Last month we sent out a 2022 wedding trend email that highlighted some emerging sustainable and eco-friendly ideas. You asked for more and we answered! Here are ten practical ways to add sustainability into your wedding day while keeping things fresh and on-trend.
Let Love Grow 🌱
1. Instead of using confetti that is usually made from plastic, use fallen flower petals or leaves. Use a heart hole puncher on leaves found from your backyard to create cute confetti! A major plus is that it is free!
2. Opt for bamboo plates and utensils instead of single use plastic or paper. Bamboo plates and utensils are compostable, so it is a more sustainable option.
3. For your cocktail napkins, consider linen napkins instead of paper. Linen napkins can be washed afterwards or sent to the dry cleaners. These really elevate the look of a dinner party or resting on a side table by your couch.
4. Hire a florist that also has rental inventory of candles and vases. This is so much better than buying them yourself because more or less you probably won’t know what to do with them after your wedding anyway. BUT ALSO because repurposed inventory like this is less wasteful (and more cost effective, too).
5. Use paperless invites! Sites such as Paperless Post are a great alternative to physical paper invitations and they reduce paper waste.
6. Hire a catering company that specializes in locally sourced, farm to table food! Sourcing from a sustainable caterer will also reduce your carbon footprint. Plus, you will be giving your money back to the local community by supporting local farmers.
7. Skip balloon and lantern-exits! While this may seem like a very fun idea, it is very harmful for the environment as the balloons and lanterns end up as waste somewhere else. Lanterns can sometimes even start forest fires which is the last thing you want to happen at your wedding.
8. Give out sustainable wedding favors like miniature succulents or seed cards that can be turned into flowers or plants. Think about all the wedding favors you threw out immediately or have sitting in a drawer somewhere. Give you guests something they can give back to the earth.
9. Keep your guest list small! With less people comes less waste. Having a small guest list may add to your wedding making it more intimate.
10. Hire a florist that uses organic, local, and sustainably sourced flowers for your bouquet, centerpieces, and décor. Another important note on floral is that in season flowers are not only less expensive, but it is always more sustainable.
Having a trendy and fun wedding can be achieved sustainably despite what you may think! Celebrate your wedding with the earth instead of on the earth. It is so important that we keep our carbon footprint on the earth as low as possible as it is the only earth we have. These ideas can be incorporated into everyday practices and events other than weddings. We all can have a green thumb if we try!
Happy Earth Day Everyone!
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