Environmental conscientiousness is becoming more important to engaged couples, and that’s a very good thing. To help the planning process, we’ve gathered a few top tips for hosting a sustainable event without sacrificing what we love most about weddings.
The wedding industry gets a lot of flack for its potential environmental impact. Thus, it’s becoming more common to find couples actively seeking environmentally friendly options for their weddings. And with this demand, the wedding industry is in turn embracing more eco-friendly options.
Tackling Floral Wastage
Floral decor does wonders in transforming an event space into the vision of your dreams. They’re a classic element in wedding decor and add a special touch to your day. However, floral decoration is a large, but often overlooked, source of wastage in the wedding industry.
Flowers are often shipped from overseas, travelling great distances before being assembled into your bouquet. That being said, the solution isn’t a wedding without flowers. Hello, what would your flower girl toss before you walk down the aisle? Instead, consider asking your florist to try and incorporate some locally grown flowers and plants. The beautiful pink nootka rose and the lovely mock orange are just two examples of flowers that are native to the pacific northwest. The common elderberry and deer fern are other examples of locally grown plants that will add some green to your wedding bouquet.
Emphasizing local flowers and plants is a meaningful way to reduce the environmental impact while also having a touch of home on your special day. This way you can still have the flower arrangements and bouquet of your dreams and make your wedding vision come to life.
Reduce Food Wastage
Food is an essential part and often a highlight of your wedding day. You of course want there to be enough to go around, however, having too much and being wasteful isn’t ideal either.
To ensure you have just the right amount, let the vendors do the calculations. Feeding large groups of people is what they do so they know how much food is needed for your day. While it is better to have too much rather than too little, many vendors have measures in place to limit excess as they don’t want to waste food either, it costs them money.
For the extra food you do have, many vendors and venues have programs set up to donate extra food. This way your wasted food is not wasted after all.
Cut Down on Travel
A destination wedding has its perks, of course, but having your nearest and dearest travel great lengths for your nuptials isn’t the most environmentally friendly choice. It’s no secret that air travel is a major polluter. Your community being there while you say your “I dos” is what matters most. Which is why having a big celebration in your own city is a thoughtful choice. Not only does it make it easy for friends and family to attend, but it also seriously cuts down on travel related emissions.
In addition, live streaming your wedding, which became extremely popular due to the pandemic, isn’t going anywhere. You could opt to use Zoom or bring in a videographer that specializes in live broadcasting to film your ceremony and keep travel emissions low.
At the end of the day, when you look back at your wedding ten or twenty years from now what you’ll remember most isn’t necessarily the centrepieces or the colour palette, but rather the special moments shared with your partner and those closest to you. Keeping it local is an eco-friendly choice and ensures that your community will be there with you for one of the most special days of your life.
Choose an Eco-Friendly Gown
Now that we’re able to have weddings IRL, many couples are building out big bridal parties. Naturally, people are desperate to include the people they have missed the most in their nuptials. Standing within 6 feet of each other? A luxury we are not about to pass up.
But wedding wear can be costly and harmful to the environment.
The simplest way to cut down on your contribution to bridal fashion waste cycles? Rent your gown or suit. It’s affordable, and you won’t have to worry about stuffing your gown into your closet for years to come.
Another way to tackle this issue is by purchasing wedding wear from eco-friendly makers. These designers ideally make their wares locally, are careful about fabric wastage, and only work with environmentally sensitive suppliers. Try searching for these vendors by googling “eco-friendly wedding dress” + “[your city]”.
To do one better, buy gowns or tuxes that can be reworked or worn again. Maybe instead of a tuxedo complete with tails, opt for a versatile but still very formal suit. The groom’s party will be pleased to get more wear out of their suits in the future.
The same goes for the bridal party. Let bridesmaids choose gowns they really love. If uniformity is important to you, request all gowns fit into the family of your colour scheme or go for one gown that is, itself, versatile (for example, which allow different modes of securing the bodice).
If getting more use from a bridal gown is important to you, bear this in mind as you shop. Either select a gown that you could wear again, which generally necessitates a less formal look, or opt for a gown that can be reworked by a seamstress into a shorter, more informal dress.
These intentional decisions can add so much more life to these important, expensive, and sentimental garments. Not only is this an environmentally mindful approach, you’ll have more opportunities to appreciate those important gowns and suits.
It’s more important than ever to be mindful of our impact on the environment. While these may seem like small contributions to a healthier planet, they’re important to consider nonetheless. Making our weddings more eco-friendly is an achievement we can all be proud of.