Want to plan an eco-friendly wedding but don’t know where to begin? Here are some thoughtful ideas to reduce your carbon footprint on your big day!
Venue:
Celebrate Mother Nature and embrace natural light by having your wedding outdoors in venues like vineyards, farms or botanical gardens. Not only will you cut down on your energy usage, the natural light will give you gorgeous wedding photos! You will even have scenic backdrops and lush decor to perfectly complement your special day.
If you are local to Southern California, check out Riverbed Farms in Anaheim. This non-profit donated all venue fees back into the community. “By offering venue rental space, we are able to give out hundreds of pounds of fresh food away every month, educates kids from local schools, resource homeless & disabled folks, and much more!” What a beautiful location and a great cause!
Stationery:
Send out unique wedding invitations crafted from recycled paper or even seed paper that your guests can plant into beautiful wildflowers or herbs! Handmade paper is stunning, and a great way to recycle. It is possible to make it yourself, but I recommend reaching out to the pros, like Silk & Willow. Alternatively, you can opt for digital save-the-dates and invites, which can live on your wedding website.
Favors:
Delight guests by sending them home with their very own succulents and potted samplings! Other sustainable wedding favors include reusable straws, organic seeds, fair trade coffee and eco-friendly soaps.
Want to take it to the next level? Skip Favors and donate to your favorite charity instead. Jennifer Lawrence did in her recent nuptials to Cooke Maroney by donating to Amazon Conservation, supporting her passion for the Amazon rainforest.
Flowers:
Bring a smile on someone’s face by partnering with organizations that will donate your beautiful wedding flowers to hospitals or senior homes. What a great way to share love and joy!
Food and Drinks:
Avoid food wastage by arranging to have extra food donated to local food banks or shelters. You can also opt to have a completely vegan or vegetarian menu, and serve only locally-sourced alcohol.
Jennifer Lawrence also decided on a caterer that focused on organic ingredients to preserve the ecosystem of the East Coast, Heirloom Fire.
We hope these tips help get you started on creating an eco-friendly wedding!
