buying or borrowing used decor items from a former bride or groom, or explore the options on Facebook groups. Or if you want to use firsthand items for decoration, you can resell or donate them later, after your big day.

4. Be mindful of the floral arrangement.

Using freshly cut flowers isn’t favorable for the environment, so you can place potted flowers like orchids or spray roses around for decoration. If potted flowers are not available to you, go for wood flowers, go DIY with the florals, or simply rent them.

If you’re wanting to use real flowers for your wedding, consider donating your leftover flowers to a charitable cause. Or if you’re not opting for single-use wedding flowers, you can share them with another bride or groom who might be getting married on the same weekend.

5. Go DIY with the wedding favors.

You can make the most of reusable glass jars to gift homemade jam, herb cuttings, handmade soap, or hot chocolate mix as wedding favors. You can also add biodegradable petal confetti in tiny confetti bags and keep it on the guest tables. If this confetti is not an option, you can pack up some wildflower seeds in these bags. Another option is to convert place cards into cookies, as shown in the image above. These place cards can be both wedding favors and place cards.

6. Get a wedding dress that can save you money.

Buying a used wedding dress will help in cutting down on costs and go easy on the environment too. You can choose to rent one as well. If you’re wanting to get a brand new gown to complete your dream wedding, then consider choosing fabrics and brands that are earth-conscious. You can also resell your dress to another bride.

7. Choose a wedding caterer that can provide you with sustainable options.

When it comes to caterers, the ones who source from local farms are the best bet because it promotes local businesses plus cuts down on the to-and-fro conveyance as well. Also, choose to rent or buy dishware instead of going for disposable cutlery. Make sure to not get the single-use straws, use the nature-friendly ones made of bamboo, wheat, and paper.

You can also serve vegan or vegetarian wedding meals, instead of meat, which helps in reducing the wedding waste and carbon footprint of your wedding.