How to Plan the Perfect Eco-Friendly Wedding

We believe everything in life has its pros and cons, your wedding included. Pros could include making things official with your sweetheart, celebration and a lifetime of memories. Cons could be wastage of food, excessive use of plastic packaging and throwaway decor.

Of course, the latter would matter only to those who are eco-conscious. If you too are someone who wants to do your bit for nature, while ensuring your wedding remains a memorable event then this article is a must-read.

Venue:

Here are two great ways to make the venue of your wedding eco-friendly.

1. Choose an outdoor setting: A wedding without electricity will be a nightmare, and we’re not suggesting that either. You can, however, reduce the energy utilization by opting for an outdoor venue such as a refurbished barn, farm, vineyard or a botanical garden. Let the sun light-up the event, and reflect your contribution towards a sustainable tomorrow.
2. Reduce travel time: By doing so you will automatically be reducing the excessive carbon footprint. In order to achieve this, finalize a venue that is easily accessible to majority of your guests. Also, use this location to host both your ceremony and reception to further cut down on time involved in travelling from one event to another.

Wedding Invitations:

We all know what the purpose of a wedding invitation is, so why not do it in a more pocket and eco-friendly way? Every single day there are countless sheets of paper that undergo printing only to end up in the garbage. You can reduce the environment impact of this process by opting for one of the below options.

1. Send a mail: We love e-invites; they’re simple, effective and allow you to personalize them just the way a regular wedding card does (minus the use of paper).
2. Opt for recycled paper: An e-invite may not appeal to everyone; besides, there are many who consider a wedding invitation to be an important memorabilia of the event. In such a case, it’s important to find yourself a vendor that will use 100% recycled paper or alternative non-tree fibers to print your wedding invitation on.

Conflict-Free Wedding Jewelry:

It’s no secret that the world will continue to remain in awe of diamonds. This also means there will consistently be earth displacement, excessive water, fuel and energy consumption, along with damage to wildlife, ecology and biodiversity. And we’ve not even started talking about human lives destroyed due to illegal mining practices.

From this perspective, we can safely say that the birth of lab-created diamonds is a significant step towards a future that can be greener and sustainable, if you choose to. These real diamonds, grown inside sophisticated labs, are 100% eco-friendly and conflict-free. So if a green wedding is on your mind, then lab-diamond jewelry and wedding bands are the way to go.

Food:

This is an area where you can expect majority of the wastage to take place, especially if you’ve opted for a buffet. When you’re hosting an eco-friendly wedding, it is essential to ensure that the food you serve is fresh, and prepared in a way that nothing goes to waste. Check out the following points to achieve this.

1. Go organic: Hire a caterer whose values for good quality and eco-friendly food resonate with yours. Prioritize on sourcing of in-season and locally grown products. This is a great way to get your hands on the freshest ingredients, and can also help lower your overall costs.

   You can also consider hiring more than one food truck to serve different cuisines. This is one of the most effective ways to avoid food wastage as everything will be made-to-order.

2. The future is green: ‘Eco-friendly’ and meat do not go hand in hand, period. As a matter of fact, meat production is one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions, along with other particulate matter pollution in the atmosphere. So think about having a vegetarian menu which, by the way, can be lip-smacking good.

Favors:

Wedding favors are great, especially if they are eco-friendly. This is because you get the chance to use an important event to promote your love for nature, even after the wedding is over. While small cake bites or a jar of marmalade from a local farm are great options, here are two other alternatives.

1. Evergreen saplings: Growing a tree or a plant is a great way to do your bit for the earth. And small saplings in favor-ready packages are perfect for making the guests join the ‘green’ bandwagon. Alternatively, you can also give seed bombs and plantable confetti both of which are easily available online.
2. A treat for the birds: Bird seed favors are perfect for inviting birds to flock and brighten up the space with their beauty and chirps. Your guests will simply need to hang them on a tree outside or on a fencepost and enjoy all the goodness this eco-friendly favor will bring in.

Keep it Intimate:

This last one might not seem very easy to follow, but can really help make your wedding a perfectly eco-friendly and intimate affair. Make a list of family and friends who are really important to you, keep it short and stick to it. The lesser the number of people, the lesser the carbon foot print and potential wastage of resources. This will also help you save money, which can be added to your food and drinks budget, or even charity donations.

Related post – 5 Ethical Wedding Bands for the Eco-Conscious Bride-To-Be