6 Easy Things You Can Do To Make Your Wedding More Sustainable
First of all, congrats on your wedding! Planning a wedding is a wonderful and exciting thing, and there are so many decisions you have to make. From the flowers, food, photographer, music, and more, there are so many decisions. If you are like me, you care about the environment, and you want to have a special and wonderful day that does not break the bank, whilst still being environmentally friendly. Well my friend, I am engaged and was looking for the same information, so here are 6 easy things you can do to make your wedding more sustainable!
Wedding Party Gifts - One of the most wasteful areas in a wedding can be the wedding party gifts. What are some wedding party gifts you have gotten? I have gotten all different types of wedding gifts, like bottle holders, t-shirts, key chains, and even hot sauce. You want your wedding gift to be something that most people can use or re-gift. One of my favorite wedding gifts was a meal and some flowers. So at this wedding, the bride and groom’s parents handed out leftover boxes. The guests were allowed to pack some of the food from the wedding to take home. In addition, they brought small mason glasses and guests were allowed to take home some of the flowers that were used as décor for the wedding. As a guest, I was stoked because I had leftovers for the following day, as well as some beautiful flowers that I got to put in the dining room. I also thought this was really environmentally friendly because often at weddings, a ton of food and a lot of the flowers end up going to waste. Another environmentally friendly wedding party gift I received was seeds. The best part was that everyone got different types of flowers. I chose sunflowers to take home. Then for their one year anniversary, they asked everyone to bring the flowers that they had planted. It was beautiful, and during the toast they talked about how love grows.
2. Shop locally as much as you can. When it comes to flowers, there are a ton of greenhouses and local places to get beautiful florals. When it comes to food, there are a ton of amazing resources locally. I think another added benefit of shopping locally, is that it can sometimes be cheaper as you don’t pay the cost of shipping, and it helps support the local economy.
3. Have guests wear things that they would wear again. Often, if you have a dress code that is really fancy, people will buy clothes just for your wedding that they will never wear again. I think the same goes for your wedding party. At one wedding I participated in, I had a very fancy dress that I paid over $200 for, and I immediately had to sell it in order to try to recoup some of my money back. Whilst there was another wedding I went to where the bride had us rent dresses! This only costed me about $45 dollars and I was able to return the dress so that someone else can wear it once again.
4. Having an outdoor wedding is another idea that can make your wedding more sustainable. You end up spending less in electricity, air conditioning, and décor. When you are outdoors in a beautiful place, you spend less on décor.
5. Reuse - Reuse - Reuse! Join a ton of wedding groups! Buy things that are used. If you attend a wedding that you love, or you see a friend whose décor is beautiful, reach out to them because they will probably be willing to sell them to you. Also, here are some wonderful websites for things that are thrifted. Because thrifted doesn’t have to mean ugly.
Etsy -https://www.etsy.com/c/weddings/clothing/dresses/wedding-gowns-and-separates?awc=6220_1609994356_da28ebc1da9ec1aa3ee502fc85b50dbc&source=aw&utm_source=affiliate_window&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=us_location_buyer&utm_term=3657&utm_content=136348
Rent the Runway -https://www.renttherunway.com/bridal?SSAID=687298&utm_campaign=SAS&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=shareasale.com&campaign=SAS&sscid=11k5_6d2pq
Once Wed - https://www.oncewed.com/used-wedding-dresses/
6. Go digital! If you are like me, you rarely send things via mail anymore. Instead, you primarily use the internet to pay bills, send holiday cards, and even… yup, send your wedding cards and thank you cards. It’s cheaper, more convenient, and faster! There are apps that allow you to see when someone has looked at your invitation, and immediately notifies you when someone has responded. You can even send them reminders all from the comfort of your home! However, if you prefer having something sent in the mail, you can also send invitations and thank you cards on recycled paper!
Here is an awesome website you can check out: https://www.greenvelope.com/wedding-invitations?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=electronic%20wedding%20invitations%20e&utm_campaign=Wedding%20Invites%20-%20US%20-%20Exact&PPC_device=c&PPC_targetid=kwd-179265078&PPC_network=g&gclid=Cj0KCQiA3NX_BRDQARIsALA3fIJnxXMSqL6EY1q1iQlbPyCiDUaxohaIsKL0-wpnciLf3cC0Ujmt-UIaAql_EALw_wcB
Congrats Again! I Hope this was helpful!
Xo,
Esther Kabwe Photography
